Short-faring bus fare

[175mph]

Has anybody here ever witnessed anything like in the below video happen when they've been travelling by bus? Or anybody here who is a bus driver, or has been one in the past ever removed a passenger for short-faring their bus fare?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6ODj6RYYOM

One of my friends who filmed that video was on the Humber Flyer bus earlier today going from Grimsby to Hull, and the homeless person who the driver is shouting at had only paid to go as far as the last bus stop inside Grimsby which was across the road from the Grimsby branch of Morrisons, hence the guy saying he meant Morrisons in Hull and the driver saying there is no Morrisons in Hull on the Humber Flyer route.

We get as far as a village just outside Grimsby (Laceby), and that's where the driver calls the passenger out for short-faring by first saying "Come on, your bus fare has ran out!"

 

[Dhassell]

I remember seeing a young girl purchase a '3 stop hop' ticket at Nailsea Crossroads in North Somerset for under a quid, she in fact got off around 20 stops later in the Bristol City Centre!!

 

[F Great Eastern]

Seen it in Dublin quite a few times, one driver in particular was notorious for it, because of the lack of inspectors however, many many more got away with paying cheapest fare for whatever distance their journey.

Wasn't helped by the complexity of the fare system either back in the day when there were 6 fare levels depending on stages traveled.

 

[175mph]

Seen it in Dublin quite a few times, one driver in particular was notorious for it, because of the lack of inspectors however, many many more got away with paying cheapest fare for whatever distance their journey.

Wasn't helped by the complexity of the fare system either back in the day when there were 6 fare levels depending on stages traveled.

Did you ever see a driver call a passenger out on it though?

 

[AndyW33]

Not quite what is meant, but I can share this example from my Ribble Preston days back in the 1970s.
The P2 route was joint with Preston Corporation though almost entirely operated by Ribble, and had some abrupt steps in the fare table. All the staff knew that short faring was going on in a big way, but if an inspector appeared everyone got off at the next stop before he could check all but a few tickets. One inspector had a bright idea, and arranged with the rostered driver for him to have an extended paid teabreak while the Inspector drove the bus - in his shirtsleeves. At the fare stage that everyone had bought tickets to, (last one before the town centre) he allowed a few more people on, set off, and stopped a few feet down the road. Then he stood up, opened the cab door. put his uniform jacket and inspectors hat on, and, keeping the outside doors closed, went down the bus checking tickets. He made everyone who was over-riding buy a new ticket from where they actually were to the Town Centre, which ended up costing them a lot more than paying the right fare in the first place.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

I admit I have done it a few times on First Glasgow.

Routes 18 and 263 from Union Street to Bridgeton Cross is £1.40 flat fare, but if I want to go around the corner to the next stop which is nearer to my flat, the fare is £2.20. I know what option is preferable...

9 times out of 10 the single fare ticket the drivers give you bear no resemblance to where you're actually going.

 

[ChathillMan]

From my experience its more "popular" in those areas where customers state the price of the ticket they want when they board "£1.30 please driver", rather than the destination they wish to go

 

[causton]

Done it before as a kid, when a bus accepted Oyster only partway but I stayed on past the end of the validity area. Saved me a few quid at the time but I learned my way, as one time, when I had bought a paper ticket, the driver stopped the bus at the last stop in London (which was in the middle of nowhere!) and chucked three people off who only had Oyster cards

 

[Urobach]

Some don't realise just how obvious they make it. I used to drive the red arrow for Trent Barton. Whilst it's primarily an express route Nottingham to Derby it's possible to buy fares from Nottingham to the QMC, though it was rare due to the higher ticket cost compared to the local buses. So when a group of 8 or so teens all pay singles to the QMC, yet no one gets off when we get there its pretty obvious they were hoping to save on the fare to Derby. When kicked off, distinctly heard one of them say to the others "now what?" - suspicion confirmed

Also in a loosely similar way - the thumb over the expiry date of a discount card or day ticket trick just draws attention to it!

 

[IanD]

I've seen it happen quite often on the Arriva services in Milton Keynes which go to Aylesbury. If people have MKMoove tickets (valid in Milton Keynes only) or the Arriva MK day ticket (also valid to Buckingham) the driver will stop at the last valid stop and ask people to pay more or get off. Usually works out more expensive than if they'd bought the Arriva Bucks Plus which would have been valid throughout.