Experimentation using invalid tickets at gatelines

[6Gman]

They try to take tickets off passengers at Piccadilly. The trick is to put it in a season ticket wallet if you want to keep it. Staff are not going to ask you to take it out the wallet and hold up people.

Or, alternatively, just insist on retaining it!

 

[gray1404]

The old manned barriers at Liverpool Lime Street you used to be able to get through with anything or hand anything in on arrival. Although they used to always give my ticket a little look as I would not let them collect it from me, as it would always be to a further destination on Merseyrail. I remember a the certain well known lady on the barriers too who used to love collecting excess fares. I wonder why....

 

[grid56126]

Like Spartacus, New St always got waved something dubious, my choice was a Disney Mickey Mouse phone card, which tells you how long ago and this went unchallenged on a fair few food leaps there. Other "pieces" were waived at various locations for a laugh but always had the real one behind for the "oh sorry about that"moments.

I think it is quite telling to my more mature self that this was always done when there was a mate in tow to impress.

 

[Andrew*Debbie]

I've always had to show the correct ticket (railcard too if needed) at Euston. I've seen people not allowed to board for not having a valid railcard.

Going the other way, I've gone all the way from Bangor to Euston without a being asked to show a ticket.

I have had countless rides on ATW without showing a ticket.

 

[island]

More invalid tickets probably manage to successfully get through ticket barriers than valid ones to be honest!

At Leeds several times a month I find myself having to tailgate someone just to get in/out, which is likely I'm sure to get me a tap on the shoulder from revenue protection one day but until they fix my perfectly valid season ticket so it doesn't stop working in the barriers after less than 10 uses I don't have much choice unless I want to miss my train! 3 gateline staff trying to assist 300+ passengers trying to get through the barriers at peak time doesn't really work too well!

If you do get stopped you can be prosecuted for going through the ticket barriers otherwise than in the correct manner, despite having a valid ticket!

 

[wils180]

As amusing as some useless gatelines are, it can cause so much more hassle for us on board when they have incorrect tickets- “well I was allowed through the barrier” etc

 

[WatcherZero]

Isn't there always a "learning period" when a gateline first goes in when they let anything through, and then at some point staff review what is being used and decide on what should and shouldn't be permitted?

Yes, they are interested as much in what people are using as it could be something (valid) they never expected people to be using and never would have thought to program to accept.

 

[GW43125]

I was once let through at Bank with a travelcard that was ~3 weeks out of date.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was once let through at Bank with a travelcard that was ~3 weeks out of date.

I took a group of Scouts on a Tube journey using the previous day's tickets once. The correct ones were in my pocket, but when the ones I had erroneously got out didn't work the barrier we were just waved through.

FWIW be careful if you're going to play this game. A particularly picky RPI might figure that you were avoiding showing or inserting the correct ticket in order that it remained unmarked/uncollected for you to re-use it, and that could lead to prosecution.

 

[johntea]

If you do get stopped you can be prosecuted for going through the ticket barriers otherwise than in the correct manner, despite having a valid ticket!

It's an interesting debate that one, as I've had a few suspicious looks when the same staff have to let me through manually day after day month after month anyway! For all they know when it buggers up constantly I could be knocking up a fake ticket on my inkjet printer with a black stripe on the back as all the error states is unreadable magstripe! So either way I reckon I could be prosecuted, which is why I always ensure I keep the receipt when I purchase the ticket just in case it ever comes to that!

 

[GW43125]

FWIW be careful if you're going to play this game. A particularly picky RPI might figure that you were avoiding showing or inserting the correct ticket in order that it remained unmarked/uncollected for you to re-use it, and that could lead to prosecution.

I'm aware of this, I must add that in this case it was a genuine mistake as I'd forgotten to take the old one out and just put the first ticket I took through the barrier and immediately went to them when it didn't work.
I had another, completely valid, travelcard at the time.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Like Spartacus, New St always got waved something dubious, my choice was a Disney Mickey Mouse phone card, which tells you how long ago and this went unchallenged on a fair few food leaps there. Other "pieces" were waived at various locations for a laugh but always had the real one behind for the "oh sorry about that"moments

Don't even need to do that now - the last few times I have been through New Street, I have found that while some gatelines were closed and fully staffed, others were unmanned and open...

 

[Tobberz]

At evening rush hour coming back into St. Albans, it was packed as usual. Woman in front of me waved something which either wasn't at ticket or something outrageously incorrect, before pushing through and dashing off. Member on staff on the gate shouted after her, but didn't try and apprehend her or take any further action.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

At evening rush hour coming back into St. Albans, it was packed as usual. Woman in front of me waved something which either wasn't at ticket or something outrageously incorrect, before pushing through and dashing off. Member on staff on the gate shouted after her, but didn't try and apprehend her or take any further action.

Unfortunately I imagine it is a bit like shoplifting. Working in retail, we are told to do what we can to stop someone, but you can't leave your post unstaffed and you are told not to take risks. Ultimately there is little you can do, even if you catch someone, you can't really detain them and the police are not going to attend for much these days, certainly not with any urgency.

Unfortunately you normally just have to write it up as a loss and count on the fact that most people play by the rules.

 

[TurbostarFan]

As amusing as some useless gatelines are, it can cause so much more hassle for us on board when they have incorrect tickets- “well I was allowed through the barrier” etc

My response would be that it doesn't matter. They can say that in their appeal to a penalty fare or if prosecuted to the Judge.

 

[atraindriver]

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[atraindriver]

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[PeterC]

I'm told by a colleague that his BR RPIs badge has been accepted in all sorts of places, such as the Budapest metro and the Berlin S-bahn.

Drifting off topic a bit one piece of banking folklore was the internal audit team who went in to a branch of the wrong company, and were let in.

 

[185]

I remember a the certain well known lady on the barriers too who used to love collecting excess fares. I wonder why....

At least 5 years since she's gone lol. Be on a yacht somewhere by now.

 

[SteveP29]

As amusing as some useless gatelines are, it can cause so much more hassle for us on board when they have incorrect tickets- “well I was allowed through the barrier” etc

There's a lass on the Metro newspaper Facebook story about the Sky journo branding Virgin a disgrace who has posted just that.
Said she thought she was OK to get on the train she had because the barrier let her through.

I didn't even contemplate trying to explain it all to her.

Her next reply after someone commented was something along the lines of, well maybe paper tickets can't but I was sure that the tickets on my mobile would know if I was allowed through or not

 

[Lockwood]

I seem to get let through as soon as I take my wallet out at the manned gate. Before I remove the ticket from the wallet.

It's funny to see just how far I can go like that, how many changes etc I can do

 

[shredder1]

Out of date gym membership card this Saturday

 

[Bevan Price]

It would be nice if valid tickets actually worked in these new-fangled barriers.

At a push, I'll accept the West Midlands Day Ranger not working at Crewe (since it's on the very edge of its validity) but having it fail to operate the gates at New Street is just taking the ****.

I found that WM Day Rangers would let me out of New Street, but never let me back in-- and they did not work in or out at Moor Street. However, Day Rangers sold at Runcorn are now on larger-size paper stock, and don't seem to work gates anywhere.

 

[herb21]

Drifting off topic a bit one piece of banking folklore was the internal audit team who went in to a branch of the wrong company, and were let in.

Working as an External Auditor, it is worrying how many times I have been let into big companies saying, "hi I'm an Auditor going to visit Finance, even on days I was not expected." Also just sming and saying you don't have a tag gets you into most offices.

 

[robbeech]

Security backstage at events can be hit and miss. Sometimes anyone can get in and sometimes I can’t without a farce.

 

[scragend]

My old man commuted to Manchester city centre by train for years, with an annual GMPTE Traincard. It renewed right at the beginning of January, and every year he would put the new one behind the expired one in the wallet and see how far into the year he could get before anyone picked him up on it.

 

[Signal Head]

I can just imagine thd gateline staff "are you there Sidney"...... Those old enough will remember the advert

Somebody, somewhere, is presenting a Toffee Crisp...

 

[whhistle]

Yet another example of the railway being run on goodwill but people just moan about the prices of tickets and how everything is late.
Many gateline staff, under heavy loads, trust people have the correct tickets and wave people through. If they stopped everyone and checked properly, queues would be horrendus.

But then our lives are more difficult now because society has decided to reduce personal responsibility. Like the new rules with bank payments coming in. I just want to pay someone but soon I'm going to have to wait for some sort of passcode to my phone to confirm the payment. A great example of making things more complicated and more hassle, because the minority didn't bother to double/triple check bank details.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But then our lives are more difficult now because society has decided to reduce personal responsibility. Like the new rules with bank payments coming in. I just want to pay someone but soon I'm going to have to wait for some sort of passcode to my phone to confirm the payment. A great example of making things more complicated and more hassle, because the minority didn't bother to double/triple check bank details.

That one would have been solved far more simply by adding some check digits to the account number.

 

[ShwervinMervin]

Must say, when I was in Scotland (Glasgow), with my ALR, Staff did check the ticket thoroughly. That was one of 4 or so times they actually were checked well.
Surprises me really.