WestCoast
Established Member
I was on a late night train last weekend, and there was quite a few revellers onboard.
Now, since the passengers were rather drunk and quite loud, I wasn't expecting the guard to appear. However, he did try to collect payment. He tacked the groups in a jovial manner and managed to collect many fares, however one group became abusive when asked to pay the full fare. Instead of moving on, he offered them cheaper YP fares (quietly) saying that they would have to pretend they had them and not to expect this next time. They paid and there was little fuss.
Personally, I think it was quite a good technique as the railway still got some revenue (instead of none!) and the guard didn't get attacked. There was no chance of inspection since the stations are unmanned on this route. The guard had no backup that late at night.
Others may disagree, but I thought it was a common sense approach despite the rules.
Now, since the passengers were rather drunk and quite loud, I wasn't expecting the guard to appear. However, he did try to collect payment. He tacked the groups in a jovial manner and managed to collect many fares, however one group became abusive when asked to pay the full fare. Instead of moving on, he offered them cheaper YP fares (quietly) saying that they would have to pretend they had them and not to expect this next time. They paid and there was little fuss.
Personally, I think it was quite a good technique as the railway still got some revenue (instead of none!) and the guard didn't get attacked. There was no chance of inspection since the stations are unmanned on this route. The guard had no backup that late at night.
Others may disagree, but I thought it was a common sense approach despite the rules.
