When I was 14 (back in the days when most here were kids
) I had a similar experience on a 68 bus from the city centre to clondalkin. Its was just before the days of IE and DB. I bought my ticket from the driver and sat down. Outside Joe Wongs restaurant just after the junction of the naas road and the long mile road, an inspector got on. He checked tickets very quickly as there weren't many on board. When he checked mine, he asked my age and I told him 14. He asked me for ID to prove my age. I told him that I didn't have ID. He then put me off the bus at the red cow pub (long before the red cow M50 interchange existed). I was a minor. He showed no mercy despite my pleas and in fact actual tears. I tried to explain that I had already purchased a ticket from the driver, who did not question me and that I was miles from home (old nangor road, newcastle end of clondalkin). No joy. No money. No mobile phone back then. I walked the rest of the way home and very traumitised by the experience. (no exaggeration) My parents were angry, but had no knowledge of the complaints proceedure. They made some calls and got nowhere.
To this day, I still remember it and I sympathise with the young lad quoted in the indo. No amount of "Mr. Spock" logic justifies a situation like this. Judgement of character must come into it and a reasoned approach should be adopted. (professionally trained staff would have these qualities)Personally, I hope the inspector who threw me off that bus way back then, died a miserable death. On mature reflection, he exhibted a power crazed attitude to a vunerable youngster, who was not your typical thug and could have possibly kicked the **** out of him. Knowing this (obviously his character assessment was working on that score) he made a big deal of ejecting me from the bus. If it happened today, the company would be sued, castigated in the media and apologise on every radio show available to them.
He was nothing more than an institutionalised CIE tosser on a power trip. I suspect that the youngster from Limerick came across a similar character. It looks like some of the old school are still hanging around.
In 1986, unless you travelled regularly on a school bus, ID cards were not available. As a 14 year old that walked to school, I had no need for one. Furthermore it was not promoted across the bus network. I had an ID card in 1988, when I moved to Naas, that entitled you to a student fare on BE services. You had to travel to Bus Aras to get it. I needed it to get to school in clondalkin. Ive lost count of the amount of times, the same old bastard, "questioned" its validity and this lead me to the conclusion that the male generation, born in the 1930s, working for CIE, didn't need to shave until they were 25.
So its very easy to see why Im biased against the culture amongst some CIE staff down the years. If only SUVs and wealthy parents had been around then.