Beggars!

[ExRes]

Does anyone know if these notes are dated ?, just wondering if they're the same ones being passed around trains in the late 90s

If the babies are still being used as props they must be on the verge of leaving school and going to uni by now, no wonder they need to beg with fees at £9k a year

 

[prod_pep]

Seen this sort of thing several times on the London Liverpool Street - Shenfield line and once on an Enfield Town train.

 

[trash80]

Once on the Worcester-Birmingham train a Roma (one assumes) started playing his accordion and then walked down the carriage asking for money. Rather surreal.

 

[PeterY]

I've seen the tissue one done on the Met line several weeks ago. Nobody as far as I'm aware gave any money.
I think most passengers know it's a scam by now.

I always wonder how they manage to pay their fare but I'm guessing they haven't paid.

 

[sheff1]

Must admit its not something I've come across up here on the local trains in Yorkshire, is it something that's widespread, maybe due to no ticket checks on barrierless Plumstead line?

Happens nearly every time I travel in South London. Far less common on my London area journeys north of the river and I have never encountered it anywhere outside the South East.

 

[asylumxl]

I've seen it most frequently on the SSLs on the tube, particularly the Hammersmith and City line past Paddington. I don't know why bother as nobody gives them any money.

 

[Antman]

Once on the Worcester-Birmingham train a Roma (one assumes) started playing his accordion and then walked down the carriage asking for money. Rather surreal.

Had a busker with guitar on a London to Brighton train recently and he was quite good and a lot of people gave him some money but that's not quite the same as begging.

 

[miami]

Had a busker with guitar on a London to Brighton train recently and he was quite good and a lot of people gave him some money but that's not quite the same as begging.

No, even more annoying.

 

[ASharpe]

When I lived in Berkeley I would regularly give money to a few homeless people who lived near me, I also saved all my bottles for one guy who would get the refund value on them. They obviously needed some help and were quite nice.

But I'm highly skeptical of most the beggars in Bradford, I suspect it is a career choice for some of them.

The only begging I've seen on a train in England was on the Victoria line between King's Cross and Oxford Circus, I saw him a few times and always asking for a very specific amount.

 

[trash80]

Had a busker with guitar on a London to Brighton train recently and he was quite good and a lot of people gave him some money but that's not quite the same as begging.

Same thing as begging, he went down the coach with his hand out to every person after giving some unwanted "music" (was pretty awful to be honest). No one gave him anything.

As for the tissues beggar seen that on the Bakerloo Line.

 

[plastictaffy]

Had one on my train the other day walking up and down with an accordion asking for money. He was actively avoiding me, usually they don't, just look at you sheepishly when you tell 'em to bugger off.

 

[Johnuk123]

The only thing that will stop them is zero tolerance to begging, instant arrest and worthwhile punishment.

If the Roma gypsies knew Britain was a really difficult place to beg and harass people and commit crime they would just move to another European country.

Unfortunately this is a direct result of freedom of movement because before they were allowed in hardly anyone would have ever seen one.

I don't blame them at all for coming here, once the gates were open why would you stay in Romania or Bulgaria where the criminal pickings are so much smaller.

 

[47271]

Had a busker with guitar on a London to Brighton train recently and he was quite good and a lot of people gave him some money but that's not quite the same as begging.

The closest I've ever seen in the UK is a bunch of students juggling in the doorway vestibule 'to raise money for our next theatrical production' on Thameslink, that raised not a bean in my carriage, and little wonder, and occasional bad busking on tube trains, as distinct to the proper ones on the stations.

The best was a German oompah band busking in an Amsterdam double deck train, that made us smile.

I've had a few slightly aggressive begging incidents, some of them made no better by musical backing, on the RER between CDG and central Paris, but that's quite an interesting journey at the best of times.

This is a problem on Southeastern too, Orpington line and that general Bromley area. Again it's guardless, DOO, and there are a lot of unstaffed or at least unbarriered stations.
Never experience anything of the sort up here in Manchester though.
Is there any sort of law against nuisance practices like this? There should be.

 

[WAB]

I've seen it most frequently on the SSLs on the tube, particularly the Hammersmith and City line past Paddington. I don't know why bother as nobody gives them any money.

The Piccadilly between Cockfosters and Finsbury Park is very popular with this scam.

 

[JaJaWa]

The only begging I've seen on a train in England was on the Victoria line between King's Cross and Oxford Circus, I saw him a few times and always asking for a very specific amount.

I was in Luton station recently, and a beggar came up to me and asked for the "last 50p [he] needed towards his train ticket". I went and purchased a ticket myself, and then bumped into him again. He obviously didn't recognise me, as he then asked me for the "last £1.50 [he] needed to buy a train ticket". I asked if someone had stolen a pound off him...

 

[Graeme]

There used to be a fairly well-dressed, clean-shaven character who would loiter outside Central Station in Newcastle asking people for spare change as he'd "lost his train fare". When he asked me the same thing for the third separate occasion in one week, I told him that if I saw him trying that again, I'd go and have a word with the BTP officer on duty. Haven't seen him since!

Saw beggars putting notes on seats on a Venice-Milan train a couple of years ago. They got no takers. My wife, who had traveled on the Italian network some years previously, reckoned it had been going on for some time.

 

[Controller1701]

Hmmmm, wonder what would happen if someone took the tissues and then alighted, writing on the note a 'Thank you for the free packet of tissues'

 

[jon0844]

I take the tissues and they don't ask me for money, they just pick up their note and walk on - I accept it as a gift, although it they asked for it back then I'd probably do so.

I've seen some of the ladies changing at Cheshunt before heading back into London (they get off, cross the bridge and head back and probably do so all day). Seen them waiting for a train and chatting on their smartphones. You'll notice they wear quite nice shoes too - probably as they do a lot of walking.

Staff at Cheshunt were well aware and saw them changing train but I am not sure what they can (or actually) do.

One of the notes made me want to ask who was looking after their child while they were out begging.

The problem is now of almost epidemic proportions in Stockholm, and they're everywhere as well as at stations and being quite harassing. So far in the UK it seems they'll keep their heads down for the most part.

 

[BestWestern]

Welcome to the EU utopian ideal of rich nations being on a level playing field with poor nations. Good innit... :roll:

 

[sheff1]

The problem is now of almost epidemic proportions in Stockholm, and they're everywhere as well as at stations and being quite harassing.

Has this happened recently ? I was in Stockholm for 10 days back in July and used public transport every day. Whilst I no doubt encountered beggars, as I would in any major city, I cannot remember a specific instance which I am sure I would do if I had felt harassed at any point.

 

[jon0844]

It was the early part of the year, and I have read they are trying to clear things up because it had reached a point where people were getting upset and that was leading to conflict. My wife was there last week but didn't use the trains, but I'll be back in December and then we will.

We will be on the outskirts of town and there toy have more activity as well as people hanging sound the stations, subways etc. Or did, although I'd be amazed if they have succeeded in getting rid of the problem rather than just moving it along.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Had a Morrocan type putting down begging cards on the southbound Jubilee line today - he got no takers am pleased to say. Low key but still begging.....

 

[Tetchytyke]

If the Roma gypsies knew Britain was a really difficult place to beg and harass people and commit crime they would just move to another European country.

...many of them already have. If you think London has a begging problem you should try Paris or pretty much any city in Italy.

 

[507021]

Myself and a friend were approached by a man who was very clearly drunk whilst we were heading back to my friend's flat. I was carrying a carrier bag with some food in and my friend a case of beer on his shoulder. The man asked if either of us had £1.50 for a train fare to Warrington, which we both said no to as we didn't have any loose change left, and apart from that I knew that the fare between LIV-WBQ is more than £1.50.

After we said we didn't have any money, he asked for a can of beer, which my friend said no to. The man simply walked away, but it was obvious to me straight away that he was after the money for alcohol and not a train fare, especially considering he was walking away from the railway station.

 

[satisnek]

In Leicester they got rid of the beggar in the subway near the railway station by getting rid of the subway :roll:

 

[kingston_toon]

I see this quite frequently, off-peak. Sadly, there are enough of the bleeding heart mob on the Tube who give them £1 or so to still make it worthwhile

 

[Trog]

Was out one lunch time and a woman asked me for money for the bus fare back to the other side of the town, I just kept walking. On my way back I passed her again now further from her destination, when she asked again I pointed out that if she had walked in the right direction since I last saw her she would be home by now.

 

[ExRes]

Welcome to the EU utopian ideal of rich nations being on a level playing field with poor nations. Good innit... :roll:

I'm really not sure that has anything to do with anything, the vast majority of these 'beggars' are from organised gangs trying to make money out of people they see as easy pickings, that has nothing to do with the EU, other than they are allowed unfettered access to other countries, rich nations, poor nations or level playing fields

 

[Paul180]

I had it outside Godalming Station many times when approaching the station on foot some one would start shouting Oh **** I have lost my ******* wallet/purse or to those words asking for money and promising to be here the next week to give it back (yeah right you're going to be I am thinking).

I have had many people come up to myself on the piccadilly line outside the center of town towards heathrow with babies asking for spare change and up on watching them there must be making in a lot of money mostly of foreign people just getting read of the pounds in there pocket as it is no use to them back home.

 

[Waddon]

People give them money on the trains because passengers feel intimidated and trapped in a confined space, and some of the beggars look seriously threatening. It's akin to a form of mugging in my opinion.

Used to see them regularly between East Croydon and Clapham Junction, they would work a full 8 car train in the time it takes to get from one station to the other, cross the platform and go back on the next train.

Even if they only get one pound per carriage (and I've seen that it's often more on a crowded train), due to the frequency of the service I estimate they could clear a minimum of 25 quid in an hour, tax free, and they would do this all day long.

Occasionally BTP will escort them off the station but they always come back