"Have you got 50p?"

[WestCoast]

I thought this would be the best place for this topic. The stereotypical drunk approached me on a very quiet 323 between Wilmslow and Alderley Edge
today asking for the typical 50p. I politely refused, initially he just walked away and I thought I had got rid of him. Then he came back launching a stream of abuse of all names and how I had an "attitude problem". I did manage to get rid of him after a while, probably because I resisted giving abuse back. Any unfortunate experiences with these people?

 

[thefab444]

A similar thing happened to me at Abercynon whilst waiting for a train to Aberdare last month. Once I'd established that he was up to no good I just ignored him, so he went to pester the other passengers and was subsequently kicked off the train at Penrhiwceiber!

 

[185]

The stereotypical drunk approached me on a very quiet 323 between Wilmslow and Alderley Edge
today asking for the typical 50p. I politely refused, initially he just walked away and I thought I had got rid of him. Then he came back launching a stream of abuse of all names and how I had an "attitude problem".

That was the guard

 

[WestCoast]

I am not sure what happened to this guy, but I immediately suspected he was up to no good whatsoever. .

Anyway. it was a lovely welcome back to the UK hmm..

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Some bloke pestered me on Ludlow to pay for him to Hereford! I just said 'Sorry mate, no money on me'. He left me alone after that.

 

[ACE1888]

Might sound harsh, but i would say 'Yes', grin and say nothing else...

 

[yorkie]

I always say no.

Sometimes I take it further. Someone was begging on LU constantly travelling on trains, at each station he'd move to the next carriage. We got an announcement made over the PA not to give him money, I also challenged him and told people in the next carriage he boarded what he was up to, and BTP were supposed to be meeting him at the next station.

I will take it further if I have sufficient backup.

What I will never do is give in to them, if no-one ever gave them money they would not do this.

 

[142094]

Ones that normally come up to you in the street asking for "20p for the bus fare". Normally just say that I don't have any change (irrespective of whether I do have change or not), but I do feel like saying you'll not get very far on a bus for 20p.

 

[150222]

Somebody came up to me at manchester piccadilly and asked me for a FIVER! of all things.

 

[valenta]

Somebody asked me to play a trumpet at the railway station that a friend had asked me to take somewhere for him. As you might guess I didn't oblige and thankfully he got on a train before mine. Wonder what reaction I would have got at the railway station, seen as I can't play a trumpet to save my life!

 

[yorkie]

Might sound harsh, but i would say 'Yes', grin and say nothing else...

Possibly, depends on the situation!

I did once have a beggar ask me if I'd finished with a Travelcard, I said yes and ripped it up in front of him

I have seen a plain clothes member of staff (who has a prominent position on this forum) observe dodgy transactions and inform BTP. Go to the right place at the right time, and you can see it happening, it can be fun to see the consequences.

Now I know some people will say these people do no harm but that isn't true. They beg for people and deal with re-used tickets in order to fund drug habits. They do nothing but harm to our society.

Beggars and ticket touts will not prosper if no-one co-operates with them.

 

[Greenback]

For some reason, I get asked for money regularly. Maybe I look prosperous! Anyway, I usaully reply that I'm really sorry, buy being unemployed myself (if I'm looking smart I usually add I;ve just been for a job with no luck), heavily in debt trying to feed my kids and wish i could help.

This usually works, but never to the extent that they have offered to give m 50p!

 

[WestCoast]

Yeah, I've seen beggars on the Tube e.t.c, but to be honest I was a bit surprised to see this lowlife, he didn't look like a beggar, just a drunk. He was doing it in a rather wealthy area too. Didn't expect quite so much abuse either.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The only time that a beggar asked me for money was just outside Wigan Wallgate station some time last year. He said that he wanted £1 for a cup of tea. I told him that he was being overcharged and that I would take him to a chip-shop cafe on Market Street where they only charged 50p for a cup of tea...but he just said "Sod you" and walked away.

 

[185]

Certain Mcr Victoria driver versus the beggar......

"Spare 50p for a cup of tea?!?"

"**** off scrounger! I have to pay for my own drugs!"

 

[district]

Begger outside burger king near St. Pancras:

"Any spare fifty pound notes guv?"

 

[deltic1989]

If i see a begger on the street (usually complete with dog and rucksack) and they ask if I can spare some change, i'm usually willing to help them, not by handing over cash but I ask them to wait 5 mins and nip to a local cafe I know and buy them a cup of tea and a bacon bap, it only costs me £1.50, and it makes thier day, also i ask if they smoke and if they respond in the affirmative i offer them a ciggarette. Not all beggars are alcoholics and drug addicts they are people who are genuinely down on thier luck, I also offer suggestions on where they can go to get help a hot meal and a bed for the night. I was almost in a similar situation when i came out of the Navy, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, after a tour in Iraq, and a bad few days in Somalia, luckilly I had people willing to help me out to get a room in the local YMCA, who in turn helped me get my own flat. I'll never hand over cash but just a couple of quid in a cafe or Mc Donalds to help people out is nothing really. the only time i will hand cash to a homless person is if they are doing something like selling The Big Issue, i.e. working (kind of) for it. The one i get most often though is the old "can i buy a cigarette off you mate?" whilst offering me 50p, I always tell them I'm not licenced to SELL cigarettes but if they roll it themselves they can use my tobacco, filters and papers. I don't know maybe I'm to generous, but i just can't help helping people.

 

[SWTCommuter]

I was once approached at Waterloo by a scouser who spun a long yarn about how he needed to get back to Liverpool that night and could I 'lend' him the fare. I politely explained that if he didn't have enough for his fare, BTP would be able to arrange for him to travel (as explained by Rail-Britain here http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50130) and pointed in the general direction of the BTP office. I didn't get a chance to point out that he was at the wrong station for Liverpool as I couldn't see him for dust! Very strange, I was only trying to help.

 

[WestCoast]

This guy was no beggar, he had another motive. Reasonably dressed, a bit drunk marching down a very quiet train in a wealthy area. I politely said I had no change (which was actually true, I only had £1 coin).

Would you give money to someone who called you "a c*** with an attitude problem"? I was so tempted to say something to that, but the carriage was empty and the guard was no where to be seen. Plus, I was tired after having set off for Hamburg Airport at 5.25am!

Now, I can brush that incident off, I'm used to getting a bit of abuse when I'm at work in the summer, but for someone else it could put them off using trains, something to think about.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

If i see a begger on the street (usually complete with dog and rucksack) and they ask if I can spare some change, i'm usually willing to help them, not by handing over cash but I ask them to wait 5 mins and nip to a local cafe I know and buy them a cup of tea and a bacon bap, it only costs me £1.50, and it makes thier day, also i ask if they smoke and if they respond in the affirmative i offer them a ciggarette. .

That's OK providing they are genuine, this lowlife on the train wasn't. And you can't walk off on a train...

Plus, I am in touch with a few community support officers at work, and they tell me about the amount of "professional begging" that goes on in some places. I once witnessed a guy pack up his blanket and then walk to his BMW and drive off!

 

[N Levers]

Guy asked me for a train fare so he could go home for Christmas as he had just got out of prison the day before. I said no.... He had already asked me that a week earlier...

 

[deltic1989]

This guy was no beggar, he had another motive. Reasonably dressed, a bit drunk marching down a very quiet train in a wealthy area. I politely said I had no change (which was actually true, I only had £1 coin).

Would you give money to someone who called you "a c*** with an attitude problem"? I was so tempted to say something to that, but the carriage was empty and the guard was no where to be seen. Plus, I was tired after having set off for Hamburg Airport at 5.25am!

Now, I can brush that incident off, I'm used to getting a bit of abuse when I'm at work in the summer, but for someone else it could put them off using trains, something to think about.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---



That's OK providing they are genuine, this lowlife on the train wasn't. And you can't walk off on a train...

Plus, I am in touch with a few community support officers at work, and they tell me about the amount of "professional begging" that goes on in some places. I once witnessed a guy pack up his blanket and then walk to his BMW and drive off!

Oh I quite agree, the incident you discribe is totally unacceptable in any society. and this is why i don't give cash you can always tell the genuine unfortunates from the actors or scammers, the people who are genuinely down on thier luck are happy with a drink a sarnie and a chat where as, like you say the scammers will just call you a few chioce names. I would never give anything to anyone who discribed me in four letter terms exept maybe a few choice words or a knuckle sandwich. I also agree that for a first time, or rare rail traveller this type of incident could put them off rail travel.

 

[12CSVT]

Quite a few years ago when I lived in London there was a vagrant who used to hang round the High Street close to where I lived, and he was constantly asking people if they could spare 'the price of a cup of tea' (unusual as he was forever sitting in shop doorways dinking cans of special brew). One day when I was feeling charitable he asked me if I could spare the price of a cup of tea, I chucked him a teabag and told him to make his own tea.

 

[WestCoast]

Oh I quite agree, the incident you discribe is totally unacceptable in any society. and this is why i don't give cash you can always tell the genuine unfortunates from the actors or scammers, the people who are genuinely down on thier luck are happy with a drink a sarnie and a chat where as, like you say the scammers will just call you a few chioce names. I would never give anything to anyone who discribed me in four letter terms exept maybe a few choice words or a knuckle sandwich. I also agree that for a first time, or rare rail traveller this type of incident could put them off rail travel.

Yeah, the problem is these scammers will find people who'll give them the cash because they do it to avoid confrontation, so the pests carry on, but the scammers are the only people who can be firmly labelled as "****s with attitude problems!".

Looking back now, I should have told the guard when he came down quite a while later, but by that point the train was much busier and I suppose there was very little he could do.

The big problem is on a train it's hard to get away, on the street you can walk on.

 

[Bittern]

See them at Glasgow Central all the time, although it's usually less of "Have you got 50p?" and more of "Wannae dae's a fayvur mate?"

Whenever this happens I simply don't respond, and if there's a police officer on the station concourse, I go and tell them. I have no interest in doing any "fayvur" for any drug-fueled ned.

Although I do get people asking for money when I'm in the shops! Bloody annoying!

 

[anthony263]

I hate these people that hang around the front of cardiff central station. Its annoying when i am on my lunch break doing a bit of bus photography and they wait till you just abou to take a shot before asking

 

[CarterUSM]

See them at Glasgow Central all the time, although it's usually less of "Have you got 50p?" and more of "Wannae dae's a fayvur mate?"

Whenever this happens I simply don't respond, and if there's a police officer on the station concourse, I go and tell them. I have no interest in doing any "fayvur" for any drug-fueled ned.

Although I do get people asking for money when I'm in the shops! Bloody annoying!

I always find they start with, "see what it is mate......".

 

[aspierail]

I remember a beggar asking me £50 on a class 377 southern unit heading towards london victoria station and i said i haven't got £50 with me and he just walked off.

 

[es373]

I always find they start with, "see what it is mate......".

Hard to get away on a train.... If they overstep the line with me then I will question it. Should they then get in my face, I will deck the moron.
Been there done that and will consider doing it again if I feel threatened.

 

[Flamingo]

That was the guard

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Only had it happen a few times on trains I was working, both in Pad before we left, bot resulted in the person being escorted off the station.

If you are on any train and it's happening, go find the guard, I don't know any who would not take a very dim view of it - as 185 said, walking through a train demanding money with menaces is our job!

 

[WestCoast]

If you are on any train and it's happening, go find the guard, I don't know any who would not take a very dim view of it - as 185 said, walking through a train demanding money with menaces is our job!

Yeah, I would have done but it would have meant walking past the abusive scumbag, who had given up at this point, I think he was off before the guard came - so he was probably a fare evader too.

Anyway, I reckon he picked that service because it's in a rather affluent area (between Wilmslow and Alderley Edge in Cheshire), in a less well-to-do area I think he'd have got more abuse from the people he was trying to get cash off!