That last sentence really doesn't do you any credit. It makes you sound like a right wing extremist who objects to human rights and thinks scroats/oxygen wasters/scumbags are immigrants. I recommend a six month break from the Daily Mail.
You could eliminate fare evasion by making public transport free.
Agree completely. But the psychology of criminality is interesting (and of course a huge area of study - and in risk of getting off topic!). The motivation for some includes the 'thrill' of the chase - but not getting caught. (Just as the Gingerbread Man in the nursery story taunts his pursuers - some things really don't change...)
With County Lines type crime, often the people involved are young people (children really) who have been groomed into it. They're recruited because they're vulnerable rather than smart, and they're being used so the real culprits stay away from the risky stuff. Rather than the street smart gangsters they probably think they are, they're usually not that sophisticated at all. Acting the tough guy and fare evading really blatantly is probably quite in character for some. Though it's also possible that their handlers don't care about them enough to pay their fares..
I agree completely on the County Lines piece. Manipulative and exploitative.
Apologies, I wasn't specifically talking about graffiti (or even fare evasion), more about the almost-universal view that other people's railways/countries/whatever are better than ours.
That could be done, but it wasn't the spirit of my post. I'm merely suggesting that it is, depending on who you ask, between disingenuous and outright offensive to dismiss anyone who has ever evaded a fare as an 'oxygen wasting scumbag'.
Brilliant. Having met you I can visualise this happening. Not everyone would be as patient and pragmatic as you; bravo, I say.
I lived in a town North of Paris that was served by trains on both the SNCF lines and the RER. Both went to Gare du Nord, on departure they left from the same ungated platform, but on arrival in Paris the SNCF lines were ungated, the RER ones in the Metro section and behind gates. Tickets cost the same, but, I subsequently found, if you were getting the RER they gave you a little yellow coupon that opened the barriers.
There is such a scheme for people fleeing domestic abuse
Back in the days when such things were sold on board, a number of youths were seen buying cigarettes in the buffet car. A subsequent ticket check revealed they all had child tickets..........
On the theme of people landing themselves in it when trying to avoid payment a non-railway anecdote. I was helping on the gate of a village show (which was basically a fundraiser for local causes). Group of youths approached and insisted they were all 14 so qualified for child rate admission. I raised an eyebrow but couldn't really challenge them. Unfortunately for them they were so keen to get in before anything further was said that they didn't wait for me to dig out their change (from the very bottom of my cash bag) so they ended up paying a couple of quid more than if they'd paid the adult rate!
It is entirely possible for 15 year old to try and buy cigarettes though, such things were turned a blind eye to when I was at school in the late 80s
Indeed. The days when cigarettes were sold in the buffet car…! The past really is another country (except I was in school rather earlier).
I believe you omitted the word "woke" from your sad little tirade. I just thought I'd mention it so that you could complete the set.
I know - how dare they presume to actually apply the law!
