Will They Ever Learn?

[Ferret]

Just out of curiousity, how many of the many Guards/RPIs on here have seen an increase in no Y-Ps or out of date Y-Ps recently?

I seem to have been catching several each week since the summer! Just had another one who said she'd forgotten her railcard. Now, back in the day, I had a Y-P railcard - it stayed in my wallet so I never forgot it! Either there's a mass fraud going on, or today's youth are outrageously disorganised!

 

[87015]

When its, a) very rarely checked on trains, and b) rarely used as you are encouraged to by tickets anywhere but the ticket office, its pretty easy to not notice its out of date or where you think it is as you never actually need to look at it.

 

[yorkie]

Just keep charging them!

I do think some of the charges they have to pay are a bit excessive, where they later find their railcard (e.g. someone may pay £50 for a return, forget their railcard, then have to pay an extra £200 on top with no prospect of a refund even if they find their railcard!)

A fairer system would be to charge the lowest out of:
- New Anytime Single/Return without discount (as at present); or
- Excess to Public fare price (keep ticket type the same) PLUS cost of new railcard (£26 at present) which acts as a new railcard for 1 day only

That way, someone doing a long distance journey, such as Manchester-London, would be excessed to the price they would have paid without the railcard, but also penalised the cost of the railcard. This seems fair and still leaves them significantly out of pocket.

The real 'scammers' are likely to be doing a short journey (e.g. York to Leeds) where you'll only be charging them about £10. My proposal above would not decrease the amount the scammers have to pay, but would decrease the amount that long distance passengers (more likely to be genuine) have to pay, and keep the TOCs out of Watchdog!

 

[Fred26]

I think it's a fair point to make that some people don't realise it's out of date. I'm staff and I have attempted to use an out of date YP before (without meaning to).

 

[Ferret]

I think it's a fair point to make that some people don't realise it's out of date. I'm staff and I have attempted to use an out of date YP before (without meaning to).

Well, there's out of date and then there's out of date. One of my colleagues found somebody travelling on a railcard from 2009 recently! That's stretching the boundaries of plausibility a little to say that's a genuine error! A few days/weeks out of date on the other hand and I'd be inclined to agree!

 

[Failed Unit]

Depends how far out of date it is. Days I am sure some lenacy may be shown. Weeks or months probably not.

 

[Fred26]

Absolutely. I think mine was actually a couple of months, but I didn't get past the ticket office. I hadn't even considered it could be out of date.

 

[moonrakerz]

When its, a) very rarely checked on trains, and b) rarely used as you are encouraged to by tickets anywhere but the ticket office, its pretty easy to ...........

.................think that you can get away with it without having one !

 

[Ferret]

.................think that you can get away with it without having one !

Well, maybe that's what some think!

Update to my day: now found somebody with Advance tickets for the wrong week!

 

[87015]

.................think that you can get away with it without having one !

Couldn't possibly comment I'm sure Ferret has never effed it or flashed his pass for a ride...

 

[Ferret]

Couldn't possibly comment I'm sure Ferret has never effed it or flashed his pass for a ride...

Of course not! Lol! Well, apart from when I used to travel home from school for 5p because Regy Rail/Central Trains couldn't be arsed to staff their ticket offices.

 

[mumrar]

I've noticed a massive increase on the 170 side of XC, in one week in October I withdrew 7 in 6 days - all bar one expired 31st July.

Also in October there were around 4 people that week not travelling with their railcard, all purchased online, and I don't think this is always a coincidence. A certain percentage of people are wise to using non-staff facing purchase methods to try and wing the discount with no railcard. This is why I will not excess their tickets, if I do, they've only ended up paying what they should - no penalty for the attempted cheating.

This is a perfect example of what I mentioned in another thread - someone's railcard is out of date or they've forgotten it and they want you to ignore it, or just excess it, rather than follow the rules. But if National Rail says you can travel 100 miles for 5p and people will turn up with a printed itinerary and demand the TOCs stick by it.

 

[CarterUSM]

I come across one or two most days, usually bought from TVM's and no railcard present. Even had one dude who after being unable to purchase a yp discounted ticket from a TVM during the morning peak, proceeded to purchase a SNR discount instead!! No railcards at all of course, though i found it mildly amusing.

 

[Failed Unit]

I come across one or two most days, usually bought from TVM's and no railcard present. Even had one dude who after being unable to purchase a yp discounted ticket from a TVM during the morning peak, proceeded to purchase a SNR discount instead!! No railcards at all of course, though i found it mildly amusing.

Just for interested my parents booking on line selected the YP instead of the SNR railcard. Would I guard normally show some lenacy in that situation? They got the tickets reprinted and the admin fee as well as they were concerned they would be fined.

I must admit I can't remember the last time I was asked for my family railcard on a local train, at least buying from the booking office you don't "forget" because you can't.

 

[CarterUSM]

Just for interested my parents booking on line selected the YP instead of the SNR railcard. Would I guard normally show some lenacy in that situation? They got the tickets reprinted and the admin fee as well as they were concerned they would be fined.

I must admit I can't remember the last time I was asked for my family railcard on a local train, at least buying from the booking office you don't "forget" because you can't.

Depends, i don't think i'd bother if A railcard is present and the passenger won't encounter another member of staff, i don't think a zero excess is strictly allowed, but i'd consider it in a genuine case also. Unless anyone knows better?

 

[Ferret]

Depends, i don't think i'd bother if A railcard is present and the passenger won't encounter another member of staff, i don't think a zero excess is strictly allowed, but i'd consider it in a genuine case also. Unless anyone knows better?

I wouldn't be bothered if it was my train! Some ticket office staff manage to apply a SNR discount vice Y-P or vice versa all the time. Falls into the category of 'things to not lose sleep over'.

 

[CarterUSM]

I wouldn't be bothered if it was my train! Some ticket office staff manage to apply a SNR discount vice Y-P or vice versa all the time. Falls into the category of 'things to not lose sleep over'.

Yeah, i agree 100%! I've got better things to do!

 

[scotsman]

I like hearing stories like this, since us amateur TTIs never get any sort of 'interesting' stuff like that. I get a ticket marked P and I have no idea if it's been issued because of a membership card, shareholder card (the closest thing to a priv you'll find on a preserved railway, I don't ask for a ticket if I see one!) or a special offer.

Suffice to say, my trust in the ticket office staff is immense!

 

[Ferret]

Yeah, i agree 100%! I've got better things to do!

Quite! I'd rather go chasing the people who have yet to buy a ticket than those that have paid the correct fare but had the wrong discount applied.