Proper date stamps, the ones that create a nice inky impression on the ticket are very expensive. Some passengers do try to rub the stamp off to reuse their open tickets but if you squeeze good and hard the mark will still be visible. The company who produce them, Zifa, also make stampers with a small hole punch at the end of the date.
Both types are eye wateringly expensive though so some TOC's no longer issue them to guards. On the subject of cost though, I argue that the cost of reuse and refund fraud is well beyond what most TOC's believe or admit to.
In terms of re-use or application for a refund, a scrawl does not prove a ticket has been used. A passenger could claim that his child got hold of it and a biro and who would I be to argue. If the guard does not have stampers an identifiable hole punch could be an idea. If a pen is the only option, then to invalidate a ticket completley I would say Date, Headcode and maybe something to identify the member of staff.
If the ticket is used to pass through a barrier at the start or middle of a journey it will of course be recorded on the ticket.
As a final point, time can be pressing and if a guard is rushing with revenue duties Advance tickets are not normally refundable and refunds on other tickets normally incur an admin fee. Passengers may try and reuse day tickets on local routes but it is unlikely. In all cases open tickets and expensive tickets are the ones to mark and mark clearly!
Both types are eye wateringly expensive though so some TOC's no longer issue them to guards. On the subject of cost though, I argue that the cost of reuse and refund fraud is well beyond what most TOC's believe or admit to.
In terms of re-use or application for a refund, a scrawl does not prove a ticket has been used. A passenger could claim that his child got hold of it and a biro and who would I be to argue. If the guard does not have stampers an identifiable hole punch could be an idea. If a pen is the only option, then to invalidate a ticket completley I would say Date, Headcode and maybe something to identify the member of staff.
If the ticket is used to pass through a barrier at the start or middle of a journey it will of course be recorded on the ticket.
As a final point, time can be pressing and if a guard is rushing with revenue duties Advance tickets are not normally refundable and refunds on other tickets normally incur an admin fee. Passengers may try and reuse day tickets on local routes but it is unlikely. In all cases open tickets and expensive tickets are the ones to mark and mark clearly!
I was just going beyond that by saying that in addition to not knowing where the ticket was checked, you can't even be sure the headcode is correct so can't actually even determine that it has been used on 1S99.
