Beggars at railway stations

Tracked · 2 Mar 2019

Only ever seen one on the train, Sheffield-Doncaster all stations service a year or so ago, but there's a load the hang around the entrances to Doncaster station - usually 1/2 per door.

There was one time last year where there 3 or 4 of them stood in the concourse asking for money, it was like some sort of beggar slalom getting to the door ...

"Spare us some change sir, have a nice day sir"

It seemed to get really bad in town from 2013 onwards, I'd see the odd one before that, but it got worse then. Having been commuting by train for nearly 3 years I'd say it's gotten worse at Doncaster station in the last couple of years.

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Adlenviro · 2 Mar 2019

Had a female in Newcastle a few years ago ask me for £4 as her grandmother had just died and she needed to get to Sunderland . Told her I was driving the next bus to Sunderland and under the circumstances I would allow her to travel free. She just turned and walked off.

Had a very honest one in Hull station once ask for £1.50. He just said can you give me £1.50 mate because I'm desperate for a can. He must have done ok from other intoxicated revellers though as I seen him a bit later and he had a bottle of cider not much smaller than a keg and a pizza you could use as a sky dish.

Had a mate worked in a ticket office once and they used to change a old polish woman's begging change into notes for her so they had plenty of silver coins. Every day at 1730hrs she would turn up with a bag of silver, no pound coins and on average he would change around £80 into £10 notes, for some reason she didn't want £20 notes.

contrex · 2 Mar 2019

The other day, Bristol TM. Start of Station Approach. 40ish woman, Welsh accent, Croydon facelift: "Can you let me have £3 to get me and my daughter home to Cardiff?". Me: "Sorry no change.". Top of Station Approach, 20ish woman, Welsh accent, dead spit of first one: "Can you let me have £3 to get me and my mum home to Newport?". Me: "You'd better have a word with her, she thinks you live in Cardiff". She: "F***k off, you f***ing bloody b*****d!". Me: "Here's the money, that's the best laugh I've had all week". She: "Er, thank you".

contrex · 2 Mar 2019

We used to go to Nice for our holidays. There was a woman used to hang about outside the SNCF station and spin a yarn about being Swedish, and having just been mugged and punched in the face, bloody tissue and all, I think she must have bitten her lip on purpose, the second time she tried it on me I said "You are unlucky, it happened to you exactly one year ago, and two years ago!". She turned and walked off.

marko2 · 2 Mar 2019

61653 HTAFC said:
Tuesday night, a bloke at Huddersfield asked if I wanted some "blow". When I declined this offer he asked if he could "borrow" a quid or two...

Just pick a lane and stay in it!

For the less street-wise here, he was offering to sell you drugs rather than a personal service. If the BTP aren't interested in vagrancy, they are certain to be in drug- dealing.

A Challenge · 2 Mar 2019

I've seen some people begging and busking on the London Underground (on train), I find it strange that they'd be begging in an area they needed to pay to be in, especially as the London Underground is basically fully gated, if they actually had no money and were homeless. I still think the best beggar is the one I passed on near to Berkley Square while I was on the way to Green Park station, who asked if I had a spare £25,000!

61653 HTAFC · 2 Mar 2019

NorthernSpirit said:
Is this the same six foot bozo that was asking for 8p a couple of years back?

Nope. Asian lad, early 20s, about 5'8", possible 'roid-rage.

marko2 said:
For the less street-wise here, he was offering to sell you drugs rather than a personal service. If the BTP aren't interested in vagrancy, they are certain to be in drug- dealing.

I think he'd marked me as vulnerable and, had I expressed an interest in his "urban pharmaceuticals" he'd have tried to mug me. The fact that in the very next breath he was begging suggests that he had no drugs to sell anyway (or if he did, they were rubbish

). Nevertheless I mentioned it to a TPE TravelSafe officer on platform 4 who (as far as i know) escorted him from the station. There were some BTP about even at that time due to the earlier football match.

Statto · 2 Mar 2019

One at Euston in the Autumn, whilst waiting for the LNWT/WMT to Stafford, wanting to get to Reading, so told him to go to Paddington, he then asked for money for the fare, i said i don't have it, then started following me around for a bit not taking no, i'm not giving him money for an answer, but i managed to lose him.

jon0844 · 2 Mar 2019

A Challenge said:
I still think the best beggar is the one I passed on near to Berkley Square while I was on the way to Green Park station, who asked if I had a spare £25,000!

Easier than Kickstarter I guess!

I think that when revenue intercept many beggars, they often have a paid for ticket or even season. As I said above, many of them are quite well organised and do a very good job of gaining sympathy (to the detriment of the genuine homeless) and money.

We all get told not to give money to them, but people still do. I've seen it so often that I am not surprised they continue to do it. On a tube carriage, you only need 1 or 2 in each coach to give something and it quickly adds up. Obviously I don't know what people actually give, but I very much doubt people are digging in to a pocket and giving 1 or 2p.

61653 HTAFC · 2 Mar 2019

jon0844 said:
Easier than Kickstarter I guess!

I think that when revenue intercept many beggars, they often have a paid for ticket or even season. As I said above, many of them are quite well organised and do a very good job of gaining sympathy (to the detriment of the genuine homeless) and money.

We all get told not to give money to them, but people still do. I've seen it so often that I am not surprised they continue to do it. On a tube carriage, you only need 1 or 2 in each coach to give something and it quickly adds up. Obviously I don't know what people actually give, but I very much doubt people are digging in to a pocket and giving 1 or 2p.

I think a lot of people think that whether they're genuinely homeless or not, if they'd lowered themselves to the indignity of begging they probably could do with a bit of help. I'll sometimes buy them a coffee rather than give them a quid (can't remember when I last had a 1p or 2p coin in my pocket!), even though the coffee costs more.

class 9 · 2 Mar 2019

marko2 said:
BTP have a much better weapon at their disposal than the Vagrancy Act - which is archaic. Section 7.2(iii) of the Railway Byelaws (TfL's equivalent identical) is far easier to prosecute - an officer witnessing the activity will probably be sufficient.

The reality is that the BTP are targeting other offences, and probably have better uses for their cells and officers' time

Except with written permission from an Operator no person on the railway shall:

(i) display anything for the purpose of advertising or publicity, or distribute anything; or

7

(ii) sell or expose or offer anything for sale; or

(iii) tout for, or solicit money, reward, custom or employment of any
kind.

They could also get them on Byelaw 13.2:- No person shall loiter on the railway if asked to leave by an authorised person.

Wychwood93 · 2 Mar 2019

In Spain a couple of years ago a 'flamenco style' guitarist and helper came along the train - music actually quite good - the 'guard' appeared and turfed them off. From memory a local service from Girona to Portbou/Cerbere - not exactly the home of 'flamenco'.

ChiefPlanner · 2 Mar 2019

On the North London and DC lines - and am talking mid to late 90's , I would always turn beggars off - ditto some excruciatingly bad buskers (and I mean bad) - the Richmond end was a favourite begging hot spot.

I once was challenged by some bleeding heart "liberal" (as I was not in uniform) - who called me a "fascist" (she got off at Hampstead Heath) , rather satisfyingly the other passengers turned on her and told her what she could do (not politely)

Never got many , oddly enough - around Custom House , or Harlesden....

Bungle965 · 2 Mar 2019

I actually had it the other day outside Victoria station where a beggar was sat next to the bin, I was actually just hovering around there having a very irritating phone call to the bank.
After about ten minutes of faffing around with the bank I now wanted to see if my card actually worked.
I did actually ask the homeless man if he wanted anything to eat, expecting the usual “no” but to my surprise he asked if he could have some ginger biscuits!
The card did indeed work and he got his wish with the biscuits.
Sam

Nym · 3 Mar 2019

A Challenge said:
I've seen some people begging and busking on the London Underground (on train), I find it strange that they'd be begging in an area they needed to pay to be in, especially as the London Underground is basically fully gated, if they actually had no money and were homeless. I still think the best beggar is the one I passed on near to Berkley Square while I was on the way to Green Park station, who asked if I had a spare £25,000!

You'd be supprised how many LU stations have the gates left or locked open since the "Fit for the Future Stations" programme.

marko2 · 3 Mar 2019

Nym said:
You'd be supprised how many LU stations have the gates left or locked open since the "Fit for the Future Stations" programme.

Some are not even fully gated - such as smaller LO stations. However, by far the most gratuitous is Finsbury Park. The Underground entrances both have gates, but the National rail is gated at Platform level. The concourse - with the double-helix staircases down to Underground level - is not.

Not surprisingly it's the entrance and egress point onto the network for many a vagrant. The Victoria line, NCL and NLL (via H&I) all have plenty of it.

So unfazed are vagrants by the BTP (whose office is next to the bus station behind the station), that they can regularly be seen sitting at the NR station entrance, sometimes even smoking there.

To be fair to the BTP team, the LO division - based at Camden Road do seem to be a bit more on the case than the Victoria Line team at FPK.

LU and NR staff when it's reported to them are slopy shouldered. Not their problem.

Busaholic · 3 Mar 2019

A Challenge said:
I've seen some people begging and busking on the London Underground (on train), I find it strange that they'd be begging in an area they needed to pay to be in, especially as the London Underground is basically fully gated, if they actually had no money and were homeless. I still think the best beggar is the one I passed on near to Berkley Square while I was on the way to Green Park station, who asked if I had a spare £25,000!

Chris Grayling planning life after Government?

MikeWM · 3 Mar 2019

Was just asked for some money while sitting on the concourse at Norwich, reading this thread (!)

Polite enough gentleman, and I think he was on his way out of the station anyhow, so not really an issue, just thought it an interesting coincidence...

rdeez · 3 Mar 2019

The amount of begging has definitely increased in Birmingham in recent years. Most days I'll pass two or three on my way to work, and there's a few that frequent the south steps of New Street station. I almost never carry any cash anyway (rarely find a need to these days), but I'm also reluctant to give out money when I don't know what it's going to be used for. Occasionally, if there's a beggar camped outside of a shop and I'm going inside, I'll ask if there's anything they want.

I do feel conflicted though, on days when I'm just eager to get home and the 3rd or 4th one comes up and asks me, I feel simultaneously annoyed and instantly guilty for reacting that way...realistically though, genuine not, the odd 50p isn't going to solve their problem. Councils and government should be doing more.

Bletchleyite · 3 Mar 2019

Statto said:
One at Euston in the Autumn, whilst waiting for the LNWT/WMT to Stafford, wanting to get to Reading, so told him to go to Paddington, he then asked for money for the fare, i said i don't have it, then started following me around for a bit not taking no, i'm not giving him money for an answer, but i managed to lose him.

I've had that more from "chuggers" than beggars!

Train Maniac · 3 Mar 2019

One time i was on the Central Line and we stopped off at Oxford Circus. A dude in an orange T-shirt got on, waited for the doors to close before loudly exclaiming 'Sorry to bother you lady and gents, have you got any spare change?!'. Thing is i could have sworn he stuck a phone of some description into his gym bag just beforehand. Im not a particularly confrontational kind of person so i just got off at the next stop and waited for the next train.

trebor79 · 3 Mar 2019

I was on a Picadilly line train a few years ago. There was a beggar going from carriage to carriage at each stop. The driver made an announcement telling wvereverthat there was a beggar aiming down the train, not to give him any money and that the police had been called.
I couldn't understand why the driver thought it necessary to inform us all of that.

telstarbox · 3 Mar 2019

Train Maniac said:
One time i was on the Central Line and we stopped off at Oxford Circus. A dude in an orange T-shirt got on, waited for the doors to close before loudly exclaiming 'Sorry to bother you lady and gents, have you got any spare change?!'. Thing is i could have sworn he stuck a phone of some description into his gym bag just beforehand. Im not a particularly confrontational kind of person so i just got off at the next stop and waited for the next train.

You can't eat a phone or sleep under it though.

Train Maniac · 3 Mar 2019

telstarbox said:
You can't eat a phone or sleep under it though.

Uhhhh..... No?

My point was that (as far as i could tell) He wasnt a genuine beggar. Bear in mind this was a few years back. Maybe it was something else, i dont know. (shrugs)

Bletchleyite · 3 Mar 2019

trebor79 said:
I was on a Picadilly line train a few years ago. There was a beggar going from carriage to carriage at each stop. The driver made an announcement telling wvereverthat there was a beggar aiming down the train, not to give him any money and that the police had been called.
I couldn't understand why the driver thought it necessary to inform us all of that.

It was a "passive aggressive" means of trying to get rid of him, not to actually inform your actions.

exile · 3 Mar 2019

Whilst waiting on a train in Milan, a beggar walked through the train leaving business cards.....

sheff1 · 4 Mar 2019

Many moons ago when I was in India a fellow traveller gave me a useful tip - when a beggar asks for money (invariably in English) ask them, in Polish, "do you speak Polish ?". Worked a treat.

I don't know if I have been lucky, or just look like I have no money, but I seem to have missed the massed ranks of beggars at Sheffield and Doncaster stations mentioned earlier.

MadMac · 4 Mar 2019

There's a picture out there of a fellow sitting on a pavement somewhere with a sign "Need money for beer, pot and hooker. Hey, at least I'm not B***S****ing you!". I'd be inclined to contribute just for his honesty.....

Metal_gee_man · 4 Mar 2019

As a regular commuter through East Croydon Station, they know not to enter the concourse (private property) but if you're not accosted by at least 3 before you've got 50 metres away then there's something wrong! I've had the same women in her dressing gown and slippers spin me 3 different stories as she aggressively approaches you asking for £10 (1. To put some leccy on the key meter for her 3 kids at home 2. To buy a train ticket back to Crawley because she fell asleep on the train & 3. So she could feed her 4 kids at home as she's got nothing until XX time) and when I say I don't have cash on me, she goes all sweet and innocent and asks if I will go to the cash machine and withdraw it (nah.. F-off) and she then turns nasty!
I am accepting of homeless people, sitting with a cup with a sign or playing an instrument (they're harmless) I have and will continue to report (if I can) aggressive, rude and damn right piss takers to the BTP or local officers if I feel need because that sort of begging is what the Vagrancy act should be used for to get the worst of the worst off the streets

atraindriver · 4 Mar 2019

Beggars at railway stations

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