Question regarding use of tickets bought with a senior railcard to exit ticket barriers

JGB1955

Why is anyone worried about this?  You buy a ticket with a Railcard.  If a ticket inspector comes down the train and asks to see your Railcard, that's perfectly reasonable.  If asked at the ticket barrier, why does that suddenly become unreasonable?  Stopping fare evasion is in everyone's best interests.

katejo

JGB1955 said:

Why is anyone worried about this?  You buy a ticket with a Railcard.  If a ticket inspector comes down the train and asks to see your Railcard, that's perfectly reasonable.  If asked at the ticket barrier, why does that suddenly become unreasonable?  Stopping fare evasion is in everyone's best interests.

I have no objection to a ticket inspector checking ALL tickets on a train or even a revenue officer stopping ALL passengers at the barriers for a spot check. I do object to the assumption every time I travel that I am cheating because I have a railcard. I missed a return train last time because I had to wait to get through the gate. 

KeithP

katejo said:

JGB1955 said:

Why is anyone worried about this?  You buy a ticket with a Railcard.  If a ticket inspector comes down the train and asks to see your Railcard, that's perfectly reasonable.  If asked at the ticket barrier, why does that suddenly become unreasonable?  Stopping fare evasion is in everyone's best interests.

I have no objection to a ticket inspector checking ALL tickets on a train or even a revenue officer stopping ALL passengers at the barriers for a spot check. I do object to the assumption every time I travel that I am cheating because I have a railcard. I missed a return train last time because I had to wait to get through the gate. 

It's really quite simple.

All the people they have not been stopped at the barrier have a full price ticket and of course they have no railcard.

The people that are stopped have a discounted ticket and they want to see that the holder of that discounted ticket has proof of eligibility to that discount.

MilesT6060842

JGB1955 said:

Why is anyone worried about this?  You buy a ticket with a Railcard.  If a ticket inspector comes down the train and asks to see your Railcard, that's perfectly reasonable.  If asked at the ticket barrier, why does that suddenly become unreasonable?  Stopping fare evasion is in everyone's best interests.

I object when it makes the difference between catching a train just before the doors close and missing a train because I have to find someone and queue.

katejo

MilesT6060842 said:

JGB1955 said:

Why is anyone worried about this?  You buy a ticket with a Railcard.  If a ticket inspector comes down the train and asks to see your Railcard, that's perfectly reasonable.  If asked at the ticket barrier, why does that suddenly become unreasonable?  Stopping fare evasion is in everyone's best interests.

I object when it makes the difference between catching a train just before the doors close and missing a train because I have to find someone and queue.

Yes exactly! I just missed a train last time because of this.

Sapindus

But if they let people through without checking, if there was a risk they would miss their train, the fare dodgers would know that all they need to do is arrive at the last minute.  The times you have been challenged but then they "didn't even look at the railcard" they will have been able to tell by your demeanour that you were genuine.

MilesT6060842

Sapindus said:

But if they let people through without checking, if there was a risk they would miss their train, the fare dodgers would know that all they need to do is arrive at the last minute.  The times you have been challenged but then they "didn't even look at the railcard" they will have been able to tell by your demeanour that you were genuine.

The guard on the train (augmented by addition revenue staff from time to time) should be adequate to detect fare dodgers, while providing the expected experience to the travelling public.

katejo

MilesT6060842 said:

Sapindus said:

But if they let people through without checking, if there was a risk they would miss their train, the fare dodgers would know that all they need to do is arrive at the last minute.  The times you have been challenged but then they "didn't even look at the railcard" they will have been able to tell by your demeanour that you were genuine.

The guard on the train (augmented by addition revenue staff from time to time) should be adequate to detect fare dodgers, while providing the expected experience to the travelling public.

That's my view too. Setting the ticket barriers to stop everyone with a railcard of any type is rather like saying we are guilty of fare evasion until proven innocent by showing the railcard.