• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Arriva bus pass on northern??

Status
Not open for further replies.

ARPO

New Member
Joined
26 Feb 2017
Messages
4
I was working at a northern station doing revenue and a passenger came through with a Arriva BUS (dependent of) staff pass, he claimed that it was valid and under dispute. In the end I charged him for his journey. My question is, is his Arriva bus staff pass valid on northern services ?
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

scrapy

Established Member
Joined
15 Dec 2008
Messages
2,228
They may be used between Manchester and Bolton assuming the person holding it is in uniform and on duty (there may be other places they are valid too). They are not valid for leisure travel or for spouses or dependants.

I would advise not to charge in future but to fill out a TIR and/or withdraw the pass.
 
Last edited:

185

Established Member
Joined
29 Aug 2010
Messages
5,493
I was working at a northern station doing revenue and a passenger came through with a Arriva BUS (dependent of) staff pass, he claimed that it was valid and under dispute. In the end I charged him for his journey. My question is, is his Arriva bus staff pass valid on northern services ?

There has never been any formal or informal agreement. They were using them under Arriva Trains Northern (2002ish) and they weren't valid then.

Whether some staff (like myself) choose to turn a blind eye to other operator's staff is one thing.. but dependants - no way.
 

ARPO

New Member
Joined
26 Feb 2017
Messages
4
They may be used between Manchester and Bolton assuming the person holding it is in uniform and on duty (there may be other places they are valid too). They are not valid for leisure travel or for spouses or dependants.

I would advise not to charge in future but to fill out a TIR and/or withdraw the pass.

I was working between a station near Wigan and Liverpool lime street, I ain't gonna say the station for obvious reasons. I've not had any briefing relating to bus passes or even if they are on duty etc, yeah in future I will TIR him and use his pass as evidence against him (by confiscating it) I would of probably been more lenient on the person today if he had not lied over the dispute.
 

ARPO

New Member
Joined
26 Feb 2017
Messages
4
There has never been any formal or informal agreement. They were using them under Arriva Trains Northern (2002ish) and they weren't valid then.

Whether some staff (like myself) choose to turn a blind eye to other operator's staff is one thing.. but dependants - no way.

See if he was normal bus staff I'd turn a blind eye but his attitude was not so good so I didn't, cheers for the info :)
 

hairyhandedfool

Established Member
Joined
14 Apr 2008
Messages
8,837
I do not know of any agreement between Arriva Rail North and Arriva Bus. Last staff briefing I saw said Northern staff cannot use Arriva buses for free and Arriva Bus staff cannot use Northern services for free.
 

Shaw S Hunter

Established Member
Joined
21 Apr 2016
Messages
3,238
Location
Over The Hill
I do not know of any agreement between Arriva Rail North and Arriva Bus. Last staff briefing I saw said Northern staff cannot use Arriva buses for free and Arriva Bus staff cannot use Northern services for free.

Sadly it seems there is a small number of Arriva bus staff all around the country taking similar liberties. In old Northern days I once had a family group who claimed to have used their bus company passes (issued by one of the Arriva companies in the Home Counties) from Cardiff to Manchester and expected that their onward travel to Bolton should also be free. Not on my train it wasn't! Arriva bus staff were regulars at attempting to use their passes between St Helens and Wigan: if in uniform and likely to be travelling to/from work then the right attitude often led to a blind eye being turned subject to a warning about the possibility of barrier checks.

First Group seem to deal with things better with the availability of cheap staff offers for employees to use a mode other than that which they work on. Though I gather the offer is not as generous as it once was.
 

ainsworth74

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Global Moderator
Joined
16 Nov 2009
Messages
29,074
Location
Redcar
Does a member of railway staff have the authority to confiscate a non-railway pass/travel document?
 

ARPO

New Member
Joined
26 Feb 2017
Messages
4
Does a member of railway staff have the authority to confiscate a non-railway pass/travel document?

I think it can if it's being used for "theft of service" multiple times when warning has been given, although I will be verifying if this is true with my line manager tomorrow
 
Last edited:

185

Established Member
Joined
29 Aug 2010
Messages
5,493
Does a member of railway staff have the authority to confiscate a non-railway pass/travel document?

Many a moon ago, I was told (an authorised) person may withdraw any article which is being presented as a travel ticket for their journey. Whether that extends to false legs, spouses or inflatable giraffes remains to be seen.

But an (invalid) travel pass where intent is shown, fairly certainly.
 

221129

Established Member
Joined
21 Mar 2011
Messages
6,517
Location
Sunny Scotland
Many a moon ago, I was told (an authorised) person may withdraw any article which is being presented as a travel ticket for their journey. Whether that extends to false legs, spouses or inflatable giraffes remains to be seen.

But an (invalid) travel pass where intent is shown, fairly certainly.

If it was a railway staff pass then I would agree, but not so sure on a bus pass as it doesn't belong to the railway company, I would be seeking Police assistance to avoid any unnecessary problems and to cover myself.
 

miami

Established Member
Joined
3 Oct 2015
Messages
3,236
Location
UK
See if he was normal bus staff I'd turn a blind eye but his attitude was not so good so I didn't, cheers for the info :)

"Turning a blind eye" or "enabling fare evasion"?

All the arguments about fare evasion (reducing revenue, raising prices for honest passengers) also apply when staff "turn a blind eye".
 

Trackman

Established Member
Joined
28 Feb 2013
Messages
3,577
Location
Lewisham
Arriva staff Bus pass was valid on some TOCs years ago (confusing I know), not sure what the situation is with Arriva Northern at the moment.
 

ainsworth74

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Global Moderator
Joined
16 Nov 2009
Messages
29,074
Location
Redcar
If it was a railway staff pass then I would agree, but not so sure on a bus pass as it doesn't belong to the railway company, I would be seeking Police assistance to avoid any unnecessary problems and to cover myself.

Yes that's the basis of my question really. A railway document 100% can be withdrawn. A document not owned by the railway? It would be good to see something concrete on this.
 

sheff1

Established Member
Joined
24 Dec 2009
Messages
5,695
Location
Sheffield
Yes that's the basis of my question really. A railway document 100% can be withdrawn. A document not owned by the railway?

I do not see how a railway official would be able to legally withdraw a non-railway document.

And, if this:
Many a moon ago, I was told (an authorised) person may withdraw any article which is being presented as a travel ticket for their journey.

was ever the case, it certainly would not apply nowadays. You can imagine the headlines if a railway official "withdrew" a passenger's £600 smartphone.
 

Merseysider

Established Member
Fares Advisor
Joined
22 Jan 2014
Messages
5,535
Location
Birmingham
Yes that's the basis of my question really. A railway document 100% can be withdrawn. A document not owned by the railway? It would be good to see something concrete on this.
Sorry for answering a question with a question, but wouldn't a BTP/regular surely have the power to confiscate a 'ticket' used for fraudulent purposes, even if it isn't a railway document?
 

sheff1

Established Member
Joined
24 Dec 2009
Messages
5,695
Location
Sheffield
Sorry for answering a question with a question, but wouldn't a BTP/regular surely have the power to confiscate a 'ticket' used for fraudulent purposes, even if it isn't a railway document?

I guess so. Perhaps wrongly, I would not consider BTP to be "railway officials".
 

Howardh

Established Member
Joined
17 May 2011
Messages
9,137
Can someone involved with the railway, from ticket inspector to Transport Police, confiscate a credit card if they think it's either fake, being used fraudulently or won't register in their machine?

Only asking because today I went to my shop and mine wouldn't touch in, tried with the PIN and still it didn't work (paid in cash - which didn't cover up the embarrassment!)?

NB - worked at the petrol station, so must have been a faulty terminal, or it doesn't like Lloyds...
 

miami

Established Member
Joined
3 Oct 2015
Messages
3,236
Location
UK
A credit card is property of the bank, and I believe that a bank gives merchants rights to confiscate the card in certain circumstances.

If someone paid with contactless on a mobile phone (including at an underground barrier), and a railway staff member confiscated it, I would expect them to be up in court answering to theft charges.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

bb21

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
4 Feb 2010
Messages
24,162
Blacklisted cards can certainly be confiscated. The process should be listed in each TOC's own cash regs.

Words from a conductor manager is that guards are not allowed to withdraw a bus company's staff pass, with our lot at least. The appropriate fare should be charged.
 

Hadders

Veteran Member
Associate Staff
Senior Fares Advisor
Joined
27 Apr 2011
Messages
16,108
A credit card is property of the bank, and I believe that a bank gives merchants rights to confiscate the card in certain circumstances.

That's correct. I've personally confiscated customers cards as a retailer when I've been asked to do so by the bank. Not all of them were stolen either...

Back in the day you had to hand over a card when you used it for payment in a shop which meant it was relatively easy for a merchant to retain it if they were required to do so. Nowadays there isn't usually a need ti hand over cards when making payment so I suspect it's very rare for a card to be retained by a merchant. Also, with electronic card processing it's far easier to get cards black listed, in the past when zip-zap machines were used to process payments using stolen credit cards was very lucrative and difficult to stop.
 

Tuppenny Tube

Member
Joined
24 Mar 2014
Messages
18
When I visited a messroom used by arriva buses staff in the north west there was a notice on display from their HR dept stating quite clearly that staff passes are NOT valid on Northern rail services.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top