Dart fine - any tips for appealing?

Terry · 07-10-2007 10:45am

obl wrote:

No way that I'd pay a fine to a company which provides the WORST public transport of any European capital city (most expensive, most infrequent...) for what was an honest mistake.

Just out of curiosity, have you been to all ~44 European capital cities?

LadyE · 07-10-2007 2:11pm

This happended with me - before the new ticket machines about 2 years ago, I had to use the ramp at the other side of the station because I couldnt make it over the steps (not where the ticket desk is) every single day I used to pay the other side - every time. This one time there was a bloke at the gate withhis big red book. I wasnt in the book, he took my passport number and sent me a fine of 25euro. I sent a letter, they sent one back saying fine still stood.

They took me to court, I won

Happy days for me. Ive since got a car.

lostexpectation · 07-10-2007 5:01pm

do tell us more ladye, or have you posted about it before...

I always wondered why they don't make raheny station bigger, perhaps incorporating the large old station building there at the platform perhaps a kiosk shop too.

MrVostro · 07-10-2007 5:23pm

So what happens if you have no ID and are not in that red book?

Victor · 07-10-2007 5:53pm

MrVostro wrote:

So what happens if you have no ID and are not in that red book?

www.garda.ie if necessary.

mikemac · 07-10-2007 5:55pm

MrVostro wrote:

So what happens if you have no ID and are not in that red book?

The same thing that happened Sonny Corleone in The Godfather

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLj0__JYgfw

tolosenc · 07-10-2007 5:55pm

Terry wrote:

Just out of curiosity, have you been to all ~44 European capital cities?

Most of the EU ones, and I'm just making communism based assumptions/Swiss stereotypes about the others...

L1011 · 07-10-2007 8:47pm

obl wrote:

Most of the EU ones, and I'm just making communism based assumptions/Swiss stereotypes about the others...

Berne's transport is better than Dublin, and the ex-communist ones I've been too are also... if we add collective experience together here we might get something!

matt-dublin · 08-10-2007 10:32am

OP, i think if you are self employed, and getting the dart everyday,

you should just pay the fine, and go to www.taxsavers.ie where you'll save money on monthly tickets and your fine will be paid for in two months by your ticket savings.

my two cents

UpcomingStudent · 08-10-2007 2:51pm

their fault, end of story.

matt-dublin · 08-10-2007 3:05pm

UpcomingStudent wrote:

their fault, end of story.

not quite, if there were ques, that means there was someone thre to serve tickets.

technically, the op should have waited in the que instead of being impatient and risking a fine by getting on the train in the first place.

I think IE have told their staff to issue more fines recently as i've seen them issuing them in pearse st quite a lot recently. The open gates in Dart stations are for disabled access, not public use. hence why you have to pass through the turnstiles or ticket readers.

Sidane · 08-10-2007 11:16pm

Wow this is still going?

No letter as yet but if IE's fine processing system is as prompt and efficient as their train service, I shouldn't really be expecting it until next month.

Anyway, I still feel aggrieved by the fact that I was completely honest about the situation, walked up to the guy with 1.70 in my hand to pay for the ticket and got slapped with a fine.

If I was trying to dodge the fare then I'd have no complaints whatsoever. A bit of decency on their part would have been nice to see - they were always willing to do it in the past, I don't see why they have to go all gestapo now.

Anyway, if I get fined I get fined. Time to wrap this topic up I think

keen · 09-10-2007 12:24pm

I feel your pain OP, I was in that queue on the day you got nabbed, wasn't in a mad rush that morning so didn't mind missing the first train and getting the next one.

But it is a bit unfair the way Raheny station only ever has one member of staff taking fares and giving out tickets in the morning when you consider how busy a station it is every morning, especially when you consider that them ticket machines are always breaking down.

Sidane · 10-10-2007 4:54pm

The plot thickened yesterday as I was getting the train home from Tara about 19:30. I walked up to put my ticket through the validation machine and what do I see - one of the staff taking fare money from two people who didn't have tickets.

I took a picture of it and will be sending a print out in my appeals letter if the fine does comes through my door.

Double standards or what :mad:

mikedragon32 · 10-10-2007 5:36pm

Sidane wrote:

The plot thickened yesterday as I was getting the train home from Tara about 19:30. I walked up to put my ticket through the validation machine and what do I see - one of the staff taking fare money from two people who didn't have tickets.

I took a picture of it and will be sending a print out in my appeals letter if the fine does comes through my door.

Double standards or what :mad:

Perhaps they were coming from a station where the machines are broken and the staff knew about it?

My €0.02: It's the Dart, not the Sligo to Dublin train. It's not a case of miss the train coming into the platform now and I'll be 2 hours waiting for the next one. I'd guess the longest duration between trains into town from Raheny at peak times is less than 20 minutes...

The onus is on you to ensure you have the correct ticket for your journey before you commence it. Of course if there is no way to get a ticket then exceptions can and should be made. You were just lazy and presumptious in figuring that you knew better and now you have a nice fine to look forward to.

The advice meted out to people on the Motors Forum when they ask for advice about avoiding points/fines applies here too: Take your medicine.

Laslo · 10-10-2007 6:46pm

God, what a smack in the face. Having to tolerate a crappy, third world public transport system for so long and then they try and fine you for it? Just don't pay the fine. You had the decency to try and pay your fare. Your conscience is clear. I don't think they'll go to the trouble of taking you to court.

madds · 10-10-2007 7:52pm

Sidane wrote:

The plot thickened yesterday as I was getting the train home from Tara about 19:30. I walked up to put my ticket through the validation machine and what do I see - one of the staff taking fare money from two people who didn't have tickets.

I took a picture of it and will be sending a print out in my appeals letter if the fine does comes through my door.

Double standards or what :mad:

Had a similar occurrence in Connolly last year. Went to pay on the far end but I was passed to yer man who was issuing fines. Got the name of the guy who ran the dept who issued the fines, and rang him from work that morning explaining the situation to him. "Well your fine has already been placed on the system so we can't remove you".

Couple of days later I spotted some of his colleagues accepting payment at the same gate in Connolly. Cue a letter to the head guy above threatening legal action if a fine found its way to my home address.

That fine never did arrive.

LadyE · 10-10-2007 7:52pm

lostexpectation wrote:

do tell us more ladye, or have you posted about it before...
I always wondered why they don't make raheny station bigger, perhaps incorporating the large old station building there at the platform perhaps a kiosk shop too.

No havent posted about it before - what do you want to know?

lostexpectation · 10-10-2007 9:52pm

LadyE wrote:

No havent posted about it before - what do you want to know?

how did you get off the fine in court...

cailinoBAC · 11-10-2007 12:23am

I know in past years when I was late for a train at Skerries I might run onto the platform, jump onto the train and pay at the other end. And when I heard about people getting on the spot fines of €50 in January and February I thought it was harsh. But the fine has been in place for ten months now. If you are a regular commuter (or if you ever read the Metro) I can't believe you wouldn't know that.

I don't know what time stations close, but if you're travelling late at night certain stations are closed and you have to pay at the other end. 19.30 sounds a bit early, but as was mentioned before, there might have been other reasons.

LadyE · 11-10-2007 12:48am

lostexpectation wrote:

how did you get off the fine in court...

I just went prepared. Took copies of the letters I had sent, explained the situation fairly. Silly DART man got the date wrong so the judge )she) didnt take him serious after that.

There were alot of people who got €500 fines and court costs to pay.

At court there was about 15 DART people there - very intimidating having to stand up while they are all looking at you to state why you didnt have a bloody ticket that morning. In the court there are also Luas employees and Bus Eirron employees, for similar cases.

Its all abit silly really. As the OP stated, they pick and choose when they let you pay at the other end. But the guys with the book are the fare dodgers people. I think they go from station to station (rotation basis) if a normal DART employee is at the gate - he lets you pay but these special (ykwim) employees are there then you are fecked.

The judge did ask everyone tho were you given the option to pay to every single person in the court (which most people wern't) and if you were not given the option then your fine was less. Most 500euro fines went to smartasses and non-attendees.

Oh and a girl (who the dart people didnt even have her fixed address (a homeless persons hotel)- just her name!) didnt show and she got a fine too. Dont know how they were to impose that one!

Dart fine - any tips for appealing?

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