Was I unreasonable to dob someone in?

[VulvicMineralWater]

NC as this might be quite outing.

I commute to work on the train. I get on at stop A and off at stop D, both of which have ticket barriers. I always buy a ticket when I travel.

Stops B and C don't have ticket barriers.

A man got on at Stop B. The inspector came around asking for anyone who got on at Stop B. The inspector was very visible and called out "Stop B passengers" loudly enough for everyone to hear. The man didn't have headphones in. Yet, the man didn't show his ticket.

So, as the inspector passed I pointed out the man and said he'd got on at Stop B. Inspector then went to check his ticket and what a surprise the man didn't have one.

The man called me an interfering bitch. Meh, yeah, that's pretty accurate but it fucks me off that people feel as though buying a ticket is optional. It's not. You're using a service, you need to pay for it.

So was I unreasonable to dob this guy in?

[MyNameIsntTaken]

Busy body

[seoulsurvivor]

People get more worked up about this kind of stuff than they do about dodgy politicans and tax evasion and stuff.

In my opinion, it's a drop in the ocean and I don't care if someone else wants to freeload.

He shouldn't have called you a bitch though.

[PerfectPeachy]

I'd think good on you for dobbing him in but I'd probably not do it myself. Well not unless I could do it subtly. 👀

[lorumipsum]

I would never do what you did but you were not wrong.

Law-abiding ticket buyers pay more because of fare dodgers. Obviously.

[Asmoto]

Crunchy

[Crunchymum]

Dobbing someone in? Are you from Home and Away circa 1990 OP?

[Zafodbeeblbrox10]

lweji an empty argument I'll agree..but what it does spotlight is the cause for the entire infrastructure and rolling stock to be brought back into nationalisation, because TOC's are obviously profit- orientated, and this is fairly unworkable when you have peak hours,.and empty trains running all day to timetables.. although not relevant to this thread.

[Lweji]

A train costs (more or less) the same amount to run however many passengers are aboard

While this is true, I wonder how people can use such an argument with a straight face.

Someone has to pay for the train to run.
It is very different if the train is empty, with just a few paying people, full of paying people or full of non paying people.
Each person travelling without a ticket is doing so because the paying people are the ones enabling the train to run.

[Zafodbeeblbrox10]

A train costs (more or less) the same amount to run however many passengers are aboard. There are many reasons for price hikes, like train operating companies profiteering, fines for delays, inflation etc. I think if someone wants to risk not paying for a ticket it's their lookout, unless their presence is causing others discomfort.

[theclick]

I mean yeah, why does this even concern you?

[Mermaidinthesea123]

I ignore everything except animal cruelty. I don't want to be knifed to death.

[Headofthehive55]

I can impact on other people fairy. Just because you can't see it doesn't the mean it victimless.

[FairytalesAreBullshit]

I'm afraid I don't see it as being applause worthy. Yes some like the Hedge Fund banker take the piss. I can't get annoyed at what other people do though, I really don't think it impacts me. From someone stealing a loaf of bread to someone boarding a train without their fare, I can't get worked up at the decisions others make.

For all you know they could be travelling to see a sick relative. Have no money. I have this thing called empathy, plus karma, I can't go yay OP you're a super star, for riling someone up.

[Natsku]

With regards to train companies, fares and profits - the national rail company here in Finland lowered its prices last year (think it was last year) and it was just in the news that its profits went up quite a bit, so raising ticket prices isn't necessarily the best way for a train company to make up for losses/increase its profits. Bet more people would be willing to pay for a ticket if the prices weren't ridiculous.

[HappyFlappy]

*up for, not upper

[HappyFlappy]

Brill post Nettle

Theft (or fraud ) is theft (or fraud) and it's as simple as that. People who dodge fares put the costs upper everyone, in the same way that shoplifters do, and people who make false insurance claims. It is not a "victimless" crime just because it is against an organisation.

And the people who suffer most are the ones with the least money because they are the ones who have the least choice as regards their transport. When services are reduced or withdrawn altogether, they are the ones who can least afford to take another option.

[Headofthehive55]

We lost one of our routes. Not economic. Private operator. Not enough fares. Went bankrupt.

Income from fares do matter. If enough people on the train are not paying, and it's very busy / can't get a seat etc fare paying passengers might start to use other means of transport/ find an alternative job etc. Thus the train company get even less fares.

[WankingMonkey]

Ahh right. I live in the north east and we don't seem to have buses like that. Makes more sense in that case

[AnneElliott]

Monkey on some London buses there are 2 sets of doors and you just get on. The driver doesn't check tickets so you only get caught if an inspector gets on. Most people have travel cards anyway so I guess they think the few who don't will be picked up at some point.

[Increasinglymiddleaged]

Why should we condone stealing?

As has been pointed out before it is fraud not stealing.

As always on MN it never ceases to amaze me how people are unable to deal with shades of grey. Yes you should pay fares, I agree. If lots of people did it all the time it would cause issues, I agree.

But I just cannot get that wound up about the odd person not paying.

[Increasinglymiddleaged]

Lol @ hives whatever you say m'dear

[Nettletheelf]

The utter spite levelled at the OP! I am surprised, and not in a good way. I think she did the right thing.

I commute to work by train every day. I hate Northern Rail with a passion. They are incompetent, money grabbing bastards. But do I think that it's OK to dodge train fares because of it? No, I bloody don't.

The nice revenue protection guy at my local station, who is there daily, said that he was drafted in because of the huge number of fare dodgers on our rail line into a major city. It's not hard for the rail company to work out that fare dodging is rife, is it? Number of people on making a certain journey on a particular day, less number of tickets (of various kinds) sold for that day. He also says that the people trying to swerve paying their fares are overwhelmingly the wealthier, middle class types. The rest are schoolkids.

As for the people claiming that it's OK to fare dodge because the conductor should be checking everybody's ticket between each stop: don't you think that the poor sods have enough to deal with? On some of the rail lines into Manchester the stations are only a few minutes' journey from each other. At peak times the trains are jammed. How is the conductor supposed to walk the length of the train, checking every ticket, fighting his way through bodies, in three minutes?

Fare dodging is quite simply theft. It doesn't matter that there's no marginal cost to the rail operator. I'm sick of subsidising selfish freeloading bastards, and I bet I'm not the only one.

A few years ago I was coming back up north by train and a couple got on in London (at a station which, then, wasn't barriered: it is now). They spent the journey moving up and down the relatively quiet train, hiding in the loo and sniggering about how clever they had been for not paying. I suspect the guard was on to them because ten minutes before the station at which the train terminated he found them in the carriage I was in and asked them where they had boarded. They claimed to have got on at the station we'd just left. The guard was asking how they'd got through the barriers there, and they were coming up with a cock and bull story when one of my fellow passengers said, "no they didn't. They got on in London and I saw them". Everybody else in the carriage, including me, gave him a round of applause. Why should we condone stealing?

[Headofthehive55]

If you feel revenue raised has no impact on fares and or the business itself then I feel you have little understanding of the economics of business.

[Headofthehive55]

If you feel revenue raised has no impact on fares and or the business itself then I feel you have little understanding of the economics of business.

[HorridHenryrule]

It is a stupid unnecessary thing to do he could have went for her. It could have got nasty not worth putting yourself at risk for.