Then there are threads asking why RPI's and guards treat everybody as a suspected criminal...
Such a cynical approach
Then there are threads asking why RPI's and guards treat everybody as a suspected criminal...
What a life of adventure it must have been for a kid to have an all lines first class rail pass.
It was something we always used to stress to ticketing staff that if you're doing the same train regularly, then be creative with ticket checks, despatch from the rear and go immediately up 2 coaches and start there or do A/C/E/G and then H/F/D/B just to catch out anyone who thinks that you won't get to 'them in time' or that by predicting your ticket checks they can move to prevent you challenging them.
It's the old ways that are tried and tested.
There are certain trains where "My dog ate my ticket" or "They let me through the barrier" doesn't get far. I do like working trains usually worked by other depots, as an alternative approach can have great results on some of them.This is something I do regularly on certain trains, especially catching people doing one stop hops in the peaks. On one of our jobs, it just so happens we have a conductor passing back on the same train, so it's an easy thing to have them do the dispatch with you starting checking from the front the minute the doors close. Sometimes you'll get quite a few, who've taken advantage of the fact it's virtually impossible to get them all on the morning trains, even with an ATE/RPO. If I have the job a few days in a row then I'll mix it up and start from the back the next day, or the middle - keep them on their toes.
I also have certain trains earmarked as "problem". It's not ever huge in the area I work in, but I seem to have ticketing issues on these trains more often than not and therefore I take a full on ticket check. These trains also tend to get minimal discretion, as it's a case of once bitten twice shy.
There are certain trains where "My dog ate my ticket" or "They let me through the barrier" doesn't get far. I do like working trains usually worked by other depots, as an alternative approach can have great results on some of them.
"They don't have to like you, they just have to fear you"
I'll tell you a story...
A few years ago a colleague had a lady board his train. She was of African origin, very smartly dressed, sitting in 1st class. When asked to produce her ticket, she made a great show of searching for her ticket, getting more and more distraught. She told him she had just purchased a First Class single for cash from the last (barriered) station. She told him exactly how much it had cost. He accepted her story, and even printed out a "journey-plan" for that train, signing it and writing on it she had lost her ticket so she would get through the barriers at Paddington.
A week or two later my colleague was on another train, and leaving the same station - you guessed it, same lady, same story. She denied ever having been on that train before, said she was only two days in the country and could prove it, and accused my colleague of being racist for accusing her. As luck would have it there was a BTP officer on board. They came and spoke to the woman, then told my colleague that there must be a mistake, the woman seemed genuine. My colleague stuck to his guns and insisted uniformed officers met the train and removed the woman.
On further questioning at the station, the woman went from very loud and vocal to saying nothing, and turned out to have several passports and credit cards on her, in a variety of names.
Scam artists do look very convincing. They make a living from looking convincing and plausible.
There's never an RPI when you want one...Had two people today at the barriers "We got on the wrong train, we meant to go to Wolverhampton not Watford, they told us the wrong train at New Street" (the ticket was from a station further north than Birmingham so they were already wrong in going to Birmingham New Street!) - they said they were going out for a cigarette and would come back and buy a single to Wolverhampton once they got some money out. As it was so busy, the barrier staff had to let them go, but guess what as well, they had one adult and one child ticket and both were well over 16! They claimed the "Ticket lady sold us a wrong ticket" when I could clearly tell it was from a machine... could tell they bought a ticket to get onto a train, went on a Virgin straight here, and will go back for free when all the barriers are open later and they probably won't be checked on the VT back!
As someone who has worked in an area with quite a few west Africans and come across numerous scams and frauds this does not surprise me at all. Seen similar a lot. No doubt some will accuse you of racism but believe me it's real and not uncommon. It shouldn't be a surprise that some people from some of the most fraudulent countries on earth then bring that attitude over. I saw it so many times, and our area where I worked was the worst in the entire UK for it after the west African population grew quickly after 2000.
Sadly many pull out the race card like you witnessed and get away with it. Well done to your colleague for sticking to their guns. Otherwise fraud just increases and people who play by the rules get increasingly frustrated which causes more problems in the long run.
EDIT: Before anyone comes along and says it happens everywhere, well yes of course, but it's the scale of it that's the problem. As noted earlier in the thread, with a transient population fines in a distant date do not work in many instances. Have to look at instant fines.
I find that gateline staff either accept anything (the best example is Birmingham New St [BHM] accepting a bite card!) ..
Flamingo, Timbo, Trentside, Taffy (and any others who's names I can't immediately recall): I'd like to thank the lot of you for the wonderfully entertaining anecdotes you've shared on this thread and others. It's clear to me that you go about your work in a conscientious and diligent manner, and use your wisdom and experience to treat novices and gamesters fairly and appropriately in this epic game of cat and mouse.
I rather regret that I no longer live in South Wales where I might happen to meet some of you, but I can imagine that we may have crossed paths there at some point in the last five years.
Regardless, keep up the good work, and please do continue to let us know about the good times and the bad.
I don't know why, but that story really irritates me. It's the one excuse that REALLY takes me for a mug! I had one of them a few weeks ago, who was very dis-chuffed to be met at Reading by an RPI, instead of getting a freebee to Swindon.
Had one of them a few weeks ago, mate meeting me at St Leonards with the ticket.etc etc. Just about to throw him off when a punter pops up and offers to pay the fare. Yep, ok by me. And sure enough, when we got to SLQ, the kid just walks off the platform and away. No mate (of course).
It just becomes a joke, 'oh my third cousin twice removed is meeting me at so and so'. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz