"Show me your tickets or else I'll put the train in the sidings"

[1e10]

Was travelling on a service this evening when the guard made an announcement to the following effect:

I've counted how many people have boarded at the previous station and counted how many tickets I've been shown after that station and they don't add up. I'm going to give you one more opportunity to show me your tickets, if I don't see the correct amount of tickets I will put the train in the siding and we will wait there for as long as it takes for me to find those without a ticket. They will then be handed to the Police and will be prosecuted in court and fined for the delay incurred to the service for everybody else. It makes no difference to me as I'm booked on for x amount of hours past this service anyway.

Now, the above isn't word for word, but the points/principles there are the same. You couldn't make this up, I heard almost the exact words above whilst travelling on a service earlier-on today delivered over the public address system. I myself find the attitude displayed by this member of staff shocking. Not only is it unprofessional, it's demeaning and insulting to the majority of the fare paying passengers travelling onboard. The announcement didn't extend any further to apologise to passengers that had shown their tickets etc, just a complete rant.

I'm left genially wondering if a guard really does have the option/power to put a train in the sidings for the purpose of conducting a full-ticket inspection?

 

[PermitToTravel]

I don't think you were the only forum member aboard that train!

 

[1e10]

I don't think you were the only forum member aboard that train!

Did you hear the announcement? It was a fairly loaded service, I was expecting to see it crop here before I had the chance to post but I haven't noticed anything.

 

[PermitToTravel]

I didn't hear the announcement, just saw talk of it on Facebook.

In answer to your question I'd suggest that if the guard actually had such power they'd have done it. It makes me wonder why they didn't conduct a full ticket inspection, rather than threaten to delay paying passengers but presumably go through again and do another "Tickets from"

 

[Clip]

Out of interest did everyone then show their tickets?

 

[ASharpe]

Why not just make an announcement saying he will be checking all tickets possibly with a shot apology to those that have already shown them.

I've never minded when there has been a full ticket check.

 

[Class377]

Surely it should have been "number" of tickets rather than "amount" anyway

 

[Jonfun]

If its the same TM I'm thinking of then I suspect it's an attempt at humour, which depending on your viewpoint may or may not actually be funny.

 

[Class377]

So, could anyone care to at least reveal which TOC it was? It's a very vague topic and I can't find any evidence of it on twitter or facebook!

 

[SaveECRewards]

So, could anyone care to at least reveal which TOC it was? It's a very vague topic and I can't find any evidence of it on twitter or facebook!

I'd be interested too.

It sounds a bit like the tactics used by London bus drivers is someone walks on without paying (i.e. tapping their card), they'll turn off the engine and wait until the passenger leaves or decides to pay.

I can't believe a guard would be able to do such a thing. They'd need agreement of the driver after all and I could imagine if they did do that all it would take is a couple of Tweets to the TOC and they'd be on the phone to the guard to tell him to get the train moving again.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Wouldn't the guard also get a right bollocking from higher up for delaying the train and potentially however many trains are behind that one?

 

[185143]

Wouldn't the guard also get a right bollocking from higher up for delaying the train and potentially however many trains are behind that one?

Yes,

But the thing to remember is that most normals don't know that it actually isn't going to happen!

 

[1e10]

Out of interest did everyone then show their tickets?

Not sure.

Surely it should have been "number" of tickets rather than "amount" anyway

Possibly, as I said I'm not able to reproduce the announcement word for word.

If its the same TM I'm thinking of then I suspect it's an attempt at humour, which depending on your viewpoint may or may not actually be funny.

I've a fairly good sense of humour. The tone it was delivered in, it's hard to imagine it could be a humour attempt.

I'll PM you with some more details.

So, could anyone care to at least reveal which TOC it was? It's a very vague topic and I can't find any evidence of it on twitter or facebook!

This was an XC service.

 

[Alistair G.]

I'm left genially wondering if a guard really does have the option/power to put a train in the sidings for the purpose of conducting a full-ticket inspection?

Short answer... No. Plenty of rules/regs and reasons which would not allow this. I would have been tempted to be cheeky and ask which sidings he thought he would select!!!

 

[sheff1]

I was once on a train at Wakefield Westgate where the guard refused to give the Right Away until he had checked/sold tickets to the 30 odd people who had boarded. The train blocked the platform for at least 15 mins - neither the driver nor platform staff attempted to get the guard to change his mind.

 

[PermitToTravel]

hock:
Was that in BR days?

 

[Bishopstone]

Short answer... No. Plenty of rules/regs and reasons which would not allow this. I would have been tempted to be cheeky and ask which sidings he thought he would select!!!

And then if it was a rare move, decline to show a ticket.

 

[Alistair G.]

And then if it was a rare move, decline to show a ticket.

Very much like your style of thinking!!. What a chance to tick off a bit of rare track mileage covered!!.

 

[TUC]

I was once on a ECML train from Kings Cross when the guard said in a rude and patronising way over the PA 'this train is overloaded and it will not be moving until some passengers get off this train'. (It was packed but no more packed then i've seen some other very busy trains). There was no polite explanation or request, just rudeness. What surprised me was that some passengers acquiesced and got off the train.

Why give in to a bully?

 

[yorksrob]

I was waiting to get into a 142 at Man Vic one Saturday evening which was so crush loaded there was about a Pacers worth of people still on the platform who couldn't physically get on.

One of the said people on the platform pointed out that the train wouldn't be going anywhere unless some people moved off so that he could get in to drive it

 

[Llanigraham]

I was once on a ECML train from Kings Cross when the guard said in a rude and patronising way over the PA 'this train is overloaded and it will not be moving until some passengers get off this train'. (It was packed but no more packed then i've seen some other very busy trains). There was no polite explanation or request, just rudeness. What surprised me was that some passengers acquiesced and got off the train.

Why give in to a bully?

Because the Guard is in charge of the train, and if he thinks that safety is being compromised by over crowding then he is quite within his rights to ask/tell people to get off.

 

[matt_world2004]

If I was on the train I would have stood right next to the guard and announced that if it went into the sidings for 30 minutes that all of you should claim delay repay.

 

[TUC]

Because the Guard is in charge of the train, and if he thinks that safety is being compromised by over crowding then he is quite within his rights to ask/tell people to get off.

It doesn't mean he can be rude

 

[the sniper]

PA call obviously designed to shake up whoever it was that didn't show their ticket. Most probably intended as a joke for all the rest of the passenger. Inappropriate for the ears of delicate flowers/easily confused.

 

[Llanigraham]

It doesn't mean he can be rude

And how many times do we hear that rail staff are rude?
Seems to be quite common when they tell the public something they don't want to hear!

 

[jon0844]

This was an XC service.

Maybe someone had an M-ticket that the TM didn't accept was a real ticket?

 

[Starmill]

Because the Guard is in charge of the train, and if he thinks that safety is being compromised by over crowding then he is quite within his rights to ask/tell people to get off.

He or she is not however at liberty to bring his or her employer into disrepute, nor to address anyone with such a lack of respect while on duty. Thanks.

Concerning the actual matter at hand, this is hilarious. The ethics of lying so openly though a Public Address aside, it will probably scare plenty people into submission. More importantly it might teach them to buy before boarding or choose another mode in future.

Thankfully I think most revenue staff have better sense than this, though. Of course, the real solution is a uniform industry-wide approach and clear, consistent policy coupled with education about a passenger's responsibilities to use ticket-buying facilities at stations. Both of which are in chronic short supply at present.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Was this guard a schoolmaster in a previous life?

 

[DarloRich]

I was once on a ECML train from Kings Cross when the guard said in a rude and patronising way over the PA 'this train is overloaded and it will not be moving until some passengers get off this train'. (It was packed but no more packed then i've seen some other very busy trains). There was no polite explanation or request, just rudeness. What surprised me was that some passengers acquiesced and got off the train.

Why give in to a bully?

because if the guard says train is unsafe it aint going nowhere.

It happened to me at Leeds recently when several trains were cancelled so the pacer that was running was overflowing to the point that the guard couldn't get on to make announcements asking people to leave. Me and a couple of others got off while he tried to pass the message along the train but was basically told to f off.

He sat on platform and called BTP who got some people off. Train left a good 30 minutes down.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

He or she is not however at liberty to bring his or her employer into disrepute, nor to address anyone with such a lack of respect while on duty. Thanks.

Of which you, naturally, are the judge? Making a pa announcement on a safety related matter is hardly bringing the company into disrepute. :roll:

Calling the passengers a long list of swear words yes, but grumpily asking people to move, no.

 

[TUC]

And how many times do we hear that rail staff are rude?
Seems to be quite common when they tell the public something they don't want to hear!

Telling people things they don't want to hear but doing it in a calm, respectful and persuasive way goes with the job.