Is it me??

[whole diary]

[vacman]

Back to the original theme of this topic...
On Friday on the 6:47 BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))-PNZ ( nice refurbished 158771 with old seats) had a guar, an ATE and an RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the 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.

If they were both in grey then they were BOTH RPI's, they only work in pairs.

[Conner]

Back to the original theme of this topic...
On Friday on the 6:47 BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))-PNZ ( nice refurbished 158771 with old seats) had a guar, an ATE and an RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the 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.

If they were both in grey then they were BOTH RPI's, they only work in pairs.

No, one was the old ATE, been around for ages, the other I haven't seen before so I assumed he was one of the new RPI's, but he could have been an ATE as well.

[vacman]

Back to the original theme of this topic...
On Friday on the 6:47 BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))-PNZ ( nice refurbished 158771 with old seats) had a guar, an ATE and an RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the 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.

If they were both in grey then they were BOTH RPI's, they only work in pairs.

No, one was the old ATE, been around for ages, the other I haven't seen before so I assumed he was one of the new RPI's, but he could have been an ATE as well.

One of the ATE's got promoted, along with some gateline staff from Plymouth, was chattin to one the other day, they have different uniforms to ATE's.

[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.

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)), 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!

Thanks for the explanation. I can understand the logic of not wanting to wait an hour to get back home.

[devon_metro]

On a note of revenue.

WAs on a pacer yesterday where the guard was still checking tickets whilst passengers were waiting to get on at Starcross and Dawlish Warren and i'd say the doors were still locked for about a minute after arriving!

I boarded at Starcross and got checked before arrival at Dawlish Warren, and it was busy!!

[Tim]

I still don't understand the diffences between RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) and ATE.  Wouldn't it make sense for them, and TMs^‡(resolve) (and barrier staff and anyone else involved in "chiecking tickets"), to all have the same full set of powers to sell tickets, issue penalty fares, take details for subsequent prosecution etc?

[vacman]

I still don't understand the diffences between RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) and ATE.  Wouldn't it make sense for them, and TMs^‡(resolve) (and barrier staff and anyone else involved in "chiecking tickets"), to all have the same full set of powers to sell tickets, issue penalty fares, take details for subsequent prosecution etc?

yes and no, an ATE and conductors focus is revenue COLLECTION whereas an RPI would be revenue PROTECTION, an RPI has the time to take names and addresses and thouroughly check tickets etc, whereas ATE's etc are for busy "Paytrain" routes, the process of issuing a penalty fare is quite time consuming from what i've been told and if ATE's did this then hardly any tickets would ever be done. As for gateline staff, the Plymouth and Exeter staff are, I think, Penalty fare trained but can't issue them at the moment due to some problem with the DFT^▸ (Department for Transport).

[TerminalJunkie]

I still don't understand the diffences between RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) and ATE.

About ^12,000* per year.


* I made that number up, but you get the idea...

[Tim]

OK - thanks.  I understand. 

I do think that there is a danger of undermining the anti-ticketless travel message to the public here.  The retoric and the signs are all threatening penalty fares but if experienced "dodgers" get to know that only certain people are likely to issue penalty fares (and recomendations for prosecution?) doesn't the message get rather diluted.