No ticket check on 6 different trains

[Paule23]

I've just completed a long distance train journey which took in 6 different trains from 4 separate TOCs over 5 1/2 hours and not had my ticket checked a single time. Is this very common? Can anyone beat that in a single point to point journey?

 

[156441]

Were any or all of the stations barriered? Probably more important at your start Nd destination stations!

 

[Sleepy]

Of course - super shiny new barriers are all that is needed according to dft !

 

[156441]

That question wasn't in defence of barriers I'm just intrigued. So why don't you back track and allow people to have a question without butting in.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

It's fairly common not to have ticket checked, I've made it to places like York and back without having tickets checked and usually London too. Merseyrail check tickets once in a blue moon as well, despite having a penalty fare system in operation.

 

[Rapidash]

I have the reverse problem, When I get on at EXM, its checked by the gate staff, then the guard, and when the crew changes at EXD, it gets checked again.

 

[Sleepy]

That question wasn't in defence of barriers I'm just intrigued. So why don't you back track and allow people to have a question without butting in.

:cry: Your post appeared while I was typing mine !!

 

[Paule23]

:cry: Your post appeared while I was typing mine !!

OK everyone, calm down!

Start station was unmanned (20 minute journey), 1st changed manned, no barriers 15 minute journey, 2nd change main line station with barriers, 25 minute journey, 3rd change mainline station no barriers 2 hour 40 minutes, 4th change suburban station with barriers 45 minutes, 5th change minor station, manned, no barriers, 6 minute journey!

I never had to go through a barrier, all changes were made without exiting any barriered parts (I did go for wander outside of the unbarriered stations, mainly because it was easy to do with no barriers and boredom was setting in!)

 

[yorkie]

I've just completed a long distance train journey which took in 6 different trains from 4 separate TOCs over 5 1/2 hours and not had my ticket checked a single time. Is this very common? Can anyone beat that in a single point to point journey?

Depends. As you've not said where the journey is, I couldn't possibly say.

For an evening in the South East area where Penalty Fares are in force, and trains are generally only manned by one person (the driver), then yes, absolutely. It's a similar principle to travelling by car and not having your tax disc checked: there are occasional inspections but nothing routine.

But up North, it would certainly not be common!

(It's not a DOO thing: you are infinitely more likely to get your ticket checked on the Glasgow electrics than on SWT inner-suburbans!)

 

[alex17595]

I saw ferry little in the way of ticket checks yesterday between Burton and Lewes, no checks at all on XC (for an extra £7.60 as well! The only non barrier checks were on LM between Tamworth and Euston. Although you could have just used oyster for the gates. I didn't get checked on the return from seaford either.

 

[alanf]

Think you may be surprised how often your tax is checked Yorkie Aren't we one of the most watched nations in the world now CCTV allover the place.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

I get a ticket check between Trowbridge and Bath almost guaranteed, but compare that to doing the Sleeper (seated, I had an ALR) I had NO CHECK at all between Euston and Fort William*!

* - Well it kind of was a ticket check, all the guard said was 'do you have a ticket?' to everyone and if you said yes that was all...but still it wasn't actually checked all you had to do was say yes :?

 

[gnolife]

I generally find that when I've got a perfectly normal point to point ticket, I don't get checked at all, but if I have a RG loophole ticket or something not printed on orange stock (or if I'm wearing my hat), I have guards and RPIs climbing all over me (figuratively speaking) (and a few times on High Peak and GoGoodwins issued tickets, I've even had G4S on my case, which is extremely annoying).

 

[WatcherZero]

I have mine checked three times in a 40 minute journey and no changes, drives me nuts.

 

[Rich McLean]

I normally travel with FGW, and 99% of Guards remember who you are after they checked your ticket. On an Heavily loaded WoE HST, that is quite impressive

 

[Flamingo]

I normally travel with FGW, and 99% of Guards remember who you are after they checked your ticket. On an Heavily loaded WoE HST, that is quite impressive

It's a knack one develops

 

[northwichcat]

Well there's one thing worse than no ticket checks and that guards who continue to sell tickets to passengers 2 or 3 minutes after the train has stopped at a station and cause passengers to miss connections as a consequence. Yesterday, a Northern guard doing this (on a class 323 operated service with a short turnaround) helped cause the return working of the train he was on to be delayed, which directly resulted in another service departing late.

 

[WatcherZero]

It's a knack one develops

Just as the regular passenger develops the knack of giving the 'Ive already been checked thank you' look.

 

[Delta558]

And then you get to the 'full ticket check' because you've request stops and just taken over the train. So often, one passenger will make a fuss because they've 'already shown it' at some point on their journey between Inverness and Milford Haven, while the person next to them says 'I've been on 43 trains since I started and not shown my ticket once'.

I often wish that our passengers would understand that we have both a reason and a right to inspect their tickets, that we don't do it just to be bloody awkward and sometimes, when you have a few hundred people on your train, you might occasionally ask someone for a ticket you saw within the last half hour!

 

[Andrewlong]

I travelled between Winnersh Triangle and Newbury yesterday and at no point was my ticket checked on outward and return journeys by SWT/FGW staff.

I accept that to enter/exit Reading and Newbury stations you need a ticket to get through the barriers, but there were so many unmanned stations in between and I would guarantee that there were passengers in first class who shouldn't have been there.

I raised this with FGW on twitter who did ask for further details.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

I've come to the conclusion as Conductors/Guards/TM's we just can't win... damned if we do. damned if we don't.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Newbury is a DOO line. There is nearly never anyone apart from the driver on there from midday on Newburys/Bedwyns. Only HST's and 180's have someone on them. It is a fine example of DOO imho. It's not known locally as the 'free train' for nothing.

The barriers (while needed) are a waste of time. It's so easy to get a train from the racecourse and get the fast from Newbury.

 

[Flamingo]

I've come to the conclusion as Conductors/Guards/TM's we just can't win... damned if we do. damned if we don't.

That's true. It's the reason I rarely pursue invalid tickets any more, I clip them to satisfy the "My ticket wasn't checked" brigade, but don't challenge any discrepancies to avoid upsetting the "My BS story should have been accepted" brigade. Result is no complaints or arguements, so no incident forms or , please explains, everybody (especially manager) is happy!

 

[Darren R]

That's true. It's the reason I rarely pursue invalid tickets any more, I clip them to satisfy the "My ticket wasn't checked" brigade, but don't challenge any discrepancies to avoid upsetting the "My BS story should have been accepted" brigade. Result is no complaints or arguements, so no incident forms or , please explains, everybody (especially manager) is happy!

Everyone except those of us who are honest, fare-paying passengers of course!

Originally Posted by ANorthernGuard
I've come to the conclusion as Conductors/Guards/TM's we just can't win... damned if we do. damned if we don't.

That's very true! Some months ago I boarded a Northern service at an unstaffed station. The guard made an announcement that he couldn't sell tickets because of a problem with his machine. At my destination (another Northern-operated station, I won't say which!) I went to the ticket office to purchase my return ticket (noticing I was the only one to do so ) Upon hearing my ticket request the man behind the screen says: "I don't know why they even bother giving ticket machines to guards - they never bloody use them!" So much for solidarity with one's colleagues!

 

[infobleep]

Lately I've been travelling a fair bit between Guildford and Surbiton and my tickets have only ever got checked at the barriers, except on two occasions. Both of these involved platform checks on platform 1 & 2 at Guildford and only in the morning.

The other morning I was running slightly late. After showing my season ticket at the barrier I headed off to platform 1 & 2. The 8.20 stopping service to London via Woking had been diverted into platform 2. Normally it's platform 3 it goes from. At first I assumed it must have been late arriving but perhaps it was due to the ticket checks being carried out on platforms 1 & 2.

It's worth noting that no platform ticket checks ever seem to be carried out on platforms 4 and 5, these being the platforms used for the fast services during Monday - Saturday. Some of the stations south of Guildford have no ticket barriers, just like some of those north of Guildford used by the stopping services.

As I got to the bottom of the stairs the guard started to blow the whistle, so I apologised to the staff saying I needed to catch the train. One of the staff followed me over to the train as I boarded it.

The member of rail staff asked to see my season ticket just as the doors started to close. At which point I stopped them from being able to close so the member of staff could see my season ticket. I then let the door shut and the train left on time.

They say you shouldn't keep the doors open when they are closing but in this case I felt perhaps I should, as I didn't want staff thinking I was avoiding them on purpose. The staff didn't seem too bothered that I'd force them to stay open that bit longer.

Then during the journey the ticket got checked again. That is the first time that's happened since travelling on the stopping services. Once we arrived at Surbiton I then had it checked at the barrier as usual. I think the RPI staff got out at Surbiton and didn't continue their checks to Waterloo. Perhaps the train gets too packed. I wouldn't be surprised if it did.

 

[D6975]

The record for me is Bristol-Padd on the up sleeper, Circle to KX, HST to just north of Berwick before I first had to show a ticket, and that included the journey on the tube in the early hours of a Saturday morning.

This was quite a long time ago, pre 91s. Open barriers at Pad and KX tube are pretty rare nowadays I think.

Ps On a recent trip to Glasgow I had to show my ticket an unbelivable number of times when doing a GG runaround ticket - almost every train.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

That's very true! Some months ago I boarded a Northern service at an unstaffed station. The guard made an announcement that he couldn't sell tickets because of a problem with his machine. At my destination (another Northern-operated station, I won't say which!) I went to the ticket office to purchase my return ticket (noticing I was the only one to do so ) Upon hearing my ticket request the man behind the screen says: "I don't know why they even bother giving ticket machines to guards - they never bloody use them!" So much for solidarity with one's colleagues!

Are Northern still having problems with their machines? I was on several trains last year where the guard made announcements saying his machine was broken so he couldn't issue tickets. These were all in the Leeds area and most of the guards helpfully gave instructions on where to go on arrival in Leeds to buy a ticket.