Why do railway passengers, especially commuters, get so angry about showing their ticket on the train?

Question

You all know you are going to be asked at some point, so have it to hand, and stop being so bloody rude

Answer 1

You don't seriously expect railway passengers to comply with such a simple request, surely?

If the train is on time, clean and has seats available they'd have nothing to moan about, so they make a big deal out of showing their tickets instead. What annoys me the most is the way some people never discard their used tickets: they cram them into their wallets, take them out one by one, read them, then eventually offer one which has probably been used anyway. In the time it takes to deal with one of these ignoramuses I could have checked the tickets in the rest of that carriage.

As for the person who has to show a ticket at the barrier at each end of their journey, don't assume that everyone on your train has a ticket. People come into main stations on other trains and don't have to pass the ticket barrier.

Answer 2

Never have a problem myself doing it.

Answer 3

because they think they are the only one on the train and that you'll remember them from this morning or yesterday or.....

Answer 4

Well in my case.... I cant get down to the platform without going through the ticket barrier THEN I cant get out at the other end without going through a ticket barrier..... And yet this goon still comes round checking tickets.....

Answer 5

Being daily commuters, some think that the ticket examiner should be knowing them for sure and then why the same exercise?

But some others think that if the ticket examiner was not asking them to show their tickets, they being regular commuters, they could have avoided buying the tickets !!!!

Answer 6

sometimes, passengers do not want to hand their ticket in, in hopes that they can get a free ride, and save the ticket for another trip, hence saving them a few dollars.  Trust me...i should know, i work for the railroad as a conductor

Answer 7

Agreed.  It is usual for the ticket to be checked at some stage, often the conducter announces on the tannoy that this will be the case, but many people still insist on not having their ticket to hand.  Instead, they spend ages fumbling about in a case or bag, and appear to take the request as a nuisance.

I do not know why this should be the case.  If you have bought a ticket, then if you don't get asked for it maybe you would be miffed.

Unfortunately, rudeness and bloody mindedness seem all too prevelant in todays society.

If I had my way, rude and obnoxious passengers should be banned from travelling by rail -  for life.  Rail staff should not have to put up with such c**p.

Answer 8

It's a matter of inconvenience.

In my experience on the GO Trains (Toronto, Ontario area commuter railway), 99% of the people are: sleeping; listening to a portable music player; reading; or chatting amongst fellow passengers.

They are usually comfortable, relaxed, and engrossed in whatever they're doing, and they don't take kindly to interruptions from the special constables asking to see their tickets.

Although you aren't required to show tickets at the station, pay at a turnstile or upon entry on the GO, I imagine commuters on systems that do practice this are irked that they're being asked a second time.  Mostly because they've been asked a second time, and also because they could construe it as being subtly accused of lying.