How usual is it for a ticket inspector to check tickets onboard when the train is stopped at a station?

[LowLevel]

If the doors are released and nobody has explicitly asked you for a ticket, no.

Even then, I'd be stepping onto the platform so as to not be overcarried.

In any event, staff either allow you to disembark or if they're the ones doing the doors, they'll finish up with whoever they're dealing with and unlock them afterwards. I've never known anyone insist everyone stays put til they've checked.

Thinking back some years I can remember a guard who used to, if he thought someone had been trying to evade his attention, only release one door on the train at the terminus and then block and check each person off.

He had plenty of other habits that would be seen as extreme by modern standards too - in context back then it wasn't at all unheard of to pull the train up at random halts or even still extent former stations to dump fare evaders off, using physical force if necessary. Marchington on the Derby to Stoke line was well known for it.

I think some people underestimate how much expectations in terms of customer service and professionalism from the railway have changed in the last 20 - 30 years or so.

 

[jamiearmley]

Thinking back some years I can remember a guard who used to, if he thought someone had been trying to evade his attention, only release one door on the train at the terminus and then block and check each person off.

He had plenty of other habits that would be seen as extreme by modern standards too - in context back then it wasn't at all unheard of to pull the train up at random halts or even still extent former stations to dump fare evaders off, using physical force if necessary. Marchington on the Derby to Stoke line was well known for it.

I think some people underestimate how much expectations in terms of customer service and professionalism from the railway have changed in the last 20 - 30 years or so.

From the point of view of passengers who have bought a ticket, throwing fare evaders off at an unscheduled stop IS good customer service, as long as it's done smoothly with little delay.

I commuted by rail for 17 years, and watching people get away with non payment on pretty much every train journey I made used to make my blood boil.

Obviously, now I work in the industry, it's not something I subscribe to. But I still hold the view that passengers with valid tickets deserve, as a minimum, to see something other than non payers being 'let off'.

 

[rg177]

Thinking back some years I can remember a guard who used to, if he thought someone had been trying to evade his attention, only release one door on the train at the terminus and then block and check each person off.

He had plenty of other habits that would be seen as extreme by modern standards too - in context back then it wasn't at all unheard of to pull the train up at random halts or even still extent former stations to dump fare evaders off, using physical force if necessary. Marchington on the Derby to Stoke line was well known for it.

I think some people underestimate how much expectations in terms of customer service and professionalism from the railway have changed in the last 20 - 30 years or so.

Going abroad, I've seen such behaviour more recently! Ticketless bloke boarded the Aachen to Spa train in Aachen and clearly had no intention of buying one.

We pulled up at Hergenrath (first stop) and both he and the conductor had a back and forth in the vestibule. He thought the whole thing was quite funny and was behaving pretty rudely/patronising but after a minute or so she'd clearly had enough and shoved him onto the platform before giving the right away. Off we went and he sulked towards the exit.

As for checking before boarding, I've done that when I was on revenue duties for a light rail operator and roving. A worse for wear bloke came onto the platform and I told him, just a heads up, we're checking this next train, so if you need a ticket you'll want to get one from the machine next to you.

After refusing, and then going on the help point to plead his case for free travel, he called the lass on the other end a few choice words and ran off screaming and ranting.

Vaguely standing near the doors on board also seemed to do the trick. Even if you weren't checking, a bit of eye contact seemed to mysteriously keep folk on the platform

But if you don't get through the whole train and someone gets off, so be it. It ain't your money at the end of the day.

 

[Krokodil]

Thinking back some years I can remember a guard who used to, if he thought someone had been trying to evade his attention, only release one door on the train at the terminus and then block and check each person off.

He had plenty of other habits that would be seen as extreme by modern standards too - in context back then it wasn't at all unheard of to pull the train up at random halts or even still extent former stations to dump fare evaders off, using physical force if necessary. Marchington on the Derby to Stoke line was well known for it.

I think some people underestimate how much expectations in terms of customer service and professionalism from the railway have changed in the last 20 - 30 years or so.

I've been told of someone who used to do that at an intermediate station (I don't think that delay minutes were quite the end that they are now). Said station has had barriers for somewhere in the region of 15 years now - there was practically a riot when they were installed.

From the point of view of passengers who have bought a ticket, throwing fare evaders off at an unscheduled stop IS good customer service, as long as it's done smoothly with little delay.

I commuted by rail for 17 years, and watching people get away with non payment on pretty much every train journey I made used to make my blood boil.

Obviously, now I work in the industry, it's not something I subscribe to. But I still hold the view that passengers with valid tickets deserve, as a minimum, to see something other than non payers being 'let off'.

This is precisely why I'm quite hot on revenue protection. I used to smart at having paid when others were clearly getting away with it.

Going abroad, I've seen such behaviour more recently! Ticketless bloke boarded the Aachen to Spa train in Aachen and clearly had no intention of buying one.

We pulled up at Hergenrath (first stop) and both he and the conductor had a back and forth in the vestibule. He thought the whole thing was quite funny and was behaving pretty rudely/patronising but after a minute or so she'd clearly had enough and shoved him onto the platform before giving the right away. Off we went and he sulked towards the exit.

There was a bloke in the South East (possibly as far back as slam door days) who was chucked off by the guard on a Sunday at a station with no Sunday service. I've also heard of drunks being directed off of trains at remote request stops: "you want Manchester? Change here". You'd never get away with that these days.