Personally I'm sick and tired of reading on these forums worried messages from ordinary members of the public who have VERY obviously to any normal, reasonable person simply made a simple mistake in their purchase or non-purchase of ticket, yet who have been shown zero discretion or help from the employees of the various TOCs, who seem to instead just rub their hands and screw them for every penny.
Following well deserved furore regarding over-zealous parking wardens, that particular line of enforcement has over the years been compelled to adopt fairer measures and clearly so must the train companies. Particularly considering the myriad of train tickets, routes and rules that can sometimes apply (where even sometimes train staff are in the wrong), getting a train from A to B shouldn't be an event where any one is waiting to catch people out.
It is abundantly clear when someone is a fare dodger, and in this case it's abundantly clear that all was required was for the RP to tip the guy the nod that his card had run out and that he needs to renew it. As a commuter on a card that is merely ONE day out of date, it's a fair assumption he'll need it for his journey home and that therefore he would indeed renew it that very day, equalling zero loss. Instead, fuss, paperwork, a hit and a potential fine.
These events erode trust in the railways, which already struggle in terms of reputation for fairness, and they may also even distract from catching real fare dodgers, not least by eroding any sympathy ordinary people might have for RPs seeking dodgers out (reducing the matter to one "villain" vs another). Something has to be done to instil common sense, fairness and end this kind of nonsense.
Following well deserved furore regarding over-zealous parking wardens, that particular line of enforcement has over the years been compelled to adopt fairer measures and clearly so must the train companies. Particularly considering the myriad of train tickets, routes and rules that can sometimes apply (where even sometimes train staff are in the wrong), getting a train from A to B shouldn't be an event where any one is waiting to catch people out.
It is abundantly clear when someone is a fare dodger, and in this case it's abundantly clear that all was required was for the RP to tip the guy the nod that his card had run out and that he needs to renew it. As a commuter on a card that is merely ONE day out of date, it's a fair assumption he'll need it for his journey home and that therefore he would indeed renew it that very day, equalling zero loss. Instead, fuss, paperwork, a hit and a potential fine.
These events erode trust in the railways, which already struggle in terms of reputation for fairness, and they may also even distract from catching real fare dodgers, not least by eroding any sympathy ordinary people might have for RPs seeking dodgers out (reducing the matter to one "villain" vs another). Something has to be done to instil common sense, fairness and end this kind of nonsense.
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