Fare dodging.

[whole diary]

[matt473]

However I do not see why I should inconvenience myself and purchase a ticket whilt waiting for a connection

How does it inconvenience you? Surely it just gives you something to do whilst waiting for another train..

The inconvenience is the tough tight connection times that if I had to queue to purchase a ticket then I would miss my connection. Then there is the problem that certain staff refuse to believe you were not trying to wing it and have every intention to pay. Many times I've travelled between Filton Abbey Wood and Swansea without having the opportunity of purchasing a ticket without potentially missing connections and then upon reaching Swansea, the only way to purchase a ticket is to pass the barrier, queue then miss a connecting bus service which runs infregquently. However if I do have a large amount of time between connections then I do purchase a ticket as I have plenty of time and it avoids hassle. Though this is not always possible.

[ChrisB]

Book online & pick the ticket up at any enabled TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) you pass en-route?

[Brucey]

ToD is fine if you know that you will definitely make the journey

[matt473]

Book online & pick the ticket up at any enabled TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) you pass en-route?

More often than not this is what I do but sometimes I need to travel at short notice and as asuch this is not always an option. As I have stated I try to purchase a ticket when I can and nearly always do however the system does not seem to make it easy for on the day travel. The large amount of money taken from my account by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should prove that. Personally I feel that ticket checks should be more regular to increase opportunities for genuine passangers to purchase tickets instead of being made to feel like a criminal if you do not. Even though its not my fault I feel bad and worried if I do not have a ticket when nearing my destination, especially when you get the inevitable 100 questions as to why no ticket has been purchased. If I was truly trying to avoid paying fares then there are many unmanned stations I could choose to get off at.

[TerminalJunkie]

So why not walk to the guard? Even if his ticket machine is on the fritz, you should still be able to get an unpaid fare notice to confirm where you boarded.

[ChrisB]

More often than not this is what I do but sometimes I need to travel at short notice and as asuch this is not always an option. As I have stated I try to purchase a ticket when I can and nearly always do however the system does not seem to make it easy for on the day travel.

What? You don't know until less than two hours before travelling that you're making a trip?.....that must be a rarity!! You can book any ticket on the day online that you can get from the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) / ticketr office / guard.

Personally I feel that ticket checks should be more regular to increase opportunities for genuine passangers to purchase tickets

Sorry, I'm a BIG fan of having to purchase where available *before* getting on the train - you should only be able to buy full price tickets from the guard unless facilities for doing so aren't present at the station of boarding. Those are the current rules & I agree. Otherwise, it just encourages people to try & get away without buying!

[vacman]

Looking at the last FGW^▸ (First Great Western) internal vacancy list it appears that more RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context))'s are being taken on in the Bristol area (there are none in that area at the moment!), I very often see the RPI's about issuing Penalty Fares in Devon and Cornwall, and as such you hardly sell a ticket these days from previous hot spots such as Teignmouth and Digby.

[devon_metro]

Looking at the last FGW^▸ (First Great Western) internal vacancy list it appears that more RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context))'s are being taken on in the Bristol area (there are none in that area at the moment!), I very often see the RPI's about issuing Penalty Fares in Devon and Cornwall, and as such you hardly sell a ticket these days from previous hot spots such as Teignmouth and Digby.

Bet doing blocks at Torre in the morning is fun...

[vacman]

Looking at the last FGW^▸ (First Great Western) internal vacancy list it appears that more RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context))'s are being taken on in the Bristol area (there are none in that area at the moment!), I very often see the RPI's about issuing Penalty Fares in Devon and Cornwall, and as such you hardly sell a ticket these days from previous hot spots such as Teignmouth and Digby.

Bet doing blocks at Torre in the morning is fun...

This has been done a few times this year by the Exeter RPI's.

[paul7575]

I think ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) is hassling the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) for an increase to the same as TfL^» (Transport for London - about)....

It definitely got as far as a DfT consultation around year end 2009/10 - the proposition was as per the TfL scheme, but although that's actually ^50 it's reduced to ^25 if paid before some deadline or other.  A bit like most local authority parking penalties.  

However  that consultation seems to have closed and then died - which is strange.  Change of government related perhaps?

If penalty fares were 'regulated', and had been increased in line with the RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context))+ rules each year, I wonder where they'd be now?  

Paul

[Ollie]

What amazes me about this topic is the variation in the train crew's attitude. Last Sunday on the Falmouth branch in the down direction the Conductor was correctly issuing tickets to the intermediate travellers by even holding up the train and issuing tickets on the platform as some got off at Penryn and Penmere.

By holding up do you mean delaying it? If so I don't approve of this action. Losing a few quid in local fares is much better than the delay minutes FGW^▸ (First Great Western) would have to pay..

[JayMac]

Caught the 2245 Taunton to Bristol Temple Meads last night. Very disappointed that there was no ticket check on the entire journey.

No more than 15 passengers on board at any point on the journey. Whilst it's possible that the folks I saw boarding and alighting at all stations en route already held valid tickets, it's equally possible that they hadn't purchased tickets.

[vacman]

Caught the 2245 Taunton to Bristol Temple Meads last night. Very disappointed that there was no ticket check on the entire journey.

No more than 15 passengers on board at any point on the journey. Whilst it's possible that the folks I saw boarding and alighting at all stations en route already held valid tickets, it's equally possible that they hadn't purchased tickets.

With the amount of assaults on that line due to ticket issues (mostly Bridgwater and Highbridge) I dont blame the conductor for staying in their cab at that time of the evening!

[matt473]

What? You don't know until less than two hours before travelling that you're making a trip?.....that must be a rarity!! You can book any ticket on the day online that you can get from the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) / ticketr office / guard.

Sorry, I'm a BIG fan of having to purchase where available *before* getting on the train - you should only be able to buy full price tickets from the guard unless facilities for doing so aren't present at the station of boarding. Those are the current rules & I agree. Otherwise, it just encourages people to try & get away without buying!

Sometimes I only wish to use cash as its part of my personal budgeting and paying cash is not available at Filton which if it was then I would purchase before boarding. This is not mine nor anyone elses fault if the facilities are not available. And I live in a student house without internet connection during term time so purchasing in advance is only an option when I'm in uni using their computers.  If I know when I have to travel I do book in advance however I do regularly have to travel at short notice to return home to provide relief for my mother who cares for my autistic brother. If I'm onest I would prefer a ticket office to be installed permanently at Filton so that this problem for myself and others no longer exists about purchasing tickets

[broadgage]

Booking on line and collecting tickets from a vending machine sounds fine in theory, but in practice does not allways work reliably or at all.
Possibly acceptable for a long journey planned in advance, but it is bit OTT^▸ (Open Train Times website) for a local trip to the shops ! Book on line for a local bus journey no way ! so why should it be expected for a local train journey either.