Do you always buy a ticket when you take the train?
Discussion
One of those questions where you kind of assume the automatic answer is yes but this mornings experience suggests that if you all say yes some of you are lying.
Small city with a rail station with an open ticket office and a functioning ticket machine.
Got on the train and the conductor was doing ticket inspections.
Literally the first three people he went to in my carriage "can I get a ticket please?".
Two of them buying singles which call me suspicious but I'm guessing they were coming back.
The fourth had an electronic ticket which the conductor scanned and then said (and I didn't know the system was this smart) "you bought this after the train left the station".
Am I the only mug who always buys a ticket?
Small city with a rail station with an open ticket office and a functioning ticket machine.
Got on the train and the conductor was doing ticket inspections.
Literally the first three people he went to in my carriage "can I get a ticket please?".
Two of them buying singles which call me suspicious but I'm guessing they were coming back.
The fourth had an electronic ticket which the conductor scanned and then said (and I didn't know the system was this smart) "you bought this after the train left the station".
Am I the only mug who always buys a ticket?
Always. I do wish they’d check the railcard once in a while though- my ticket is checked pretty much every time* but they’ve never checked my railcard as far as I recall
* this may be because it’s the route that the infamous hedge fund manager was caught fare-evading on a few years back…
* this may be because it’s the route that the infamous hedge fund manager was caught fare-evading on a few years back…
Last time I had a paper ticket was years ago when I had a season ticket that cost £2,000
These days I use a contactless card on the trains and tubes in London. Just been up to Harrogate and LNER issue a QR code that you put in your phone, guards can scan that and it opens ticket barriers. But yes I always buy a ticket
These days I use a contactless card on the trains and tubes in London. Just been up to Harrogate and LNER issue a QR code that you put in your phone, guards can scan that and it opens ticket barriers. But yes I always buy a ticket
I live in a semi rural village near a train station. You can just walk straight onto the platform.
Most of the time, I do buy one, but sometimes they just seem to want to rip you off for no reason.
At those times, train often busy (hence why it costs more, I guess). I therefore know that it's unlikely I'll get checked.
Other times, they just seemingly charge double for no reason (you can often buy the ticket for half the price on the trainline).
Even if you do get checked, I just ask to buy one, never had an issue.
Quite often the barriers in my city are up, so you can walk straight out, but if you can't, you just buy a ticket at the station for one stop. Much cheaper.
I don't typically feel too guilty about the occasional naughtiness, as the service they run barely qualifies as a service at times, but I generally prefer to pay, as I'd rather have a crap service than no service.
Most of the time, I do buy one, but sometimes they just seem to want to rip you off for no reason.
At those times, train often busy (hence why it costs more, I guess). I therefore know that it's unlikely I'll get checked.
Other times, they just seemingly charge double for no reason (you can often buy the ticket for half the price on the trainline).
Even if you do get checked, I just ask to buy one, never had an issue.
Quite often the barriers in my city are up, so you can walk straight out, but if you can't, you just buy a ticket at the station for one stop. Much cheaper.
I don't typically feel too guilty about the occasional naughtiness, as the service they run barely qualifies as a service at times, but I generally prefer to pay, as I'd rather have a crap service than no service.
It's standard practice to buy on the train in Scotland unless travelling from a city. Half the time the ticket machines at the station don't work and even then they only cover some ticket types.
It's common at rush hour to see long queues to buy a ticket on the way off the train to allow access through the barriers and I'm sure everyone is completely honest about their origin.
There have been one or two occasions where I travel from one unmanned station to another a couple of stops along the line and have had no opportunity to buy a ticket. Not my fault and happy to take the freebie...
It's common at rush hour to see long queues to buy a ticket on the way off the train to allow access through the barriers and I'm sure everyone is completely honest about their origin.
There have been one or two occasions where I travel from one unmanned station to another a couple of stops along the line and have had no opportunity to buy a ticket. Not my fault and happy to take the freebie...
Always pay online first. Hope the GM Bee Network integrates train travel costs into a simpler payment system.
Metrolink - turn up, tap in / out with your phone as many times as you want to travel and then get billed the correct amount.
Train - On the website I want to simply select "off peak return" and pay but have to enter the outward service and then the return service, then the ticket type, then enter a billing address. Ticket machine is just as long-winded.
Metrolink - turn up, tap in / out with your phone as many times as you want to travel and then get billed the correct amount.
Train - On the website I want to simply select "off peak return" and pay but have to enter the outward service and then the return service, then the ticket type, then enter a billing address. Ticket machine is just as long-winded.
John87 said:
It's standard practice to buy on the train in Scotland unless travelling from a city. Half the time the ticket machines at the station don't work and even then they only cover some ticket types.
Considering your comment, I wonder if that's why our inspectors are also so forgiving as most of the line goes through the middle of nowhere in North East England, our ticket machine is also regularly out of order.BoRED S2upid said:
I go now because I’m a responsible adult but when we were young we lived one stop away from town and would always get the free train into town.
Back in the dark and distant past, I jumped on the train in Pitlochry going to Blair Atholl (about 7 miles) with no ticket. Conductor asked for my ticket with me fully expecting to be booted off at the next stop. Oh how the conductor laughed at he told me this service didn't stop until Kingussie about 40 miles further up the track 
littleredrooster said:
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hstewie said:
hstewie said: Am I the only mug who always buys a ticket?
No. I/we have never not bought a ticket.I use the train a lot. Both locally and nationally, and I always buy a ticket.
I used to use Trainline app for everything, but now I use the Uber Trains app to buy all my tickets as there are zero fees and they give you 10% back on every ticket you buy. (must be costing them a fortune, but if they are offering it, I'll take it)
Also, I am utterly ruthless with:
a) Getting refunds for any journeys that are delayed (via Delay Repay - my refund history is massive)
b) Demanding a taxi home for free, whenever my train is late and miss a connection (I always get the taxi requested)
I don’t use trains but do pay for my son’s rail pass to get to school. So yes we always buy a ticket in advance. It’s a pity that out of the 10 journeys between Malvern Link and Worcester Foregate each week I have to drive him or collect him due to cancelled services on average 3 or 4 times.
Yep. I've never seen the point in trying to risk travelling with not getting one tbh - where i am in the South / South East most of the stations i use are fully barriered anyway so anyone not getting a ticket would be needing to clamber over a barrier to get out.
Speaking of which on Monday i was using a number of South Western services between Salisbury, Basingstoke, Woking, Waterloo and on that day they really had a whole mass of both liveried and plain clothes Revenue Protection people out including BTP dealing with the evaders. I assume they're currently running a big drive riding trains along the capital / coast / western routes as the number of people being caught out, stopped at barriers, caught on the train was pretty shocking tbh. When i was at Salisbury most of them were being taken to the ticket kiosks and told to buy the correct ticket for their journey to avoid the £100+ fine as the alternative.
One girl about 20 was really kicking off claiming she was being being victimised, etc, and kept trying to get the RP officer to leave her alone in the queue to either make a run for it or buy a cheaper ticket - that wasn't going to happen as it turned out she'd been monitored by plain clothes who knew exactly where she'd boarded and it wasn't at Grately (one stop back). She eventually tried slapping the RP officer and ended up getting arrested. Another guy in his 20's was also being detained for evasion and by the looks of the platform search i saw it appeared that BTP found a pretty decent sized knife on him so i guess his attempt at not getting a ticket backfired badly for him.
Speaking of which on Monday i was using a number of South Western services between Salisbury, Basingstoke, Woking, Waterloo and on that day they really had a whole mass of both liveried and plain clothes Revenue Protection people out including BTP dealing with the evaders. I assume they're currently running a big drive riding trains along the capital / coast / western routes as the number of people being caught out, stopped at barriers, caught on the train was pretty shocking tbh. When i was at Salisbury most of them were being taken to the ticket kiosks and told to buy the correct ticket for their journey to avoid the £100+ fine as the alternative.
One girl about 20 was really kicking off claiming she was being being victimised, etc, and kept trying to get the RP officer to leave her alone in the queue to either make a run for it or buy a cheaper ticket - that wasn't going to happen as it turned out she'd been monitored by plain clothes who knew exactly where she'd boarded and it wasn't at Grately (one stop back). She eventually tried slapping the RP officer and ended up getting arrested. Another guy in his 20's was also being detained for evasion and by the looks of the platform search i saw it appeared that BTP found a pretty decent sized knife on him so i guess his attempt at not getting a ticket backfired badly for him.
Edited by AlexRS2782 on Wednesday 6th November 00:11
Mikebentley said:
I don’t use trains but do pay for my son’s rail pass to get to school. So yes we always buy a ticket in advance. It’s a pity that out of the 10 journeys between Malvern Link and Worcester Foregate each week I have to drive him or collect him due to cancelled services on average 3 or 4 times.
I used to go to school that way. RGS or KSW, by any chance?PS get him a bike. If I saw from the road bridge that I'd missed the 8:15 I'd continue blasting down the hill past the rest of the Link Common and cycle to Worcester. Apart from the climb up the hill at Powick, it's a very quick ride. I could usually get to school on time. Heading back to Malvern ... more of a slog.
Edited by ATG on Wednesday 6th November 00:09
Mont Blanc said:
Also, I am utterly ruthless with:
a) Getting refunds for any journeys that are delayed (via Delay Repay - my refund history is massive)
b) Demanding a taxi home for free, whenever my train is late and miss a connection (I always get the taxi requested)
Who can authorise the taxi home? I don’t use trains much but was very miffed to just miss a connection home recently and it was 55 mins to the next train. I could have been home in 40 mins in taxi.a) Getting refunds for any journeys that are delayed (via Delay Repay - my refund history is massive)
b) Demanding a taxi home for free, whenever my train is late and miss a connection (I always get the taxi requested)
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