asdf wrote:

On 15 Aug 2006 14:43:07 -0700, Mizter T wrote:

As you've already highlighted "should" is the all important word there.
In my experience there are quite a few people who pile on the bus
despite getting their cards getting the rejection double-beep, and many
bus drivers don't do anything about it - in fact it seems to wash right
over them.

(snip)

Another one I've seen is to wave the card past the reader far too
quickly, so that it beeps with a communication error, and then walk on
into the bus.

I think that much of the time when that happens it could be put down to
accidental misuse as opposed to an intent to avoid paying, but perhaps
I'm being too generous there. Whatever the users intent though, the bus
driver should call them back and get them to reswipe their Oyster card
(and if said card is empty the passenger should pay by cash or alight
the bus).


Like you say, drivers often don't do anything about it. I sometimes
imagine them radioing ahead for a mobile ticket inspection team or BTP
to perform a swoop on the vehicle a few stops down the route, but this
never seems to actually happen - the perpetrators always get away with
it.

A pedantic point about policing - the British Transport Police, despite
their name (a result of the formation of the force under the auspices
of the then new British Transport Commission when many transport
operations were nationalised in 1948), they only police the railways -
as well as National Rail they also police some other systems such as
London Underground and Midland Metro, though others such as the Tyne &
Wear Metro are policed by the local force.

They don't police buses, airports, seaports or anything else. The
policing of bus services comes under the remit of the local police
force. In London policing of London bus services is done by the Met
Police's Transport Operational Command Unit (TOCU), which was set up in
2002 [1].The TOCU also polices Taxis & minicabs as well as the Red
Routes.

Anyway whilst I have seen inspectors checking tickets on services other
than bendy buses, it seems to be a relatively infrequent occurance -
the emphasis distincly appears to be on bendy bus routes. And I haven't
yet seen an inspector on a 'regular' bus accompanied by a police
officer - at least not a uniformed officer.