Train Drivers and Engineers Checking Tickets?

[markpb]

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

To improve service it costs money and this money has to come from somewhere, people should be glad that they are getting more stricter.

If they save a few hundred euro through extra ticket checking but waste several thousand euros worth of management wages, what benefit is that to passengers?

Either those managers have a job to do which matches their salaries or they don't. If they have time to spare to check tickets, their management work is wasted. If the level of fare evasion is so high that it surpasses management salaries, IR need to hire extra people for RPU duties.

[Mark Gleeson]

Management check tickets before 9am and after 5pm, they do not check during office hours, 5am starts are not unusual. Its fairly common practice elsewhere, I've even seen managers being ticket checked by other managers in the evening.

Extra RPU staff are coming soon, its a case of getting as many bodies on the ground at peak hours to maximise detection.

We have long sought a firm fare evasion policy and staff on the ground to ensure you have to come face to face with someone on your journey. It has to reach the point where its clear the risk is not worth it.

It seems to be paying off with significant numbers of passengers being picked up with no tickets. A worrying trend is having a low value ticket (child/student) which will work the turnstiles to attempt to bypass that element of the fare evasion strategy.

This is very much a win win scenario, reductions in fare evasion deliver improvements to the bottom line, remove from the railway persons who evade who also would be an anti-social element and improves customer perceptions as there is a good chance of getting caught and also increased staff presence on the ground

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by markpb

Either those managers have a job to do which matches their salaries or they don't. If they have time to spare to check tickets, their management work is wasted. If the level of fare evasion is so high that it surpasses management salaries, IR need to hire extra people for RPU duties.

While it will depend on the situation, e.g. don't have the finance manager doing it the week the annual report is being published, it is useful to have senior management do front line duties on a regular basis. It means they have a better feel for what is happening on the ground, reduces divisions between management and staff and they get to hear from actual passengers and staff, not a filtered version of what others are telling them.

When, a long time ago, I worked in McDonalds, restaurant managers were obliged to do at least one night shift per month, on top of usual day and weekend shifts.

[Jamie2k9]

Extra RPU staff are coming soon, its a case of getting as many bodies on the ground at peak hours to maximise detection.

Surly off peak is more important as most people would take the chance over peak times.

Middle of the day when ticket offices at many stations close after the morning rush.

Take the good weather a few weeks ago, I could be well off the mark here but I would take a guess and say IE lost hundreds if not thousands on DART revenue.

[Jamie2k9]

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news...-29455487.html

Chief executive David Franks said that one recent blitz on the Dublin commuter network saw inspectors issue 108 penalty notices to people intending to travel, but without a ticket.

Some 75pc of the €100 penalty fares were paid, he said, adding that the company planned to raise €1.5m in additional funds this year by clamping down on fare evasion.

But the true extent of the problem could be far bigger than first believed, he admitted.

Ten more blitzes are planned over the coming weeks across the commuter, Dart and inter-city network.

6% of passengers don't pay well above the 1% they believed.

[Mark Gleeson]

The stats are pretty much exactly as I suggested some time back

http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showpo...5&postcount=33

[finnyus]

Hope the start hitting East Cork soon, especially between Glounthaune and Midleton - a few blitz checks are definitely required as well as checks at Cork Kent on arrival, prior to the gates being activated.