Adult buying a child train ticket

Sorry, that's complete nonsense. Train companies, like bus companies, don't actually lose that much money in the grand scheme of things; because the vast majority of costumers do pay the correct fare. It's only the odd one or two that try to weasel their way out of paying the correct fare. Barely a dent in their million pound profits - and yet they have the cheek to raise the fares onto we consumers?

That's greediness of behalf of the companies to raise the fares. They use that to hide this fact.

I'm not defending how greedy they are. But it is not one or two -my dad alone catches an average of 30 a month. £200 million is the conservative estimate of how much money is lost per year through fare evasion.

Obviously once you turn 16 you are classed as an adult and have to buy adult train tickets, which cost over twice as much. If you use trains regularly this really adds up. So when I turned 16 I just carried on buying child tickets and no one ever questioned me. Recently I have just turned 17 and I am still buying child train tickets. Even though I look significantly older than 15, I have still never been questioned.

So If I get caught, what is the worst that could happen? I think I am really pushing it now that I am 17 but I have still never been doubted when I buy the child ticket, or when the ticket checker checks it. If the consequences aren't that severe I will probably just carry on and see how long I can go.

So an average of 1 a day???? Say this person should have paid £10 for this train ticket? That's £10 a day lost due to fare evasion.

How do they work it out at £200 million? £10 x 365 = £3650.

Not condoning fare evasion, but I can understand it tbh. And I do agree that train fares are extortionate.

Case in point, tonight, my Dad gets back to Coventry from Inverness. The train would have cost £150 return. He ended up flying for £165 return. Ok, it's cheaper, slightly, but takes 5-6 times the time to travel, so logically should be 5-6 times cheaper.

So an average of 1 a day???? Say this person should have paid £10 for this train ticket? That's £10 a day lost due to fare evasion.

How do they work it out at £200 million? £10 x 365 = £3650.

Not condoning fare evasion, but I can understand it tbh. And I do agree that train fares are extortionate.

Case in point, tonight, my Dad gets back to Coventry from Inverness. The train would have cost £150 return. He ended up flying for £165 return. Ok, it's cheaper, slightly, but takes 5-6 times the time to travel, so logically should be 5-6 times cheaper.

Obviously once you turn 16 you are classed as an adult and have to buy adult train tickets, which cost over twice as much. If you use trains regularly this really adds up. So when I turned 16 I just carried on buying child tickets and no one ever questioned me. Recently I have just turned 17 and I am still buying child train tickets. Even though I look significantly older than 15, I have still never been questioned.

So If I get caught, what is the worst that could happen? I think I am really pushing it now that I am 17 but I have still never been doubted when I buy the child ticket, or when the ticket checker checks it. If the consequences aren't that severe I will probably just carry on and see how long I can go.

I'm not defending how greedy they are. But it is not one or two -my dad alone catches an average of 30 a month. £200 million is the conservative estimate of how much money is lost per year through fare evasion.

But how much do they get back from raising the prices, to penalise everyone else? I can assure you, £200m compared to how much others are penalised for it is small change.

I don't condone fare dodgers - it's unfair and, if nothing else, immoral. But, by the logic of the company, we are paying for other people's wrongdoing. How, then, is that fair?

If someone nicks a can of Coke from a shop that I own, do I put the price of other Coke cans to subsidise it? Of course I don't - I write it off. A crackdown on fare evasion is fine, absolutely - but making others pay for it is utterly, and abhorrently wrong.

that's one RPI and on the basis of those he catches not on the basis of the actual extent of fare evasion and fare fraud ...

as for the flying vs rail arguement - sorry that's utter rubbish and displays stunning naivety

No - my dad is one of the many employees they have. That's just how many he catches on average, on the route he is told to take. It doesn't cover every train the company runs, or every person.

Altogether, the estimate is 200 million. http://www.atoc.org/media-centre/latest-press-releases/excuses-please-200m-cost-of-fare-dodging-on-the-railways-figures-reveal-100621

I know they're expensive, but breaking the law isn't the answer. I understand why people do it, I'm just saying that it doesn't help in the long run.

care to explain why it's utter rubbish, rather than simply being insulting? the trains and airlines are really competitors on domestic routes - why shouldn't prices be comparable for comparable services?

I'm sorry, but that is the only way the company can afford to continue. Live with it, I'm afraid. It isn't fair, and it certainly isn't cheap, it's just realistic.

Also, of course they do. All shops, including big supermarkets, include the price of shoplifting and theft in whatever it is you're buying. They have to make sure they're not losing out.

care to explain why it's utter rubbish, rather than simply being insulting? the trains and airlines are really competitors on domestic routes - why shouldn't prices be comparable for comparable services?

the prices are comparable , unlike the previous poster who thought that flights from the west Midlands to the highlands should be 6 times cheaper than going by rail as it only takes an hour to fly ...

err, that previous poster was me and I was making a genuine point.

And the prices are not comparable for comparable services, it appears I have to highlight this for you to understand the point I was trying to make. The train is not a comparable service is it? It takes 5-6 times the time as going by air.

Please - Tell that to the millions of people all crying out for fairer price tickets.

Consumers don't mind at all paying the price for services - If they are fair. What we are seeing though is a deliberate, calculated lie of blaming fare dodgers as justification of putting the prices up - presumably to pay for the botched privatisation attempts in 2001. (I don't know train history - so that's just an assumption).

I do understand what you're saying, I appreciate how a company will raise the prices to cover it's losses - but there is absolutely no reason, other than profit and sheer greed, why train prices are so high. The fact is this is an ongoing argument that is backed by unions, who are saying that train drivers are being cut out of a fair deal and a slice of the profit pie.

If unions are on their back, you know something is wrong. This is partly about loss covering, and that's okay, a company is a company, their purpose is to make money - but to charge people through the nose for a train is an absolute disgrace. This has underhanded tactics; of making even more profit than what they have.

This is a management issue, fundamentally. If prices are going to go up, at least give us a better train service. The train service in Britain is appalling.



Yeah - but they pay fines and may even be prosecuted for it. Enlighten me - If somebody pays £1000, like train companies threaten us with if we are caught, how many train fares, or people more specifically, does that cover?

100, if they're all charged a tenner a ticket. In other words, the losses they make are subsided by these fines and the profit they already have on train tickets. We consumers should not be penalised further for this, end of.