irish rail and the broken ticket machines...

I_Love_Tomatoes

Anyone got an educated opinion on this? (Preferably a legally sound one!)

My missus went to the train station in coolmine to get her weekly return ticket to Pearse this morning. One machine was working. There were about 15 people in the queue for the working machine. As a result, she and a few others just got on the train when it arrived, presumably with the intention of buying a ticket in Pearse. I do this all the time when I find myself in that situation. It is rare that both machines are working on the canal side in Coolmine station... as a result I have often paid when I got off in Connolly.

Today, the good chap working in Pearse decided to slap a €50 fine on her when she presented herself for payment. He looked up the address to check she wasn't lying and got quite ratty with her when He didn't see her name on some database, and he mentioned my name as being at that address, to which she replied "he's my future husband"... to which he replied "i don't think so"... to which she replied "well here's my ring". Lovely customer service. Just lovely. Classy people working in Pearse station obviously. Screw the honest one.

Anyway apart from the ethical issue of slapping a fine on someone who presents herself for payment, who didn't buy a ticket because of a sh1t ticket machine system (again... I do it all the time), can we quote any bit of legal drivel which might get her off the hook in terms of paying the fine? I intend writing a stinker of a letter, but need a precedence or quote from somewhere to state that she did the right thing. The double standards are what make me rile here... and his attitude. Pretty woeful really... but not really surprising - I've had one or two funny conversations with them in stations myself after getting on in the likes of Broombridge, where the same spectacular ticketing technology was introduced about 1 year ago. And there is nobody manning that station...

Cookie_Monster

I_Love_Tomatoes wrote: »

but need a precedence or quote from somewhere to state that she did the right thing.

She got on a train without paying because she couldn't have been bothered queueing the two minutes for a perfectly working machine, how is this "doing the right thing"?

I_Love_Tomatoes

Understood. Yes, the wrong thing is that she didn't pay because she couldn't be bother queuing for about another 10 minutes, possibly 13 minutes, by which time two trains would have passed. (time estimates based on about 40-60 seconds per person in case you're wondering...). If both machines worked, divide by 2.

So why do they let me get away with this all the time?

Cookie_Monster

I_Love_Tomatoes wrote: »

So why do they let me get away with this all the time?

Probably because you're a man and more likely to get a bit uppity about it and they'd rather not deal with that IMO.
You can qoute your past experience(s) in the letter for reference I suppose

I_Love_Tomatoes

Excellent - thanks for that. I'm not alone so. I can understand that they're only doing their job, but in fairness claiming a monday-friday commuter is deliberately dodging their fare makes me question their ability to judge people (and their rationale for different approaches for dealing with different people)

I_Love_Tomatoes

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Probably because you're a man and more likely to get a bit uppity about it and they'd rather not deal with that IMO.
You can qoute your past experience(s) in the letter for reference I suppose

heh heh... sure we'll throw in sexual discrimination too so while we're at it!

hobochris

I_Love_Tomatoes wrote: »

Excellent - thanks for that. I'm not alone so. I can understand that they're only doing their job, but in fairness claiming a monday-friday commuter is deliberately dodging their fare makes me question their ability to judge people (and their rationale for different approaches for dealing with different people)

Also without proof that you regularly dodge fairs I'd think there's a case there for slander.

I_Love_Tomatoes

hobochris wrote: »

Also without proof that you regularly dodge fairs I'd think there's a case there for slander.

Another great one... thanks!

mlelsc

Coolmine Station is an utter disaster! I totally identify with the comments about the ticketing machines there too. People queuing at the one machine as the other one isn't working....train due and no possible hope of being able to get on it if one hasn't purchased a ticket and planning on then purchasing it at the end of their journey.
I even go so far as to call the abysmal service that is supplied due to lack of carriages because our forward thinking planners designed platforms that are way too short...hence passengers have to board 'The Mumbai Expresses' into Dublin city sandwiched unbearably tightly together. The lucky folks who board first from outer lying stations are what I call the sandwiches....the rest of us are the filling in the sandwich! If a person faints and I am sure that this must have happened umpteem times; & their only saving grace is that they wont collapse onto the floor where they could be crushed due to the lack of space that we the general public pay for.
On big match days traveling into Croke Pk is a nightmare and god help any persons with a disability or wheelchair user as there is no possible way that they could even contemplate using this service.
I would even go so far as to say that we should clamber up on to the roof of these over crowded trains....as they do in India!....hence my earlier name of calling these trains 'Mumbai Expresses' because this to me would be the only possible solution of highlighting our issues to the 'powers that be'
It's about time that we the people of Ireland woke up....... We need to voice and express our opinions and if necessary get out and march and demand change!