Virgin / fare evader on Twitter...

[telstarbox]

Good work from VT's Twitter team

 

[transportphoto]

I saw this earlier, didn't have time (supposedly) to buy a ticket with his railcard from the TVM, got caught out and had to 'fork out' - why they didn't go for a prosecution I don't know bearing in mind his picture is part of his twitter profile! Perfect evidence of intention to avoid the fare.

 

[Stephen55a1960]

Good work from VT's Twitter team

I like it!

 

[SS4]

I'll never get over the idiocy of some people

 

[All Line Rover]

I saw this earlier, didn't have time (supposedly) to buy a ticket with his railcard from the TVM, got caught out and had to 'fork out' - why they didn't go for a prosecution I don't know bearing in mind his picture is part of his twitter profile! Perfect evidence of intention to avoid the fare.

They might have taken his details. Is it possible to "fork out" and still be prosecuted for intent to avoid paying?

I don't think I've ever seen such a dumb criminal. Definitely goes in my Top 10. Never mind - at least he makes the jobs for Virgin's revenue protection staff a little easier!

His twitter page (warning: link contains bad language) contains strange comments.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

They've certainly got the evidence for a solid s5 prosecution. I do hope they do it!

 

[exile]

They'd have to actually catch him on the train - stating an intent to travel without paying is not actually an offence.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

I suppose they could examine the CCTV given that there are enough identifying details, but it would be a lot of work. Then they'd have to prove he didn't have a ticket (somehow). He may have been caught by the TM anyway.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Someone tweeted him saying '@JuliusSchiazza I just hope you'll think twice before you try to fare evade. It's ppl like you that cause fares to be so high.' to which he replied '@GrahamLordUK or maybe it's the greedy train companies you silly deluded c*nt.' [My asterisk]

What a nice fella! :roll:

I hope VT do more than just charge him the full SOS fare!
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He also claims not to have parted with a penny, but previously had claimed to have forked out in the end... :?

 

[Captain Chaos]

Someone tweeted him saying '@JuliusSchiazza I just hope you'll think twice before you try to fare evade. It's ppl like you that cause fares to be so high.' to which he replied '@GrahamLordUK or maybe it's the greedy train companies you silly deluded c*nt.' [My asterisk]

What a nice fella! :roll:

I hope VT do more than just charge him the full SOS fare!

He also claims not to have parted with a penny, but previously had claimed to have forked out in the end... :?

Smells like a typical idiot on the internet pretending to be doing something so as he looks cool and got royally caught out and now don't like it. The lack of coherance in what he's saying (don't take much to re-read what you post does it?) makes me believe this.

 

[47245]

What an idiot, to tweet the TOC you're travelling on telling them you're fare evading is a pretty stupid thing to do.
I hope he gets what he deserves, people like him makes fares higher for the rest of us.

 

[185]

#fail

 

[Matt Taylor]

Aquick search on Twitter reveals quite a lot of people are quite happy to admit in public that they have not paid for their ticket and are also happyto display their name and a picture to help with TOC enquiries!

 

[All Line Rover]

What an idiot, to tweet the TOC you're travelling on telling them you're fare evading is a pretty stupid thing to do.
I hope he gets what he deserves, people like him makes fares higher for the rest of us.

Well actually it's quite nice of him, as it helps the TOC to catch him more easily.

 

[Urban Gateline]

The only thing he didn't post was the exact train he was on, so finding him may have proved a bit difficult! Anyway I retweeted Virgin's tweet as I deemed it to be hilarious

 

[MCW]

Aquick search on Twitter reveals quite a lot of people are quite happy to admit in public that they have not paid for their ticket and are also happyto display their name and a picture to help with TOC enquiries!

this really doesn't surprise me.

I love the internet and the comms but you have to put up with idiots like this guy posting stuff and it also means that you don't know who's watching what you put up there... so I hate it cause I can't always speak my mind! lol

anyway, what a tool... glad he got caught.

 

[Howardh]

Wonder if, on my late evening journey from Lostock (closed office, no machine) to Manchester I twitted "I haven't paid and if a guard/conductor/miss tranny universe 2008 would like to get off his/her/it's arse and walk down the train to sell me one so I can get off at Oxford Road without any hassle" would it work???

 

[jon0844]

Many Twitter clients will geotag the tweet, just like most photos are now tagged. Compare with the time of posting and you may be able to work out his location, especially if he has sent anything before/after that shows the direction of travel.

 

[WestCoast]

The negative thing about this is that I bet people have gotten away with this before, especially on large crowded trains. I sometimes wonder...

 

[bailey65]

Waste of time and money prosecuting if they pay up there is no offence anymore.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Waste of time and money prosecuting if they pay up there is no offence anymore.

Not quite true. There are a number of possible offences that can be charged for with fare evasion, some of which are conduct crimes rather than result crimes.

 

[dangie]

Travelled from Rugeley Town to Walsall on Friday. No sign of the guard until after Cannock. Many got off at Hednesford & Cannock without having to pay. I think it was a three carriage train. No chance for the guard to pass through all carriages in that short distance. Rail companies must lose a fortune in unpaid fares.

 

[All Line Rover]

Travelled from Rugeley Town to Walsall on Friday. No sign of the guard until after Cannock. Many got off at Hednesford & Cannock without having to pay. I think it was a three carriage train. No chance for the guard to pass through all carriages in that short distance. Rail companies must lose a fortune in unpaid fares.

To be honest this is a difficult one. Although they DO have to pay, what are they expected to do, given that they are alighting at an unstaffed station? Unlike at a staffed station, the TOC can't prosecute them for walking off without paying as there is no way for them to pay!

 

[SS4]

Travelled from Rugeley Town to Walsall on Friday. No sign of the guard until after Cannock. Many got off at Hednesford & Cannock without having to pay. I think it was a three carriage train. No chance for the guard to pass through all carriages in that short distance. Rail companies must lose a fortune in unpaid fares.

I suspect the TOC will accept the loss and try to seek compensation elsewhere whether on other routes or the DfT. They're not losing enough money (once you take into account season ticket holders and those who pay anyway) to justify the cost of installing barriers, TVMs or staff.

Which leads me back onto the titular topic, as long as fare evaders are caught less often than they get away with it the evader will be turning a profit. I used to see this quite often between University and Five Ways (before both stations were barriered)

 

[MarkyMarkD]

Well, yes, if all they get is a penalty fare or similar once caught.

If they get prosecuted and convicted for intentional fare evasion, it is far more adverse for the fare evader's future life prospects.

 

[neilmc]

Last year I made a journey between two stations, neither of which had a machine or a ticket office. The train I caught was composed of a single unit (153?) coupled to but unconnected with a twin unit. I sat in the single unit. If I said that I had done so on the (correct) assumption that the guard was likely to stay in the rear twin unit and content himself with collecting two thirds of the fares rather than switching units in an attempt to get them all, would that constitute "intentional fare evasion"? (If so, my real reason was that the 153 looked emptier!)

 

[SWT_USER]

Last year I made a journey between two stations, neither of which had a machine or a ticket office. The train I caught was composed of a single unit (153?) coupled to but unconnected with a twin unit. I sat in the single unit. If I said that I had done so on the (correct) assumption that the guard was likely to stay in the rear twin unit and content himself with collecting two thirds of the fares rather than switching units in an attempt to get them all, would that constitute "intentional fare evasion"? (If so, my real reason was that the 153 looked emptier!)

I think that would be impossible to prove.

 

[Jonny]

They'd have to actually catch him on the train - stating an intent to travel without paying is not actually an offence.

Especially since it's necessary to prove that he isn't "fronting" - making false boasts, where if they were true then he would be guilty but they might be false; similar to a 'false confession' but with opposite motives.

 

[SprinterMan]

The train I caught was composed of a single unit (153?) coupled to but unconnected with a twin unit.

Yepp you're right, single unit was a 153. The twin unit was a 170. LM run 153+170 combos to make more 3 car trains at peak times (and sometimes off peak?). Really 170s should have been built with gangways like 158s/172s because this does cause the problem you are talking about.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwbphotos/4521667004/

 

[jon0844]

Especially since it's necessary to prove that he isn't "fronting" - making false boasts, where if they were true then he would be guilty but they might be false; similar to a 'false confession' but with opposite motives.

It certainly would be easy, and plausible, for some people to make up something like that - to impress their peers.

It could well be that this fare evader was at home tucked up in bed at his parents house!
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Hmm, an air conditioned 170 or a 153. Surely if you intentionally travelled in the 153 you should be allowed to travel for free? Maybe even get some money paid to you?!

(Out of interest - how do people generally use these mixed up trains? Do they all clamour for the nice carriages, or know that the 153 will be emptier? Or do passengers not know the difference and just get on whatever door is nearest?)