Elaborate fair evasion

[MattRobinson]

What's the most elaborate fair evasion you've seen? Mine is someone saving their tickets to be used the next year or buying a week long season ticket a week in advance so that they could use it for 2 weeks rather than just one.

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[Monty]

What's the most elaborate fair evasion you've seen? Mine is someone saving their tickets to be used the next year or buying a week long season ticket a week in advance so that they could use it for 2 weeks rather than just one.

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I have to say I've seen my fair share of passengers with their little schemes to avoid paying for what they owe, can't really say if they were that elaborate however. I once challenged a gentlemen who had purchased two period returns between two destinations, and had discarded the outward portions leaving him with two return portion tickets that were valid for a month. Caught only when I noticed a member of staff who had marked the ticket as checked on the day is was purchased, being used well over a week later! :roll:

I also had another chap who travelled from Wokingham, he thought he was being clever by purchasing an annual zones 1-2 travelcard to get through the barriers at London Waterloo. He would purchase the ticket at Waterloo station using a business address to avoid suspicion. If challenged before reaching London or Wokingham he would simply offer to pay the fully standard fare or the penalty fare in full. It was he who got himself caught in the end, when it came to renew his ticket he did it at Wokingham ticket office and rather foolishily gave his actual home address when the clerk queried it. Opps!

Not a particularity new trick that, and plenty of people still try it on. However our ticket offices tend to be aware of such scams and will quietly inform the local revenue protection depot.

 

[stuartmoss]

In my much younger (and poorer) days (20 years ago), I used to rub the stamp off of the paper tickets bought on trains (the ones on a roll), they had a shiny surface and if you rubbed the ink seconds after it had been stamped it was easy. I regularly did this when travelling from Great Yarmouth. It didn't work with pen or when your ticket was punched though.

I once was travelling from Birmingham to Sheffield and a very confused French man had the wrong ticket and just didn't understand the guard at all, he barely spoke english and it was very funny, like the Policeman out of Allo Allo. In the end, the guard just let it go, and when he'd gone the French man turned out to be a VERY drunk Scotsman! The whole carriage knew, and were in hysterics every time the guard came back through and the Scotsman went back into 'French' mode.

 

[David]

I wonder how many people attempt to use a Coast and Peaks rover as a cheap alternative to an ALR ....

 

[snail]

What's the most elaborate fair evasion you've seen?

<Pedant Mode on>

Am I allowed to say there is no such thing as fair evasion?

<Mode off>

 

[DiscoStu]

Hardly elaborate, but I used to use those replay pens (the ones with the eraser) to write the date in the box of Euro Domino or Inter-Rail tickets.

Many a "free day" was had bashing round Europe because of those pens

 

[Welshman]

<Pedant Mode on>

Am I allowed to say there is no such thing as fair evasion?

<Mode off>

I don't know.

I once made quite a detour to avoid the dogdems and hot-dog stalls at the end of the road.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Seriously, I was once considered a potential fare evader!

I'd bought a "bus only" WY Metro Day Rover, and scratched-off the day, date and month and carefully sealed it with the selophane cover, before boarding my first bus and setting-off to enjoy myself.

After about 10 journeys, and on my very last one planned for that day, the driver informed me the rover was invalid as I'd failed to scratch off the year before covering it with the selophane seal 9 hours ago!

It was true - I hadn't noticed that part! The irony was, he hadn't noticed it either, when I travelled on his bus earlier in the afternoon!

He said he believed me, but it was always possible I'd try to use the Rover again next year. I was so taken aback by this challenge, that I tore it up in front of him at the end of my journey to show there was no intention to defraud WY Metro.

It was only later I realised there was no way I could have re-opened the selophane seal to scratch-off the right year next year, and the fact that the day and date would be wrong next year anyway!! Hey-ho! :roll:

 

[scotsman]

He said he believed me, but it was always possible I'd try to use the Rover again next year. I was so taken aback by this challenge, that I tore it up in front of him at the end of my journey to show there was no intention to defraud WY Metro.

It was only later I realised there was no way I could have re-opened the selophane seal to scratch-off the right year next year, and the fact that the day and date would be wrong next year anyway!! Hey-ho! :roll:

Bit of an over-reaction, no?

 

[Welshman]

I don't think so.
I laughed it off when he first challenged me, thinking he was joking. But he persisted.

 

[IanXC]

<Pedant Mode on>

Am I allowed to say there is no such thing as fair evasion?

<Mode off>

I think it would be only fair for you to point that out

 

[185]

£3000 season tickets, perfect quality, shiny orange, colour was spot on.

Month was spelt wrong :roll:

 

[phil8715]

I used to pencil in the date then rub it out when I got home if I didn't get asked to fill it in by pen on 3/7 Northwest Rovers.


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[jon0844]

I think it would be only fair for you to point that out

Didn't you mean fare?

 

[D6975]

Many moons ago someone who worked in a ticket office down my way stole a box of ticket blanks (the old grey rover ones). He then used his PC and printer to 'issue' himself with 14 day ALRs during the Summer timetable.
He got knobbled when a Goldie examined his ticket, was suspicious of the printing and produced a machine to read the magnetic strip. Of course the strip had no info on it.

 

[user15681]

Never fare evaded myself, but my friend got caught this evening. He'd bought a child's ticket (he does look about 15, despite being 17), but when he went to produce the ticket, he opened his wallet and the ticket man saw his full driving license.

I do know someone once who would buy a ticket on say the 1st (displayed as 01 on a ticket), then that night he would tippex and paint over the 1 and replace it with a very accurate 2 so it would be valid for the next day. He would just go through the disabled barrier operated by a person so that he didn't have to put it through the machine. He'd do the same all the way up until the 10th, when he would buy a new ticket and do the same again, replacing the 0 with a 1, then replacing the 1 etc...

 

[ATW Alex 101]

A guy on the Tube waited by the gates, had his mate tap his oyster when the gate opened, then the guy with the oyster held his hand over the sensor then had his mate peg it through, and kept pegging it down all the way to the platform

 

[Tracky]

Never fare evaded myself, but my friend got caught this evening. He'd bought a child's ticket (he does look about 15, despite being 17), but when he went to produce the ticket, he opened his wallet and the ticket man saw his full driving license.

I travelled from Sheringham to Norwich last Saturday night and nearly laughed out loud when the conductor asked the date of birth of the person behind who was trying to buy a child ticket. 1994 said the child, adult fare said the conductor.

 

[Robinson]

I travelled from Sheringham to Norwich last Saturday night and nearly laughed out loud when the conductor asked the date of birth of the person behind who was trying to buy a child ticket. 1994 said the child, adult fare said the conductor.

Was that an attempted fare evasion or just lack of knowledge on the part of the person asking for a child ticket, I have to wonder...

 

[Tracky]

Was that an attempted fare evasion or just lack of knowledge on the part of the person asking for a child ticket, I have to wonder...

No question - They knew what they were up to... And from the comments afterwards, were not happy at having had to pay a full fare!

 

[Robinson]

I still remember when I returned with my family from having lived in the Middle East for 3 years. I was 12 years old at the time. We went into Helensburgh Central station one day and asked about getting a railcard for me - it took a short explanation from the clerk to let us know that I was in fact still eligible for a child ticket...

Kind of the opposite of what's just been described!

 

[Flamingo]

I once had a wallet handed in, announced "Mr Jones, we've got your wallet", chap comes up. He is the chap from the photo-id in the wallet, but before handing it over I say
"Can I see your ticket?"
"It's in the wallet"
"That's a child ticket, according to your driving licence, you are 18. You need to buy another one"
"I've got no money"
"Wrong again sir, there's £40 in here".

 

[47403]

I heard a tale in the early 80's of a basher climbing on the luggage rack in a MK I compartment coach, his mates allegedly put coats down, he lay on them and was covered by more coats, so he could eek out the York-Leeds miles on a Class 40 move out of Newcastle.

 

[wensley]

Interesting discussion had on the barrier at York during Ebor.
Gentleman produces a ticket with a Family & Friends discount, he was a fairly elderly chap and was travelling with his grandson. I nearly let them go without checking the railcard as they exited the platform but I decided not to. Asked for the railcard and got a sheepish look. Railcard is a week out of date.
"But I've bought a new one" Says said passenger
"Have you got it with you?"
"I have the confirmation."
Pulls out crumpled email
"...It says here sir that this message cannot be used as a railcard or to purchase tickets at discounted rates, in capital letters! I'm afraid you will need to buy a new ticket."
"This is utterly ridiculous, there was no problem when the guard on the train checked them."
I, sir, am not the guard on the train. Please speak to my collueague over there who will issue you new tickets."

Seems anybody will give it a go!

 

[neilmc]

Our kids were amongst a group of sixteen church teenagers (Under 16s) booked to go from Manchester to Eastbourne for a weekend. Long and expensive journey by train!

However, we happened to have four young adult youth leaders going, so they each bought a Family Railcard, with a parent designated as second-named holder on each card. Thus all the "children" travelled for £1 each (this was several years ago) with the young adult leaders getting a discount as well.

After the weekend, four families then effectively had a free railcard for the rest of the year.

Elaborate? Up to a point. Evasion? Probably, I'm sure the railcard was not meant to be used in this way. Legal and honest? Perfectly! Literally saved hundreds of pounds.

 

[jon0844]

I don't think that this would have been illegal at all. Good thinking all round by the people concerned.

 

[telstarbox]

Indeed - I'll be travelling as part of a large mixed-age group tomorrow using the same technique.

 

[AndyLandy]

Our kids were amongst a group of sixteen church teenagers (Under 16s) booked to go from Manchester to Eastbourne for a weekend. Long and expensive journey by train!

However, we happened to have four young adult youth leaders going, so they each bought a Family Railcard, with a parent designated as second-named holder on each card. Thus all the "children" travelled for £1 each (this was several years ago) with the young adult leaders getting a discount as well.

After the weekend, four families then effectively had a free railcard for the rest of the year.

Elaborate? Up to a point. Evasion? Probably, I'm sure the railcard was not meant to be used in this way. Legal and honest? Perfectly! Literally saved hundreds of pounds.

One assumes that in this day and age, these railcards would be issued to the "Parent or guardian" of said children. If you were acting as the guardian of them, it's almost certainly legitimate. Probably not what the original railcard creators had in mind, but most likely valid.

 

[jon0844]

Does anything say you have to be a parent or guardian of the children (other than to accept responsibility for them during the travel)? Is that in the T&Cs?

I can see how you'd perhaps say something like that in the marketing material, simply because it's the most likely scenario and it's a bit much to go giving examples such as above on other uses.

 

[trentside]

One assumes that in this day and age, these railcards would be issued to the "Parent or guardian" of said children. If you were acting as the guardian of them, it's almost certainly legitimate. Probably not what the original railcard creators had in mind, but most likely valid.

Family & Friends Railcards can have two names printed on them, it can be anyones name and doesn't have to be a family member - so for example a single parent could purchase a ticket, put their name on it and also the name of a friend. So long as both a named adult and child are travelling using this railcard, they'll get the discount.

 

[IanD]

Evasion? Probably,.... Legal and honest? Perfectly! Literally saved hundreds of pounds.

This is fare avoidance. Just like tax avoidance it is perfectly legal. But, unlike tax avoidance, people will applaud your ingenuity rather than condemn you for not paying your fair share (a la Jimmy Carr et al).