Heavy handedness of DART ticket inspectors

***Long story but please read all to understand the situation***

My mother regularly uses and pays for the DART in the mornings from Bayside to Howth station.

Currently at Bayside station there is building works so there is no proper ticket selling facilities or ticket turnstiles in the station. They currently use a portakabin to sell tickets from. There is a window they sell the tickets from and there is a small half circular gap in this window they exchange money and tickets through.

Ok my mother goes to the station this morning and sees that there is a wooden plank lowered covering the gap. I have seen this on many occasions (including around the 9 am period) This is a signal that no one is selling tickets or there to sell tickets as 99% of people would comprehend this. I have never once seen anyone go and knock on this window when the wooden plank is down. Anyone would interpret that they aren't open for business. There is also no one ever checking that people have purchased their tickets in the morning so I can only presume that many people take the DART from here without a valid ticket.

So my mother goes over just before 9 to take the DART to Howth and the wooden plank is down. Anyone would interpret that this means no one is there so pay at your destination. My mother knows that the DART is due in 2 minutes so she is left with no other choice but to enter the station (no one checking tickets once again). She takes the DART to Howth and plans to pay at the station. (I have seen countless amounts of people pay the ticket inspectors on arrival at Tara Stret station)

So there about 3 inspectors there. They ask her for her ticket and she tells them about the situation which I mentioned above and offers to pay here fare. One of the inspectors takes her to one side and asks for her name and address. (They had a book with people's names and adresses so to prevent people giving false names but surely having private information like this is a violation of people's privacy and personal information) So she asks what is going on and this inspector accuses my mother of being a fare evader! :mad: She told them what exactly what the situation was but they ignored. They stated that this portakabin is always opened (with a plank covering the opening of the sales booth regularly we all know who's telling the truth here). They phone Bayside station and ask them were they there and they say ''yes''. (They are well known for being slack at Bayside station and being hardly there on many occasions to note)

So after this phone call Mr. Ticket Inspector says as that my mother is a ''fare evader''. :mad: My mother got hugely upset over this for obvious reasons and this ticket inspector insinuates my mother of hallucinating over the booth not being open! :mad: He also suggests to my mother ''are you suffering from any worries?'' My mother is in tears and embarrased as people are walking by and looking at the situation. She pleads the situation looking for some common sense to no avail. He also strangley asks my mother for a ticket she have had from yesterday. My mother thankfully did because she isn't a regular ''fare evader'' like that inspector likes to make out. This ticket inspector takes my mother's details from this mysterious book of people's names and says he is going down to Bayside station. My mother rightly stands up for herself and says she wants to go down.

So they go down to Bayside, my mother being horded around as if she was ''criminal''. When they arrive at Bayside station guess what? Wooden plank is covering the gap again! My mother points this out to Mr. Inspector. So they go in and there is the sellers inside the booth but gap not open to sell tickets? They say that they were there in the morning and make excuses such as that gap is down because it ''gets too cold'' etc crap like that (surely working in inappropriate cold conditions is against workers right isn't it not?) If people or a shop are doing business they make themselves look open, they didn't.

My mother is told that her name has been taken and she will be fined. My mother states an hour of her time has been wasted and she is late for work. Mr Ticket Inspector again wrongly accuses my mother of being a ''fare evader'' by saying she shouldn't tell her employer over quote ''what she has done'' :mad:

My mother is not a ''fare evader'' as anyone with any cop on or knowledge would realise after reading this. Bayside station is far too easily open to fare evasion and my mother is a victim of Bayside station's inept ticket selling and the ticket inspectors egotistical attiude and picking on of my mother. His treatment of her I find absolutely dispicable and if I was there I would have hit the roof!

My mother is understandably refusing to pay her unwarranted fine. I have been on DARTs before and i have seen inspectors catch people without tickets and letting these individuals pay on the train. I've seen people pay the inspectors at Connolly Station and Tara Street on endless occassions. Surely the couldn't have as good logical reason as my mother could they? They have picked on and bullied my mother this morning to make it look they are doing their jobs. Any person with cop on, coomon sense and a bit of intelligent understanding would easily realise that my mother is not a fare evader and is a victim of circumstances.

My mother is not paying the fine and if taken to court will fight her case for which I believe DART have absolutely NOTHING ON HER. My mother is considering taking the dispicable and unwarranted treatment of her further.

What are your opinions on this situation? From what I have said (and every single word the truth) there is only one conclusion anyone can come to to.
So do you think DART has a case?
Does my mother have anything to take this further?
What about this book/records of people's personal information? Is that legal?
What about Bayside stations poor conditions regards to ticket selling/policing and workers working in insatisfactory conditions which results in them shutting down their selling booth?

I am outraged and I want DART shamed to the highest degree.