Is it me??

[whole diary]

[vacman]

Is it me or are there all of a sudden loads of RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context)'s in Devon and Cornwall? they were at Truro yesterday and saw some at Plymouth today, glad of it really as it makes our job easier!

[devon_metro]

Its half term - apparantly!

[Tinminer]

'cuse my ignorance, but what is a RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context)?

[devon_metro]

RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context): Revenue Protection Inspector
ATE: Assistant Ticket Examiner

[vacman]

'cuse my ignorance, but what is a RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context)?

"Gold braid Brigade"

[Tinminer]

Ah, thanks for that guys!

Are FGW^▸ (First Great Western) having a push on fare dodgers at the mo then?

If so, I am glad! Number of times I have travelled up to Pad, and not had my ticket (except through the gates) checked en route.

Overheard many a time 'passengers' say that they have no ticket, and then say to ticket inspector that they got on at the last stop, except they got on 200 miles away!

FGW and others must lose millions.

Why can't tickets be inspected (by putting ticket into a reader device to open the internal train doors) at point of entry and exit?

[John R]

Ever thought of having a quiet word with the TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context)? They've been very appreciative on the couple of occasions I've pointed out someone fare-dodging (usually when they don't present themselves when the TM is asking for "tickets from X" and I know they've got on at X).

[Conner]

It is half term in Cornwall. 
On Monday there were RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context)'s doing Gateline checks at Truro at they were on lots of trains.
I think extras have been drafted in as it is half term and will probably go somewhere else next week for a different half term.
Its surprising how many people they were catching at Truro. Mainly people who 'lost' their tickets despite Guards/TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context)'s saying there were gateline checks.

[smokey]

Is it me or are there all of a sudden loads of RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context)'s in Devon and Cornwall? they were at Truro yesterday and saw some at Plymouth today, glad of it really as it makes our job easier!

Its half term - apparantly!

What you suggesting the RPI's are school children, would explain why there are loads about this week!!!!!

[vacman]

Apparently they've taken on some at Plymouth and Penzance, started a couple of weeks back, was chatting to one of them today, good news though, about time!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Vacman, thanks for raising this!

From what you say, RPIs^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context) make your job (as an ATE?) easier: why is that? I assume it's because they have greater 'powers' than you - but what powers, and why?

As I hope you know by now (based on my previous posts!), I'm against fare dodging in any guise. What annoys me is (for example) when train staff on our local trains habitually stay in the rear cab between two stations, so regular passengers get to know that they're unlikely to be checked between those stations and therefore don't bother to buy a ticket.

At my local station, which is unmanned and does not have barriers (not sure where they'd fit them in anyway!), I think that's an issue - costing FGW^▸ (First Great Western) a lot of revenue!

[John R]

I would concur with Chris on this. Last Saturday I boarded a lightly loaded service at Nailsea (along with several others) and nobody came through the train before Bristol. (I needed a ticket as I was off to Cardiff ("Sospan fach", and all that) and my season covered me as far as Bristol - hence couldn't use machine.) If I had wanted to, I could have alighted as far as STJ^▸ (Severn Tunnel Junction railway station) and still not had the opportunity to buy a ticket. Fortunately, I was then checked, and so was able to buy a ticket before the "scrum" of Cardiff on match day, where they make anyone without a ticket join a very long queue, which is a bit rich if you haven't been able to buy a ticket through no fault of your own.

[Conner]

Back to the original theme of this topic...
On Friday on the 6:47 BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative))-PNZ ( nice refurbished 158771 with old seats) had a guar, an ATE and an RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector, or Retail Price Index, depending on context) on. I think that was a bit excessive. I was only on it between Camborne and St.Erth so I don't know how long the ATE/RPI were on.

[Jim]

Overheard many a time 'passengers' say that they have no ticket, and then say to ticket inspector that they got on at the last stop, except they got on 200 miles away!

1 got caught red handed last night, he got on a Fareham-Cardiff at Fareham, and the gripper came through after Romsey, he asked for a Single from Soton, "How did you get through the barriers then". I nearly burst out laughing. Best thing was it was full and standing, so a whole trainload of people got to hear!

[gaf71]

I would concur with Chris on this. Last Saturday I boarded a lightly loaded service at Nailsea (along with several others) and nobody came through the train before Bristol. (I needed a ticket as I was off to Cardiff ("Sospan fach", and all that) and my season covered me as far as Bristol - hence couldn't use machine.) If I had wanted to, I could have alighted as far as STJ^▸ (Severn Tunnel Junction railway station) and still not had the opportunity to buy a ticket. Fortunately, I was then checked, and so was able to buy a ticket before the "scrum" of Cardiff on match day, where they make anyone without a ticket join a very long queue, which is a bit rich if you haven't been able to buy a ticket through no fault of your own.

I would hazard a guess that if you were on a unit, the guard was either finishing his shift at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative)), and was cashing up early(no one ever does that, honest) or he presumed tickets from Nailsea were purchased from the ever reliable TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine)'s! The other option was that if the train was manned by an Exeter crew, we sometimes can get an earlier train back south(and thus finish earlier), but normally a very tight(1-2 mins) connection normally running from platform 3 to 13! If this was the case the guard would have bags packed and ready to run!