Rip Off Public Transport

[jackdee]

ok, thought i'd take the train to work as i had a pay as you go OYSTER CARD and it would be cheaper.......
boy was i wrong....
took the underground to liverpool street using the card..cost about £4.20.
then took an overland train to waltham cross using oyster,,, wrong !!!
on the train a ticket inspector comes so i gave him my oyster. 'sorry but you cant use that on this service you have to buy a ticket, but its too late now so you have to pay a penalty fare £20-00. no if 's or but's pay £20-00.and you can write to the office to appeal it, which i did , got a letter back ,,
my fault for not checking before my journey if i could use oyster and should take it up with london transport.. so no refund. thanks a bunch.
ok so later i travel back to liverpool street with a valid ticket , and there it tells you over the speaker system if you began a journey using oyster you should end it and swipe the oyster again on the machine ..and did so.
it deducted £5-00 from the card even though i paid for the journey separately. wrote a letter to london transport about this,,,got a reply ' sorry for what happened but cannot refund your money as you did not use it properly and you should have cheked how to use it so no refund.
so the moral is PUBLIC TRANSPORT is a total rip off and i am all for the people who try to fare dodge,, as we the people who try to use it properly get screwed.
i'll stick to the car in future.

 

[Jolly1981]

There seems to be a culture of rip of the people who use trains to commute to and from their place of work.

Every week I grudgingly queue up in the train station with only one person serving, buy my weekly train ticket, squeeze (I'm a big guy, but even if I wasnt) myself into the train, they send round an inspector cause even though theres no room to move, then when I get to my desired station we all pile off. ( Why is even though I have stood the whole journey do the people who have had a seat try to force their way of first, I would happily swap them, I get their seat for the journey and they can get off first). Once you get off the train you are trapped in your platform and have to produce your ticket for the group of guards at the bottom, then fit through a tiny gap to escape.

I was lucky enough to start late today (unlucky enough to finish late), got to the train station at about 10ish, the place is hoatching with students and pensioners. The train comes, a bigger train than they put on in the morning, its at a nice temp, and there are loads of seats. The entire journey is great, the train goes faster than the morning train as well. No inspector comes, and no barriers. Whats it all about....... I wouldnt moan if the barriers were there all the time but there not, they are only there to capture the people who work 9 till the back of 5.

I am going to ask the boss to start work late every day so I can save my train fare.

anyforhow thats that off my chest.

cheers

stevie

 

[audiobookman]

I feel for you mate, i work for london underground (train operator) and i also fell foul of this stupid ticketing system, same as you i got on the train thinking nothing of it and got a £20 fine. Red Ken has shown his true colours with this, the service i took was always free on our previous tickets as it was inside london and ran paralllel to LU line. I wasnt best pleased.
As for being charged the extra £5 you could write again explaining that its nothing short of theft and you will take legal advice if you dont recieve a refund, they know the probs that ppl are having with oyster and mainline services (just listen to eddy and kath on london news and you will hear). BUT they should and will refund you if you shout loud enough, threaten the local papers if nessary the londoner loves running these.
Sorry to add salt to the wound but i did get a refund in the end (4months later), they dont accept oyster but should have accepted my staff pass. Even the fooking inspectors dont know what to do.
good luck matey, and dont forget "to get the best fair dont forget to touch......" agggghhhhhh.

 

[biffo1]

yea us brits seem to be paying out for more than any 1 , bloody tax and prices of petrol,