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Plain clothes Luas inspectors

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  • 07-07-2008 10:45pm
    #1
    patrickc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,877 ✭✭✭


    I was on the luas this morning and two people got on and stood in front of me, thought they were just normal customers, but as soon as the tram started moving they took out id badges and smart card readers and asked everyone for their tickets, they also had dictaphones with them and asked everyone their starting and finishing destination and recorded this.

    is this to stop people jumping off when they see the normally well visible inspectors, or was it just a survey on luas usage?

    a few stops later normal luas inspectors got on too and checked tickets as normal.


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    #2
    MadsL
    Registered Users Posts: 20,299 ✭✭✭✭MadsL


    And thats how it should be done....(the way the rest of Europe does it, now all we need is to be able to buy tickets in newagents and validate them on the tram instead of those stupid machines that take four hours to print a ticket!)

    On a related note try and find Kontroll a hungarian movie about metro tiket inspectors - it's pure genius, one of the best comedies I have every seen (its also a murder mystery) I'm sure it is lurking on the interweb somewhere.


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    #3
    patrickc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,877 ✭✭✭patrickc


    MadsL wrote: »
    And thats how it should be done....(the way the rest of Europe does it, now all we need is to be able to buy tickets in newagents and validate them on the tram instead of those stupid machines that take four hours to print a ticket!)

    On a related note try and find Kontroll a hungarian movie about metro tiket inspectors - it's pure genius, one of the best comedies I have every seen (its also a murder mystery) I'm sure it is lurking on the interweb somewhere.

    must look out for that film. i agree it's how it should be done also, but why were they recording destinations?


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    #4
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Usage survey, they need to know what kind of journeys people on multi-trip multi-zone tickets actually do I guess.


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    #5
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    MYOB wrote: »
    Usage survey, they need to know what kind of journeys people on multi-trip multi-zone tickets actually do I guess.
    No, the ticket inspecters can match the voice with the digital smart card reading when they scan it. If the person mentions a destination and then tags out at a later stage it is already on record and that person can be prosecuted.


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    #6
    patrickc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,877 ✭✭✭patrickc


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    No, the ticket inspecters can match the voice with the digital smart card reading when they scan it. If the person mentions a destination and then tags out at a later stage it is already on record and that person can be prosecuted.

    why did they record me so with an annual pass?


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    #7
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    No, the ticket inspecters can match the voice with the digital smart card reading when they scan it. If the person mentions a destination and then tags out at a later stage it is already on record and that person can be prosecuted.

    Off to conspiracy theories with you...

    What, pray tell, could they be prosecuted for? Tagging off at a later stage still means they've paid the full fare for the entire journey. Lying to a market researcher isn't a crime or a civil offence.

    Anyway, they use the voice recorders to record *themselves* saying where the journey is after having checked the ticket.

    So, if you'd like to continue this: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576


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    #8
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    patrickc wrote: »
    why did they record me so with an annual pass?
    So you don't feel left out.

    I imagine that if they didn't bother recording you, and then went to the next person who happened to be a woman/black/chinese/pink/turquoise, then they'd be claimed harrassment or discrimination.


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    #9
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    MYOB wrote: »
    Off to conspiracy theories with you...

    What, pray tell, could they be prosecuted for? Tagging off at a later stage still means they've paid the full fare for the entire journey. Lying to a market researcher isn't a crime or a civil offence.

    Anyway, they use the voice recorders to record *themselves* saying where the journey is after having checked the ticket.

    So, if you'd like to continue this: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576
    Can you give me any other possible reason for inspectors to be carrying dictaphones other than retaining recordings that could be used in a court of law. They are hardly discussing the weather or interviewing new recruits :rolleyes:


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    #10
    paulm17781
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,858 ✭✭✭paulm17781


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    Can you give me any other possible reason for inspectors to be carrying dictaphones other than retaining recordings that could be used in a court of law. They are hardly discussing the weather or interviewing new recruits :rolleyes:

    You can't use a recording like that in a court of law. They are not inspectors, they are market researchers.

    As said above http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576


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    #11
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    paulm17781 wrote: »
    You can't use a recording like that in a court of law. They are not inspectors, they are market researchers.

    As said above http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576
    "market researchers" with id badges and smart card readers. :rolleyes: ROFL


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    #12
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    They cannot issue fines. They are market researchers with ID to prove who they are.

    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576

    Now go and stop bugging us here.


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    #13
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    MYOB wrote: »
    They cannot issue fines. They are market researchers with ID to prove who they are.

    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576

    Now go and stop bugging us here.
    The OP said that they took out id badges and smart card readers and asked everyone for their tickets, I am getting a bit confused here. :confused:


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    #14
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    They are market researchers, they took out ID badges to show who they are (as are you going to show your ticket to a stranger? probably not) and smart card readers so they could see where people had been tagging on. You wouldn't even have to tell them details if you didn't want to.


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    #15
    patrickc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,877 ✭✭✭patrickc


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    The OP said that they took out id badges and smart card readers and asked everyone for their tickets, I am getting a bit confused here. :confused:

    they did just that
    MYOB wrote: »
    They are market researchers, they took out ID badges to show who they are (as are you going to show your ticket to a stranger? probably not) and smart card readers so they could see where people had been tagging on. You wouldn't even have to tell them details if you didn't want to.

    as I said normal inspectors got on shortly afterwards, so very possible they were market researchers

    i don't get why they hid their badges and the readers until the tram was moving though?


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    #16
    Traffic
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 371 ✭✭Traffic


    Call: Luas Customer Care Freefone on 1800 300 604 and ask them


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    #17
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    MadsL wrote: »
    On a related note try and find Kontroll a hungarian movie about metro tiket inspectors - it's pure genius, one of the best comedies I have every seen (its also a murder mystery) I'm sure it is lurking on the interweb somewhere.
    http://www.kontrollfilm.hu/


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    #18
    paulm17781
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,858 ✭✭✭paulm17781


    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    "market researchers" with id badges and smart card readers. :rolleyes: ROFL

    You see, inspectors have uniforms and don't carry dictaphones. Market researchers are the opposite of both of these. I've seen them several times and do you know what? You can object to them seeing your ticket.

    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576

    They are given the card readers to check if tickets are validated, they have no power to fine but RPA are probably using it to see what % aren't invalidated.

    You can't use a dictaphone in a court of law to prove anything unless the person admits it is them or agrees to be recorded.

    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576

    Did you know every post you make here can be tracked to where you are?

    Go to http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576 and talk about it.


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    #19
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    paulm17781 wrote: »

    Did you know every post you make here can be tracked to where you are?
    As If i did not know that,:rolleyes:

    Unless you are on the move using several internet cafe's and a seperate profile handels and not using the same PCs for e-mailing and on line purchases you should be fine. Your mobile phone can pinpoint your exact location within 12 feet every time you make a call or send a text message and if they really wanted to catch you they can pinpoint your mobile phone to within 12 feet even if it is switched off. (Used only in exceptional circumstances)


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    #20
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=576

    Please stop blibbering in here.


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    #21
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,257 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Run_to_da_hills relax, go phone Luas.

    The rest of you - lay off.


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    #22
    green_onions
    Closed Accounts Posts: 65 ✭✭green_onions


    Right folks just to clarify a few things, the people who do this are conducting market research on behalf of the RPA in relation to types of journeys made and types of tickets used. The Dictaphones are used purely for recording of the information so it can be turned into statistics more easily and a hell of a lot handier than writing it down after every person. The have absolutely nothing to do with and are completely seperate from Veolia inspectors.
    paulm17781 wrote: »
    They are given the card readers to check if tickets are validated, they have no power to fine but RPA are probably using it to see what % aren't invalidated.

    paulm, you've hit the nail on the head there about the readers and yes they have no power to fine as they are not inspectors.

    However yes they considered by the RPA to be an "Authorised Person", see condition 2 on the back of every ticket and smart card, to view your ticket and you must show it to them to prove you have one, anything after that is purely voluntary.


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