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Public Misconceptions!

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Ferret

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I'm rest day today, and have been out to Penmaenmawr to shoot the Saturday's only Pendo drag, (a shot that has been on my 'to-do' list for about 18 months now!) and am typing this sat on an ATW 158 which is taking me home.

There's a girl sat opposite who has clearly just been pulled on the barrier for being an adult travelling on a child ticket. She's well spoken, but having a massive moan about what's happened and saying that she doesn't think there's anything the train company man can do, despite the revenue man apparently having mentioned the Magistrates Court.

This has set me off thinking anyway - how many of the travelling public actually know of the laws that cover railway ticketing? It seems this young lady doesn't for sure, saying she only turned 16 7 months ago seems to be her line of 'defence'.

I probably shouldn't admit this, but I do actually feel a little sorry for her - it sounds like she's admitted enough under caution to have incriminated herself and she's probably in for a nasty surprise soon when the letter hits her doormat.

i
 
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Badger

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Things I and the people I travel with used to believe:

Must stress if this turns up from a search the following are NOT true
- All trains after 9:30 are off peak
- Birmingham International is a member of Birmingham Stns
- A network west midlands off peak card is valid on any train after 9:30
- Route: any permitted, means any route is permitted

I'm sure there are more.
 

calc7

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Things I and the people I travel with used to believe:

Must stress if this turns up from a search the following are NOT true
- All trains after 9:30 are off peak
- Birmingham International is a member of Birmingham Stns
- A network west midlands off peak card is valid on any train after 9:30
- Route: any permitted, means any route is permitted

I'm sure there are more.

I would have quite happily believed any of those in my more innocent days of railway travel.
 

Ferret

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Things I and the people I travel with used to believe:

Must stress if this turns up from a search the following are NOT true
- All trains after 9:30 are off peak
- Birmingham International is a member of Birmingham Stns
- A network west midlands off peak card is valid on any train after 9:30
- Route: any permitted, means any route is permitted

I'm sure there are more.

Yes agreed on all of those. I've had to explain two of those to passengers in the last week!
 

island

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Must stress if this turns up from a search the following are NOT true

Thetrainline.com sells the cheapest railway tickets in Great Britain.
 
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SS4

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Must stress if this turns up from a search the following are NOT true

Break of Journey is permitted on Advance tickets (I use to believe this one myself before)
 
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EM2

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That King's Cross and St Pancras are the same station.
The number of times I've told someone that their train goes from King's Cross, and that they are in St. Pancras.
They reply 'Yes, this is King's Cross St Pancras!'
 

Wyvern

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Isnt King's Cross St. Pancras the tube station?
 

dvboy

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Things I and the people I travel with used to believe:

Must stress if this turns up from a search the following are NOT true
- All trains after 9:30 are off peak
- Birmingham International is a member of Birmingham Stns
- A network west midlands off peak card is valid on any train after 9:30
- Route: any permitted, means any route is permitted

I'm sure there are more.

The third of those isn't true?
 

cuccir

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I think a lot of people would expect that travelling without a ticket would only result in a penalty fare, and would not expect (the potential for) prosecution and a criminal record for a first offence. I think that many people, as the woman mentioned in the OP, just aren't aware that that's a genuine possibility
 

Ivo

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Must stress if this turns up from a search the following are NOT true

When a non-AP ticket is bought in advance, the "A" that shows the ticket was bought early is part of a reservation for Coach A and the first two numbers in the five-digit part of the ticket code are the seat number - i.e. the ticket is reserved for seat A--.

Thetrainline.com sells the cheapest railway tickets in Great Britain.

Very good :p
 
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trentside

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Thetrainline.com sells the cheapest railway tickets in Great Britain.

Along the same lines, that TOC websites only sell tickets for that TOC.

I've actually had people refuse to believe this and continue to pay the ridiculous booking fees. :roll:
 

AlterEgo

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Must stress if this turns up from a search the following are NOT true

Buying a train ticket guarantees you a seat.
 
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calc7

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Along the same lines, that TOC websites only sell tickets for that TOC.

I've actually had people refuse to believe this and continue to pay the ridiculous booking fees. :roll:

Or end up paying for a more expensive ticket because it's a crap interface *cough* trainline-powered *cough*
 

Brucey

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Break of Journey is permitted on Advance tickets (I use to believe this one myself before)
And on the converse many aren't even aware that break of journey is possible on most non-advance tickets. In fact, one major "budgeting" website used to say in their advice that "travelling short" was banned on all tickets, which obviously isn't true.

Another misconception, coming from the South East, is that tickets MUST be purchased before travelling. It is drummed into us as kids, even at school! Then when you visit another area of the country, the whole concept of buying a ticket on-board the train is alien.

Also, many think that "the ticket man" just checks tickets. Not many seem to actually understand the guard/conductor/train manager's actual role.
 

Brucey

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Yep, I think the fact that they share a tube station is what confuses people

Perhaps it should be called "Kings Cross for St Pancras" rather than its current name of "Kings Cross St Pancras".
 

Ivo

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Perhaps it should be called "Kings Cross for St Pancras" rather than its current name of "Kings Cross St Pancras".

But how can it be "X for Y" when it connects to both? If anything, it connects to STP better.

How about Eversholt Road? <D
 

ralphchadkirk

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This has set me off thinking anyway - how many of the travelling public actually know of the laws that cover railway ticketing?

The minority. Part of the problem is that quite a lot of the regulations are based around archaic acts, which are hard to read, digest, and understand. Another part of the problem is that they are not widely advertised - how many passengers will know of the 1889 act for example?

It goes without saying that ignorance is not an excuse.
 

trc666

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A common one we've been getting at the gates at Waterloo is people turning up with an out of date RTN part of an Anytime Day Return - and their argument is that it is they thought they could use it at any time during the daytime. Also people don't understand the difference between Any Permitted and the Southern Only / FCC Only routes that are offered from destinations like Epsom, Dorking, Chichester, Brighton, etc.

People on Advance or Megabus tickets also keep trying to board earlier or later trains.
 
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Ivo

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The following relates to another misconception. However, this time the misconception is on the TOC's part - but passengers will still experience problems associated with this until the situation is resolved once and for all.

Also people don't understand the difference between Any Permitted and the Southern Only / FCC Only routes that are offered from destinations like Epsom, Dorking, Chichester, Brighton, etc.

Or that tickets marked Southern Only are not valid on GX because they are nothing to do with Southern <D

No, wait, the passengers should be right. That's Southern's error. But let's not go there :lol:
 
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Ferret

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The minority. Part of the problem is that quite a lot of the regulations are based around archaic acts, which are hard to read, digest, and understand. Another part of the problem is that they are not widely advertised - how many passengers will know of the 1889 act for example?

I think you're right there - and I can't say that things like ticket byelaws are well advertised anywhere either! As time went on this afternoon (6M60 failed at Albrighton so we sat for an hour behind it!), this young lady in conversation with her mates said more and more, thus demonstrating her lack of knowledge of how things work. She honestly thinks there won't be any consequences from what happened earlier - despite her wallet apparently containing several other child tickets which the RPI had taken as evidence.
 

ralphchadkirk

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I think you're right there - and I can't say that things like ticket byelaws are well advertised anywhere either! As time went on this afternoon (6M60 failed at Albrighton so we sat for an hour behind it!), this young lady in conversation with her mates said more and more, thus demonstrating her lack of knowledge of how things work. She honestly thinks there won't be any consequences from what happened earlier - despite her wallet apparently containing several other child tickets which the RPI had taken as evidence.

Unfortunately people do fail to realise the gravity of the situation. Perhaps part of that is the common misconception that you can only be taken to Criminal court if you're arrested. It does sound like she isn't going to get off lightly.
 

DaveNewcastle

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. . . - how many of the travelling public actually know of the laws that cover railway ticketing?
I'd estimate that the correct answer may be as low as 0.1%, though if we only look at this question: is it possible to be convicted of a Criminal Offence for simply travelling without a ticket, with the wrong ticket,or with the correct ticket but without a Railcard, then perhaps a massive 1 or 2% would be correct.
 

ralphchadkirk

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I'd estimate that the correct answer may be as low as 0.1%, though if we only look at this question: is it possible to be convicted of a Criminal Offence for simply travelling without a ticket, with the wrong ticket,or with the correct ticket but without a Railcard, then perhaps a massive 1 or 2% would be correct.

I know ignorance isn't an excuse, but those figures are pathetically poor. I wonder how it could be solved though?
 

Ferret

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Unfortunately people do fail to realise the gravity of the situation. Perhaps part of that is the common misconception that you can only be taken to Criminal court if you're arrested. It does sound like she isn't going to get off lightly.

That will depend on how ATW do things. Maybe because she is under 18, she may receive some leniency, even though it seems she has 'offended' more than once.
 

ralphchadkirk

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That will depend on how ATW do things. Maybe because she is under 18, she may receive some leniency, even though it seems she has 'offended' more than once.

I was talking more in the sense that it sounds like an easy s5 prosecution. Whether or not they will, as you said, is another matter.
 
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