Revenue Protection at Canterbury West

[NeilCr]

I'm sure there is a good reason that I'm missing but am curious!

When I got off the train on Tuesday there was a revenue block before the gateline which is usually closed. They were scanning/checking tickets and then tapping you through. Unusual occurrence for me anyway - and there is no other way out.

Not entirely sure what they were looking for.

They didn't ask to see my railcard anyway

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Sounds like a normal sort of total ticket inspection block; they'd be looking for all manner of irregularities.

 

[NeilCr]

Sounds like a normal sort of total ticket inspection block; they'd be looking for all manner of irregularities.

Thanks.

I suppose that in my neck of the woods there are quite a few stations without gatelines. But the ones I have seen at gatelines have been on the other side (looking at people whose tickets are rejected by the machine)

Thought in this case they would have wanted to see railcards

 

[Kite159]

I guess maybe looking for anybody with a short ticket from say Chartham or Sturry when there hasn't been a train from those stations arrive (i.e. something presenting a ticket from Sturry when a St Pancras train has just departed)

 

[NeilCr]

I guess maybe looking for anybody with a short ticket from say Chartham or Sturry when there hasn't been a train from those stations arrive (i.e. something presenting a ticket from Sturry when a St Pancras train has just departed)

Sorry

Should have specified it was a Charing X Stopper I was on. I hadn't thought of the short ticketing angle though

Maybe looking for anyone with an obviously wrong (age wise) railcard?

 

[Kite159]

Could have been looking out for anybody using 16-17 Savers or even the Job Centre Plus discount cards

 

[izvor]

I guess maybe looking for anybody with a short ticket from say Chartham or Sturry when there hasn't been a train from those stations arrive (i.e. something presenting a ticket from Sturry when a St Pancras train has just departed)

Difficult to prove, surely? Just say you've been in the toilet/cafe? Would they bother retrieving CCTV footage for this? (Maybe if it was a known repeat offender)

I use CBW regularly and the gates always reject my (valid) ticket. I can only presume they are set to reject all railcard tickets, but it only seems to happen to me. Usually I am waved through with a visual inspection but occasionally I get the third degree, which can sometimes be unnecessarily unpleasant.

Agile kids can often be seen vaulting the fence to/from the car park to the up platform.

 

[saismee]

Could have been looking out for anybody using 16-17 Savers or even the Job Centre Plus discount cards

Child tickets too. Saw dozens of penalties handed out at my station recently for that.

 

[TransportHub]

At Redhill the main entrance has a full gateline, but the small back exit off platform 3 is too narrow to install gates. Most of the fare evaders are well aware of this, but recently there's been revenue there every weekday for about 2 months, it would be interesting to see the stats from how many people they've stopped!

These places seem to me to be the best use of revenue staff, big stations on DOO routes with ungated entrances

 

[Meole]

C West has a significant student use.

 

[blimmo]

Difficult to prove, surely? Just say you've been in the toilet/cafe? Would they bother retrieving CCTV footage for this? (Maybe if it was a known repeat offender)

Fare evaders often admit to short faring when caught and questioned even when the ToC has no chance of being able to prove it.

 

[izvor]

At Redhill the main entrance has a full gateline, but the small back exit off platform 3 is too narrow to install gates. Most of the fare evaders are well aware of this, but recently there's been revenue there every weekday for about 2 months, it would be interesting to see the stats from how many people they've stopped!

Not seen Revenue there for a while, however I do see agency staff almost daily now doing a cursory check of tickets. A useful deterrent, maybe, but not much else.

 

[kentrailman]

They do occasional swoops at Folkestone West where there is normally no gateline.

 

[NeilCr]

They do occasional swoops at Folkestone West where there is normally no gateline.

We get quite a few at Ramsgate - no gateline either

Thanks everyone for the responses. Much clearer now. I guess they didn't check my railcard as I wasn't in their target demographic.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I saw a huge one at Margate once, which I somehow managed to just walk around without being told anything.