Here's the problem with fare fraud

Conway635

http://www.herald.ie/news/courts/carpet-fitter-in-fake-pass-row-abused-bus-inspector-29488707.html

So he got caught evading his fare in a systematic way AND was abusive to staff AND had previous convictions including public order offences but STILL managed to walk away with just a suspended sentence.

So imagine how much less consequence there is for people commiting routine fare fraud without the abuse of staff.

C635

Corkbah

cue bleeding hearts brigade ... but ...but ... he had just lost a family member !!

courts are too light in my opinion and he is only the tip of the iceberg.

bmaxi

Corkbah wrote: »

cue bleeding hearts brigade ... but ...but ... he had just lost a family member !!

courts are too light in my opinion and he is only the tip of the iceberg.

It's the old chestnut of drinking too much or abusing drugs being offered and worse, accepted, as an excuse for anti social behaviour and criminality.

Vahevala

So what is the point in paying for my ticket when they let people away with having a fake pass and be threatening.

The courts need to put a signal out that this isn't acceptable.

AlekSmart

bmaxi wrote: »

It's the old chestnut of drinking too much or abusing drugs being offered and worse, accepted, as an excuse for anti social behaviour and criminality.

Only the tip of a very large Iceberg...

I note the creative and somewhat evasive use of language in relation to Mr Thorpe's accquisition of the Free Pass...

after he was found with the false pass that he got from a man while in financial difficulties.

He got into a conversation with a man who offered him the pass. He was in financial difficulties and accepted it.

Do,when all is said and done,it's not this lads fault at all...it's the fault of this mysterious Free Pass Fairy who goes about the land "Offering" Free Passes to the needy.....

NB: The DSP Statistical Information bulletin for 2012 is now available,and,as ever It makes for interesting reading...

http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/Social%20Stats%20AR%202012_Final.pdf

The Total Number of Free Travel Passes issued has,as expected,risen further to....754,731.

This means an additional 28,320 persons have been enrolled into the scheme,which has also seen a 0.1% reduction in its budget since 2011 (€75,597,000 down to €75,518,000).....This is creative accounting at it's very best and perhaps illustrates why Minister Burton is now being forced to come at the issue from a different angle.....

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/revealed-govt-plan-to-cut-old-age-pension-29489715.html

Meanwhile,the same DSP continues to resoutely refuse to consider policing it's own Free Travel Scheme,preferrring instead to await the full issuance of the new-style DSP Services Card,a process proceeding at the breakneck speed oc approx 200 Units per week...lets see now.....754,321 divided by 200......Oh never mind....Manana,as the Spaniards might say ?

hfallada

OP what do we do then? Put him in a prison for 2 months ( each prisoner costs the tax payer roughly €80,000 per year) for something he probably wont do again as it states he has already stuck to his probation in the past. Although I do think he should have been fined but he most likely probably wouldnt have paid anyway.

The travel pass need to be like a drivers licence style card like in the US with bar code that can be scanned to see if they are real. It might be expensive at first but pass the cost onto the users of the card over time. I dont know anywhere in Europe where student pretty much pay full fare( 25% off is crap compared to 50%off in other EU countries) but OAPs and people on disability benefit get travel for free.

AlekSmart

hfallada wrote: »

OP what do we do then? Put him in a prison for 2 months ( each prisoner costs the tax payer roughly €80,000 per year) for something he probably wont do again as it states he has already stuck to his probation in the past. Although I do think he should have been fined but he most likely probably wouldnt have paid anyway.

The travel pass need to be like a drivers licence style card like in the US with bar code that can be scanned to see if they are real. It might be expensive at first but pass the cost onto the users of the card over time. I dont know anywhere in Europe where student pretty much pay full fare( 25% off is crap compared to 50%off in other EU countries) but OAPs and people on disability benefit get travel for free.

Hfallada...The DSP's current position is to do NOTHING.

It's working party on the New "Chipped" Social Services Card is still deliberating whether to actually require it to be Validated on each use OR to continue to use it in "Flash Pass", tap the breast pocket, mode.

This is the sort of dilemma the DSP see themselves in.....rather than any real issues of the Scheme itself being on the verge of collapse under the weight of "Fake Documents" and commercial level marketing of such items....:(