Is there really that much difference between fare dodgers and split ticketers?

[bnm]

I'd have 'Didcot splitters' who catch a non Didcot service up for a RRA 'intent' offence. That'll learn 'em!!!

It's a handy 'split' that can save oodles of cash, but I'd never chance it boarding a non Didcot service. If you know of the split then there's an almost certain knowledge that you know of the NRCoC rules on split ticketing. Ignoring that rule would, to me, show intent.

But hey, I'm neither a TM or a Magistrate.....

 

[Flamingo]

I just charge them, £14ish for a first offence, £30ish for subsequent offences (as some of them are slow learners).

My favourite was the guy a few weeks ago who said "Nobody has ever had a problem with it before", to which I replied "You really have a bad memory sir, I've charged you twice already".

To be honest, unless I have Revenue on the train, NO chance of getting BTP to the train to do anything else. And I have had Revenue on two trains this year.

 

[Zoe]

Do you charge them the full fare from Swindon to Paddington? The Didcot to Paddington ticket would be valid from Reading so it's only the Swindon to Reading section I'd have thought that has to be charged for.

 

[Flamingo]

That's the one, Zoe. Rdg-Swi (unless they are on the Swi-Pad direct in the morning, when it's Swi-Pad).

It's around £14 off-peak, around £30 peak (I can't remember the exact). We are supposed to charge £30 to everybody, but if it's an off-peak train then I'll charge that, unless they are a repeat offender, or fail the attitude test.

 

[craigwilson]

There are pretty good savings to be had by splitting certain season tickets too. I used to work in Chapel-en-le-Frith a while ago, and lived in Timperley at the time (so my daily commute was Navigation Road - Chapel).

The direct "point-to-point" monthly season cost approx. £240. Upon going to my nearest ticket office (Altrincham), I asked for this, however the booking clerk offered me the combination of GMPTE Traincard, and a New Mills Newtown - Chapel season, total cost ~£166. A quite considerable saving, and of course with the Traincard, a considerably more useful and flexible ticket into the bargain.

Again, nothing wrong with this at all, completely within the rules, and when you're saving £70+ a month, absolutely necessary too!

 

[Failed Unit]

Just to throw another point into the thread that has not been mentioned yet, what if the person with the split tickets is on a service that does NOT stop at the station they split at.

Then the split-ticketer becomes a fare-dodger as well. But in some cases will still tell me "You should be down the train looking for fare-dodgers, not hassling me".

And a surprising number of people on split tickets at Didcot (despite my announcements on-train) argue with me that "Nobody else has a problem with it" when I charge them up.

They have crossed the line between looking for the cheapest way of doing the journey to attempting to make the journey "with the intent to avoid payment of the fare due" (as the UPFN pad so succinctly puts it).

Agreed, then you can throw in the splitter who tries at a stops only to set down place. I saw someone boarding a Peterborough get hit with the Newcastle - London fare once, (some trains in the peak from Scotland don't pick up after newcastle around major holidays) they were not happy but they were warned before the doors shut.

One legal split I have never done for fear of a long wait is the oyster pre-paid split. Mainly because you do need to get off the train and if you don't know where the validator is you may not get back on again!

 

[londonbridge]

Given the increasing prices of match tickets,when organising football travel I will look for the cheapest deal possible,and if that means splitting tickets then so be it.

A saver return from London-Blackburn would have cost me £55.90. A 'Saturday Day Out' ticket from London-Preston cost me £24 and a CDR from Preston-Blackburn was £3.90. No prizes for guessing which option I chose!

 

[Deerfold]

Given the increasing prices of match tickets,when organising football travel I will look for the cheapest deal possible,and if that means splitting tickets then so be it.

I thought you were going to find an example of a first half ticket and a second half ticket being cheaper than a whole match one

 

[island]

Agreed, then you can throw in the splitter who tries at a stops only to set down place. I saw someone boarding a Peterborough get hit with the Newcastle - London fare once, (some trains in the peak from Scotland don't pick up after newcastle around major holidays) they were not happy but they were warned before the doors shut.

Is this enforceable I wonder? Does a train that "calls at a station to set down passengers only" "call at the station where you change from one ticket to another"?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Splitting at and boarding/alighting at are different things. The wording for splitting is "the train calls at the station where the tickets change over". If a train calls to set down or pick up, it does call at that station, but boarding at a set down only stop is different.

 

[snail]

Instead of accusing ticket splitters of fare dodging, should we be looking at this the other way round and always set fares as combinations of the shorter journey fares?