Monday, June 24, 2013

Gather round kiddies, it's story time!

This wonderfully penned account comes from JC:

So the fare checkers caught a brazen fare jumper this week. When they approached her quad, which was across from mine, she closed her eyes and acted like she was either sleeping or listening really intently to her music.

Officer: Excuse me, Miss.
*no response*
Officer: EXCUSE ME!
*her seat mate nudges her*
Deadbeat: Oh my God! What? (at three times the normal volume)
Officer: May I see your ticket, please?
Deadbeat: Huh? (Annoyed, hostile)
Officer: Ticket, please.
Deadbeat: For what?
Officer: I need to see your ticket for the train ride.
Deadbeat: Why?
Officer: This is a fare check. May I see your ticket, please.
*Deadbeat roots around in her bag for ages*
Deadbeat: I'm looking for it. Just come back to me.
Officer: That's okay. I'll wait. (Pleasantly)
*Deadbeat rolls eyes and sighs loudly. She eventually produces a battered Durham Transit bus pass and flashes it at the officer for one second before trying to shove it into her bag.*
Officer: That's a Durham bus pass.
Deadbeat: Yeah? And?
Officer: I need to see your GO train ticket.
Deadbeat: I just showed you my pass. It works on Go Transit.
Officer: On the Go Bus. Not the train. Plus we're at Guildwood, not in Durham Region.
Deadbeat: Okay.
Officer: So you don't have a ticket for this trip?
Deadbeat: I have my pass. I was told it was fine.
Officer: Who told you that?
Deadbeat: The guy at the Go Station in Pickering.
Officer: I seriously doubt a Go Transit employee told you to use your bus pass on the train to Union.
Deadbeat: Believe what you want. That's what he said.
Officer: May I see some ID please?
Deadbeat: What for?
Officer: You're being issued a ticket for failure to produce valid proof of payment.
Deadbeat: Are you serious?
Officer: I need your ID, please.
Deadbeat: Oh my God! This is retarded.
Officer: Your ID, please.
Deadbeat: I don't have ID.
Officer: Then we're going to have a problem.
Deadbeat: Seriously, you need to chill. The train goes to Toronto whether I'm on it or not. Why you have to make such a big deal about it?
Officer: Do you have ID or do I need to call my partner over? We can hop off the train and deal with this at the next stop.
Deadbeat: Psssssh. Whatever. Here.
*produces the ID she said she didn't have; Officer writes up ticket*
Deadbeat: This is EXPLETIVE ridiculous. Stupid toy soldier rent-a-cop. Tough guy with a uniform... Ooh. It's not like it's your personal EXPLETIVE money.
Officer: Okay. Everything is explained on the back of the ticket. How to pay it, how to contest it. Any questions?
Deadbeat: Nah. You just go on feeling important with your little job.

At this point, the fare jumper actually turns to her seat mates for sympathy and support and seems astonished not to get any.

Deadbeat: Why they gotta be like that? Seriously. Like I know for a fact NOBODY pays for the Go Train. Nobody.
Me: We all paid. You'll notice you're the only one in this car who didn't.
Deadbeat: Whatever. Just mind your business and don't get into it with me. I'm not in the mood.

My personal favourite is the "it's going there anyway" defence.


Squiggles said...

The "going there" defence was original.

But wow, sense of entitlement or what?

I am just glad they gave her a ticket and not a warning.

MATT said...

GOstappo were fare checking on the train Saturday afternoon returning from the Jays game. I heard them come in, announce that they were checking tickets, and both of the officers didn't get past the first passenger they checked before pulling out their ticket books.

I had my presto card ready to go for two stops, and they never got far enough into the car to check it before I got off the train.

Apparently, many people feel that Saturdays are free-ride days on GO Transit.

Bicky said...

There was a time, they'd get a ticket and TURFED OFF the train at the next stop. *sigh* I long for those days.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes you wonder whether they should use this approach:

Lori said...

I don't find the word retarded offensive but I wish people would stop using it like that, the situation isn't retarded that is how the GO Train works.

lol, if people truly didn't pay to use the GO Train we wouldn't have it to begin with, her argument is completely invalid.

They need to bring back tickets and turfing, tickets alone are doing nothing.

TomW said...

If you don't produce ID, you get turfed off.

calvinhc said...

"Apparently, many people feel that Saturdays are free-ride days on GO Transit."

Back when GO celebrated its 25th anniversary, they allowed pass holders to travel with one person for free with them on weekends. This was to last for the year, but it was extended for a few years.

I don't know when this was discontinued, but given that I see no mention of it anywhere on GO's website, it must have been stopped at some point.

Even so, I occasionally hear of people who believe this is still in effect.

Squiggles said...

The "Free Person" was when there was a monthly, paper pass available and 1 person had one. It was something I used off and on for a couple of years.

It was done away with when they ridded themselves of the paper pass.