Re: Train Ticket inspectors,` abusing power!! (sorta)

["Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au>]

crosspost to aus.rail (aiming it at Vaughan Williams) added

"yehyeh" <alchemy_tri84@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:397ec15d@news.iprimus.com.au...
> And what should I include in the letter?
> is their any other things to do if that fails?
> send letter to whom?

Did not catch either of the first post, or the reply. So much for the news
server that I am paying $US10 a month for......

Basically, in most states, the regulations state the criteria as to who is
entitled to travel at the concessional rate without a concession authority.
If you wish to travel at concession fare, and you do not fall within that
criteria, then you need to be able to provide proof that you fall within
"other" criteria (such as being a student, pensioner, whatever that state
decides is worthy of a concession). This basically measn that some people
are entitled to concesions without proof (8 year old kids, for example) and
others need to provide proof (30 year old Disability Pensioners, for
example).

<SIDEBAR>
I have a major philosophical problem with the way they do things in
Victoria, such as forcing people to pay for concession cards. If they are
deserving of concession cards, they are obviously short of funds, so why
force them to pay for a concession card?
</SIDEBAR>

Based on this premise, as someone who is not in the age of automatic
entitlement for a concession fare (i.e. over 4 and under 15) you will have
to cop the fine for fare evasion. When I went to school (in NSW, the age is
16), the school went through all classes in years 9 and 10 and made sure
that everyone approaching 16 was aware of the changes that happened at age
16. Part of this was issuing concession passes to those aged 16 and over. We
were well aware of the differences that applied (because of the school we
went to).

As for the "feet on seat" infringement, most Gestapo I know (it is a pet
name for Sydney RPO's) are honourable people. If you file a notice to
dispute the infringement notice, then things *may* work out. The people I
know who work in that job are good people, they hate fare evaders as much as
I do, and they try and stamp it out.

BUT, they would not deliberately try and frame someone.

So try and fight it, and see what happens.

Dave

(Original post deliberately left in, so that aus.rail can see it)

> news.bigpond.com wrote in message ...
> >Get your parents to send a letter and they should let you off.....
> >
> >www.lexislegal.com
> >
> >
> >yehyeh <alchemy_tri84@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> >news:397e9669@news.iprimus.com.au...
> >> Ok heres the story, I was travelling on the train as I commonly do.  In
> >> victoria, some station near the city.   My friend and I aged 14, and
15,
> >had
> >> our tickets, vallidated and the works.  Ok we boarded the train and so
> did
> >> three heavily built ticket inspectors.
> >>
> >>     One from a New Zealand background, the other less heavily built
> seemed
> >> to be the smooth  talker of the unit, and the last a more geekish
looking
> >> one.
> >>
> >>    If you think I am writing an English essay I am not, I am just tryng
> to
> >> set the scene in the limited ammount of time, yet as best i can.
> >>
> >>     So heres the deal they started busting people without tickets we
> could
> >> have easily gotten off before they got to us yet we didn't as we
assumed
> >> what we had (our tickets, id all that was legit and fine) was
completely
> >> fine, nothing to hide.
> >>
> >>     Well ok it was finally our turn, we had been chattin to ourselves,
> >> minding our own business and they came up to us and we displayed our
> >tickets
> >> to him.   He checked them off and usually that would be that.  He then
> >asked
> >> us our ages and we said 14, and I said 15, so he asked to see my
> >concession
> >> id.
> >>
> >>     So I showed him 2 different types of id, school, and another id
which
> >i
> >> thought would be enough, as i said i wasn't aware that concession id
must
> >be
> >> used after your 15th birthday.  So he took my details and said you will
> >> receive a warning.
> >>
> >>     He also added he may call my parents but he didn;t really wanna do
> >that,
> >> he seemed really nice.  He told me don't worry you have nothing to
worry
> >> bout you won't be fined, just a warning, and took my ticket and said it
> >was
> >> policy.  So they took my ticket and he just said if you are caught
again
> >> travelling without concession id then you will be fined.  You've been
> >watned
> >> bye bye.
> >>
> >>     So that was a month or more ago.  And today i got home from school
> and
> >> guess what i found.  A JUICY, well 2 juicy $100 fines for each offence,
> >> $100 for not showing concession id, $100 for feet on the seat?  I dunno
> >> where he got that second one from?
> >>
> >>     So i am expected to pay $200 all up, ok i might not sound too much
> for
> >> higer paid lawyers or even people whom work full time, but for me it is
> it
> >> will take me 30hours of working to pay that off.  And half of it i neva
> >even
> >> commited..
> >>
> >>     So is there anythign i can do about it?  My idea is VCAT?
Victorian
> >and
> >> administrative tribunal!! or magistrates court yet i cant sfford to
take
> >it
> >> there really.
> >>
> >> SO ANY ADVICE WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
> >>
> >> My friend is a witness of this,
> >> my worry is of court that the ticket inspectors would stand up for each
> >> other therefore my evidence wouldn't be believed.
> >>
> >> SOme arguments i have?  I have been travelling on trains for some time
> >now?
> >> And neva been told i need concession id, i have always bought tickets,
So
> >> what is the point of me wasting all that money on tickets when i get
the
> >> same fine in the end ne how? Also how can they fine me for something i
> >neva
> >> did.  ?
> >>
> >> What kinda cost would it be to take it to magistrates court,
> >> what action would be taken if i dont pay the fine by the given date.
> >> Where legally do i stand?
> >>
> >> Thanks anonymous.
> >> email me at alchemy_tri84@hotmail.com
> >> if you can help out in some way?
> >> or just reply to post!!
> >> Thanks heaps..
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>