Today I took a London Midland train from Birmingham International to London Euston. The first class compartment was surprisingly busy and I spent part of the journey idly trying to identify the passengers who held first class tickets and those who probably didn't. (Trying not to judge people by their appearance, as I was unshaven and hadn't slept in 30 hours and probably looked like I shouldn't be there either).
The ticket inspector finally made an appearance at Hemel Hempstead. The first ticket he checked was a standard ticket, and he asked the holder to move into standard class. Two thirds of the passengers simultaneously gathered their belongings and made a similar move. The chap sitting opposite me, though, tried to argue that as he'd been sitting in first class all the way from Birmingham there was little point in moving now and that he should be allowed to stay in first class until we got to London ("I may as well stay where I am now, innit?"). A brief argument followed but eventually he did move into standard.
The ticket inspector was polite and efficient throughout, but was his action really correct? Should so many passengers have been allowed simply to move into standard accommodation at the end of their journeys, without any penalty whatsoever? If being asked to move is the worst that is likely to happen, where's the incentive to buy the correct ticket in the first place? (And how many potential first class passengers are being discouraged from travelling with LM because the first class area is likely to be full of standard ticket holders?)
The ticket inspector finally made an appearance at Hemel Hempstead. The first ticket he checked was a standard ticket, and he asked the holder to move into standard class. Two thirds of the passengers simultaneously gathered their belongings and made a similar move. The chap sitting opposite me, though, tried to argue that as he'd been sitting in first class all the way from Birmingham there was little point in moving now and that he should be allowed to stay in first class until we got to London ("I may as well stay where I am now, innit?"). A brief argument followed but eventually he did move into standard.
The ticket inspector was polite and efficient throughout, but was his action really correct? Should so many passengers have been allowed simply to move into standard accommodation at the end of their journeys, without any penalty whatsoever? If being asked to move is the worst that is likely to happen, where's the incentive to buy the correct ticket in the first place? (And how many potential first class passengers are being discouraged from travelling with LM because the first class area is likely to be full of standard ticket holders?)
