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Fines on Public Transport

  • 26-06-2011 5:10pm
    #1
    barneysplash
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,205 ✭✭✭


    How do they enforce fines on public transport?

    I see a lot of people skipping onto the Luas without tickets.

    If a ticket-checker confronts them, what legal rights do they
    have to detain the person?

    Is it true that they are brought to court in all cases and they
    get a criminal record?


Comments

  • #2
    snappieT
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭snappieT


    Not an expert on the subject, but until someone else comes along, my understanding is:

    Luas ticket checkers do have the right to detain you on RPA property. This includes the trams and the off-street platforms (Charlemont, for example). There is debate over whether the on-street platforms (Stephen's Green) are public or RPA property.

    In most cases, you just pay the penalty fare and that's it. It's only those who unsuccessfully challenge or fail to pay that would end up in court, unsure of what record would be made.


  • #3
    goingnowhere
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,292 ✭✭✭goingnowhere


    barneysplash wrote: »
    How do they enforce fines on public transport?

    I see a lot of people skipping onto the Luas without tickets.

    If a ticket-checker confronts them, what legal rights do they
    have to detain the person?
    The power to detain upon the property of the railway is there, and all Luas platforms are RPA property
    Is it true that they are brought to court in all cases and they
    get a criminal record?
    If convicted you get a criminal record and may be sent to jail. the conviction rate is very high. Irish Rail get over 80%. Average fine is between 800-1000 euro.


  • #4
    Terrontress
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,918 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    People in Ireland are used to convictions being fairly difficult as, if it were left to the DPP, these criminal convictions would never see the light of day. Irish Rail pursue the cases themselves, incurring the costs, making the courts uphold the railway bye-laws.

    I am not sure about Ireland but in the UK any fines imposed go to the exchequer rather than back to the company.


  • #5
    barneysplash
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,205 ✭✭✭barneysplash


    The ticket checkers don't look too intimaditing, but those STT Rail
    Security guys look like they'd be able to handle physical situations.


  • #6
    goingnowhere
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,292 ✭✭✭goingnowhere


    Terrontress wrote: »
    People in Ireland are used to convictions being fairly difficult as, if it were left to the DPP, these criminal convictions would never see the light of day. Irish Rail pursue the cases themselves, incurring the costs, making the courts uphold the railway bye-laws.

    Not the bye-laws - all fare evasion cases are under the provision of the Rail Safety Act 2005


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  • #7
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    goingnowhere wrote: »
    all fare evasion cases are under the provision of the Rail Safety Act 2005

    fare evasion is a safety issue:confused:
    lol


  • #8
    Victor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,580 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    barneysplash wrote: »
    I see a lot of people skipping onto the Luas without tickets.
    Lots of people have weekly / monthly / annual tickets, so you don't actually know they don't have a ticket.

    Cookie_Monster wrote: »
    fare evasion is a safety issue:confused:
    lol
    Indirectly. However, the point is that some miscellaneous matters were added to the railway Safety Act instead of creating a whole new act with only one section.


  • #9
    clever_name
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 462 ✭✭clever_name


    goingnowhere wrote: »
    The power to detain upon the property of the railway is there, and all Luas platforms are RPA property

    This has come up before and I am still curious about it, as most of the Luas platforms are also public footpaths, once you disembark are you not on a public street where the RPA have no authority?

    I ask because I have seen several ticket inspectors ask people for tickets only for them to get off at the next stop and walk away without any interference. Could also be that the inspector did not have any security with them.


  • #10
    Terrontress
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,918 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    clever_name wrote: »
    This has come up before and I am still curious about it, as most of the Luas platforms are also public footpaths, once you disembark are you not on a public street where the RPA have no authority?

    I ask because I have seen several ticket inspectors ask people for tickets only for them to get off at the next stop and walk away without any interference. Could also be that the inspector did not have any security with them.

    On top of that, Luas stations which are separated from the road, e.g, Ranelagh, have a ticket machine on them so it is therefore permissible to be on them without a ticket so I can't see how they can punish someone having come off a tram there.


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