Or when the ticket machine is broken and you can't do anything other than get on the train hoping for a conductor.
On the flip side, there are plenty of people who get on with no intention of paying.
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If you get to the platform, the train arrives as you get there, you have no time to use the ticket machine (or as is so often the case it's out of order anyway), you get on the train, intending to pay the conductor, there's no conductor so you intend to pay as you get off. This happens to me all the time and I have never had a problem. They just seem to randomly target people now and again to make examples of them.
Or when the ticket machine is broken and you can't do anything other than get on the train hoping for a conductor.
On the flip side, there are plenty of people who get on with no intention of paying.
This fine is way too high and it will cause a lot of hardship to people. If the service was run properly then it wouldnt be possible not to have a ticket, this is just preperation for conductor less trains.
It appears that ATW expect you to buy a ticket at the first available opportunity. If that causes you to miss your train then so be it. In stations where there are barriers you must have a ticket or you can't even get to the platform. I'm not suggesting I agree with ATW. It's natural to want to get on the first train that arrives, especially if you've been delayed you need to get to work, an appointment etc on time. ATW are more concerned for their revenue than getting you to your destination on time.
In cases where people alight at stations with barriers and have to buy tickets anyway, this heavy handed approach is simply about revenue - paying for the green jacket brigade probably. In the valleys where few, if any, stations have barriers, you never see them about waiting for the little shits who hide in toilets going a station or two along the line. They're always looking for supposed "fare dodgers" where passengers have little opportunity to actually dodge fares.
If you compare it to bus lane fines then you'll know that there are several weeks where you can pay the fine and several notices before it goes to court. ATW may be jumping to fines when they can do more to allow passengers to buy tickets (ideally the fine person should have the capability to sell you a ticket as well) but there are many who get on with no intention of buying a ticket and then allow it to carry on believing it won't go to court.Andrew RT Davies has called on the train company to investigate after a pregnant woman was ordered by a court to pay more than £600 for not paying a £2.30 train fare.
I was on the train yesterday and when I reached my stop the fakin door wouldn't open. By the time I realised it wasn't working and made my way to the next door, the train had moved off. Had to walk 20 minutes back to the previous stop.
I caught a train from Heath High level last week and the ticket machine was broken, I got a ticket of the conductor but will take a photo on my phone next time if machine isnt working.
And who came up with the idea for those idiotic new paper tickets with the qr code on them? Most barriers don't even have a reader and they are about four times bigger than a normal ticket. I bought three returns yesterday and it felt like I had half the bloody phone book in my pocket.
This finally forced me to use the ATW App which is actually just about OK. 6 returns for £3.25 instead of £3.90 but the out and return tickets can be used separately which can be useful. Only hassle is making sure you've got enough battery left in your phone at the end of the day, and finding that elusive barrier with a scanner on it.
It also means that you're never without a ticket now they're really cracking down on people...
I've used them since they first came out (and had a much more generous discount). One snag with the barcodes is that they don't work if you board or alight part way along, so for example, a ticket from Merthyr to Bridgend won't scan at the barriers in Cardiff. Frustrating if you fancy getting a snack or something at central. Also annoying if there's not someone at the ticket barriers by the Spar shop.
Worst.company.ever
I went to London in the week by Train, booked on tinternet with ticket collection at a station, machine not working at Heath High level platform for ticket collection but working for a ticket into Cardiff central, ticket collections not working at Cardiff Central was told to show my email confirmation with my collection number, no one on the Train to London asked for my ticket, they messed up my tickets at Paddington, the 19.15 train was rammed coming back had to stand to Bristol Parkway. whilst the stress of not driving in London was fine, not being able to have a seat for the return journey was piss poor, the staff just didn't seem to know procedure, with different instructions given. Overall it was poor.
Arriva's revenue protection people are third-party snoopers taken on to maximise profits before their franchise expires. Ticket machines at stations do not accept cash thereby making them useless for all children and any adults who don't own plastic to make a purchase.
If you ever had to commute in the south west into London to work , you would consider Arrivia to be the crown prince of rail travel.
I know someone who traveled from Grangetown to Cardiff Central. Didn't see a conductor, so joined the queue at Cardiff Central to pay for the ticket at that end. She was pulled out of the queue, and issued with a penalty notice. Why did they think she was trying to avoid paying for her trip? Her fine was withdrawn.
Hope they go under
Simple solutions.
Just throw their letters in the bin. Nobody has ever gone to prison for not having a valid train ticket.
Give your name as Prince Philip (or queen Elizabeth II if you're a lass) - they get everything free.
Only travel on a train when it's full of drunken rugby fans - conductors don't need the hassle so won't bother checking.
Give your name as chris from Merthyr - chances are they'll assume you're retarded and take pity on you.
Happy to help.
Arrival trains Wales might ultimately be dissolved, but they are basically a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which is 100% owned by the German government, so can't see that going under.
Will be a minor irritant to them though when they lose the money from Wales and the UK train subsidies to keep prices down on their German trains.