ChristopherJ
Member
Any examples of rail journeys of which it is/was impossible to buy a ticket?
The Crouch Valley Line (Wickford - Southminster) is not covered by a Penalty Fares Area, stations have no ticket selling facilities outside of peak hours (only at a couple of stations have ticket offices which are staffed at the morning peaks only), services on the line are operated by DOO. To conduct revenue protection staff known as Ticket Examiners (TEs) were employed - these staff were not guards and nor were they Revenue Protection Inspectors (RPIs) and therefore had no power to issue Penalty Fares - they was merely present to sell tickets for the CVL branch line on board the trains.
However, the final two services of the night between Wickford and Southminster were not covered by the agreement of the TEs and therefore had no means of collecting revenue for the last couple of journeys, the trains were essentially "free for all(s)".
How do I know this? A contact used to get on at Maryland - which has no ticket selling facilities apart from a PERTIS of which he purchased a Permit to Travel for only 5p, travel to Wickford, then change for either of the last two services of the night on the CVL and get off at South Woodham Ferrers without having bought a ticket for the journey - apart from the 5p permit and having not breached any ticketing conditions. He bought a permit, traveled, got to his destination, no one exchanged the permit, he walks off the network having not paid.
Passengers who boarded at intermediate stations on the CVL at that time of night also got a free ride on the branch - due to the absence of a TE.
This was the situation under NX operation - don't know if it has changed under Albelio.
The Crouch Valley Line (Wickford - Southminster) is not covered by a Penalty Fares Area, stations have no ticket selling facilities outside of peak hours (only at a couple of stations have ticket offices which are staffed at the morning peaks only), services on the line are operated by DOO. To conduct revenue protection staff known as Ticket Examiners (TEs) were employed - these staff were not guards and nor were they Revenue Protection Inspectors (RPIs) and therefore had no power to issue Penalty Fares - they was merely present to sell tickets for the CVL branch line on board the trains.
However, the final two services of the night between Wickford and Southminster were not covered by the agreement of the TEs and therefore had no means of collecting revenue for the last couple of journeys, the trains were essentially "free for all(s)".
How do I know this? A contact used to get on at Maryland - which has no ticket selling facilities apart from a PERTIS of which he purchased a Permit to Travel for only 5p, travel to Wickford, then change for either of the last two services of the night on the CVL and get off at South Woodham Ferrers without having bought a ticket for the journey - apart from the 5p permit and having not breached any ticketing conditions. He bought a permit, traveled, got to his destination, no one exchanged the permit, he walks off the network having not paid.
Passengers who boarded at intermediate stations on the CVL at that time of night also got a free ride on the branch - due to the absence of a TE.
This was the situation under NX operation - don't know if it has changed under Albelio.
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