[VIC] Revenue protection [WAS [Melbourne] W-class trams]

["Sam Eades" <seades@bigpond.net.au>]

"Mike Alexander" <malex @ bigfoot com> wrote in message
3ab0bbdd@news.alphalink.com.au">news:3ab0bbdd@news.alphalink.com.au...
> Point taken. Although I expressed my frustration to him more as "this is
> what your company should do" rather than "this is what you should do".

Yeah, I understand what you mean... it is so easy to blame/express blame at
an employee when it is company policy.


> One big difference between a "conductor" and station staff is that a
connie
> could at least ask the person to leave the vehicle if they refuse to buy a
> ticket. Or ask the driver to not move the vehicle until the person got
off.
> I remember the old connies doing this, and the cries from fellow
passengers
> soon shamed the fare evader. I agree that the options for station staff
are
> much more limited.

True, but if the person refuses to leave, there is still nothing the connie
can do, as they are not allowed to actually touch the person. If the driver
waits too long, the company faces massive fines and it would have just been
more cost effective to let the lowlife travel for nothing.
I think that the only answer is to have a connie on EVERY tram, fully
trained in revenue protection, and accredited as a security guard, so that
they can fine and/or remove ppl as nesscesary. Also, to have 2 CSEs at EVERY
train station, whos main task is to check EVERY train arrival and fine
people who don't have a valid ticket/concession card. Also giving assistance
to passengers.


> But I agree, I though afterwards that he probably went home to his wife
and
> said "Jeez, you can't win, fine people and they hassle you, don't fine
> people and they hassle you" :-)

Probably! :-)


> But really, I wasn't agressive to him at all, but just let him know that I
> was dissatisfied with "the system".

That's ok, but it is still frustrating. Even though I'm sure you didn't mean
it to be, it probably still felt like a personal attack on him. Sometimes
the most well meaning comment can make you feel like mud.

Sam