Created: 01 Feb 2004
Returning from Winchester, where I’d been staying with Sally, I managed to catch one of those rare beasts: a direct train from Winchester to Havant. The train was composed of two ‘sprinter’ type trains joined together. There is no way to pass between the front train and the rear train and the guard was in the rear train. Being a respectable fare-paying passenger I boarded the rear carriages and went to purchase my ticket from the guard.
A few minutes later I saw the amusing spectacle of the guard waiting outside the toilet for a passenger who, in an attempt to avoid paying for a ticket, had taken refuge inside. Inevitably he ended up paying for his ticket and, I hope, a £10 penalty fare too.
Now, if you were hoping to avoid paying a fare, which part of the train would you have chosen to occupy? The part manned by a guard, checking that passengers had valid tickets, or the unmanned front half of the train? I suspect that, should I decide to take up a career evading paying fares for public transport, I would make a rather better job of it than this fool.