Guards Role in Dealing With Fare Evasion

[Giard]

Ey up all,

I was recently discussing with a friend who works up north and they got a bit salty when I mentioned that I am not prepared to get abuse over a £2 fare (for instance) as guards, this is what we are ‘paid to do.’ It is my understanding that whilst we should be monitoring fares, safety critical tasks is what we are paid to do. Any hint of aggressions, I feel like it’s best to just walk away. Plus, with QR scanners it is easier than ever to flag tickets as invalid.

Am I right in suggesting that it is the likes of the company’s respective fraud departments that should be taking the brunt of these confrontations? If this is in the wrong forum, please feel free to move. Any discussions on this topic would be handy. Would love to know other peoples thoughts.

 

[LokiB]

If someone is getting aggressive and confrontational about not paying I just walk away and put a TIR in.
Some will stand there and argue with them but it often gains nothing but leads to assaults.

 

[J3053B]

Agree with above, if someone doesn't want to pay there's very little that you can say or do that's going to get them too. Put in a report and move on without the stress!

 

[PushingAButton]

If someone is getting aggressive and confrontational about not paying I just walk away and put a TIR in.
Some will stand there and argue with them but it often gains nothing but leads to assaults.

What's a TIR?

 

[swt_passenger]

What's a TIR?

Travel Irregularity Report.

 

[Sly Sloth]

Do you have any teams group or apps in which you can report fare dodging? If so I’d walk away and report it!
If you delay a train over a £2 fare and generate delay minutes running into the hundreds I wonder what your toc would say?

 

[REO Nate]

In SE we have a purpose built app for making fare evasion reports. That feeds into a database and informs decision makers about where to task Revenue Protection staff.

 

[michael74]

GWR has an intelligence form to report and we also warn each other on our Whatsapp groups (especially if said miscreant has been persuaded to leave the service) or to ask if any RPIs are around to meet the service.

As others have said don't delay the service for a fare, no one will thank you for it and no fare is worth a punch in the chops, try your best to get them to cough up, if not walk away, every dog has their day.

 

[RJM]

At the end of the day, if somebody doesn't want to pay, they're not going to pay; it's not worth loosing sleep over, delaying a train or getting punched for.

Revenue should never come first in the eyes of a Guard - safety is always the first priority, followed by customer service and performance. I used to risk assess every coach and if I felt like I was going to run into trouble by carrying out a ticket check in one coach, I'd make myself visible, walk through with the machine but wouldn't bother checking anything. Much rather that than a black eye and putting the rest of the train at risk as a result.

 

[C J Snarzell]

Safety is priority on the railways, so never escalate a hostile situation into a potential aggressive one, whereby you put yourself or other passengers in any immediate danger.

Another thing to remember is that when warning fare dodgers they may face a 'reception committee' at the next station, you could be inadvertently creating another situation where the offending party attacks an unsuspecting third person.

Having served in the police for 15 years, there is sadly an element of society not fazed by the law or the consequences of attacking a police officer - generally they don't get a custodial sentence by the courts.

If these characters are not afraid of the police, they will not think twice about having a go at a railway employee. My point is - always aim for you and your colleagues to go home in one piece at the end of your shift.

CJ