"On the spot penalty fines" paid in cash to be introduced in March 2014 on PT

[nerdmmb]

that counts as fare evading. if it wasn't the case, i would never touch on

True. But how would they know? Just curious

[pi]

True. But how would they know? Just curious

They carry around small devices/machines and they scan every single Myki.

[Ballerina]

They're meant to stop all ticket evaders they observe, they simply choose to preferentially target young students because they don't desire a fair fight

they want to be butttsss

biggg sagggyyy butttsss

[Limista]

They're meant to stop all ticket evaders they observe, they simply choose to preferentially target young students because they don't desire a fair fight

they want to be butttsss

biggg sagggyyy butttsss

actually I think they target us because they assume we are more likely to take risks? So, they're biased.

Either way, I've observed the same thing and it's definitely not fair. But that's life I guess.

[Ballerina]

They ignore physically imposing gentlemen and gentlemen who are less well groomed ergo appear to have less to lose if they start a fight, who are both equally likely to take risks, because ticket inspectors have pancake butts with a cottage cheese texture

[JellyDonut]

considering the other option is to arm already poorly trained ticket inspectors, i'm okay with them targeting you. soz m8


it's an all round terrible idea though

[Ballerina]

Actually, the other option is for them to do their job or not at all

 I would say that seeing as they travel in groups, they should be able to tackle an average sized male, but I suppose that would involve surpassing the upper body strength of a potato

[chasej]

Actually, the other option is for them to do their job or not at all

 I would say that seeing as they travel in groups, they should be able to tackle an average sized male, but I suppose that would involve surpassing the upper body strength of a potato

Thing is, it doesn't matter to the ticket inspectors who they fine, as long as they fine enough to justify their jobs. They can probably churn out more fines dealing with the 'easier" to deal with people, than the "harder" to deal with people. Hence that's what they do.

I would argue they should just make public transport completely free to avoid this problem and based on the fact the entire public transport system is already entirely reliant on public funding for building, it shouldn't effect efficiency that much, after all the current companies in charge of the system don't do such an efficient job anyway. I think many people would be happy to pay a little more tax to cover free transport, or to cancel completely ridiculous state projects to cover it (e.g. proposed airport rail link in its current plan).

[Professor Polonsky]

Have to say that incentivising Metro according to its performance actually seems to have worked. It gets a lot of shit, but it's actually doing alright given what it's got. It's mostly infrastructure that's the issue.

Of course I'd prefer a fully public system but that's about as likely to occur as Australia sending people to the moon

[Ballerina]

I know full well why they do what they do, thank you.

I'm checked an average of 5 times a day as I travel in peak hour and live next door to Swinburne,  then take the tram which heads to RMIT/UoM. They haven't made money off me yet, but they likely could from the men who hop the gates next to mine on a regular basis and while observing them, will turn to me to ask for my concession card. I guess pressing their crotch near his face wouldn't be as fun as pressing it near a 15 year old girl's face while sitting on her http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/online-petition-blasts-ticket-inspectors-violence-20140306-34ab9.html (I'm too lazy to find the rest, but he sits with his crotch wriggling against her chest for about 10 minutes, and two others decide to sit atop her as well while he's there). Or as fun as intimidating the shy international students from Swinburne who don't know what is being asked from them, and then after discovering with disappointment they are carrying their concession/student card remarking, "I'm surprised the government would pay for someone like you to have one." Or as easy as yanking my friend's arm so hard and rapidly when escorting her off the tram for evading for two stops, that when she tried to descend from the steps she twisted her ankle and couldn't walk without a limp for weeks. This is obviously only representative of a portion of ticket inspectors, but it's enough for the topic of undue force, improper training and a general misunderstanding of risk assessment among inspectors to continually arise in media and in politics. It's enough for me to decide that targeting one demographic to demand a triple digit fine they can't afford, over another demographic, is a shitty and discriminatory thing to do. Especially when you should complete your job the way the job description listed it as when you applied, instead of allowing your testicles retract into your groins.

I've worked for jobs that paid $10 an hour (ahahaha) and performed fantastically without taking cowardly shortcuts or working on commission, because I have work ethic instead of self-indulgence. I don't think ticket inspectors are a huge problem, comparatively speaking! It's not a concern of mine; but they're incompetent enough for me to refer to them as having 'pancake butts with a cottage cheese texture'. 

[JellyDonut]

just from experience of people sitting on me, having one heavier person on you is much more uncomfortable than three. reason being is that a single person would require their weight to keep you pinned, whereas three people can secure your limbs, or any means of leverage, a lot better. neither is particularly pleasant but i'll take the latter. on that note, we don't actually know how much pressure was actually applied. like being pinned doesn't necessarily mean you're crushed.

in any case, i don't know why you're getting targeted so much

[Russ]

just from experience of people sitting on me, having one heavier person on you is much more uncomfortable than three. reason being is that a single person would require their weight to keep you pinned, whereas three people can secure your limbs, or any means of leverage, a lot better. neither is particularly pleasant but i'll take the latter. on that note, we don't actually know how much pressure was actually applied. like being pinned doesn't necessarily mean you're crushed.

What. Did you actually watch the video in that news report link?
I don't have any particular interest in ticket inspectors and their actions but there's no way you can deny that some portion of them are borderline incompetent or, at the very least, are prone to making incredibly stupid decisions, which was fairly well demonstrated when that story made news earlier this year. Some of them are also totally reasonable though, like the one that didn't attempt to fine me for having a foot halfway up a seat.

[JellyDonut]

if it was that infamous video featuring a 15 year old girl at flinders street, then yeah. at the risk of sounding like an internet warrior*, each of the inspectors had at least one leg planted to the ground at all times, so it's basically anyone's guess how much weight they were putting on.

*which i am

[enwiabe]

They ignore physically imposing gentlemen and gentlemen who are less well groomed ergo appear to have less to lose if they start a fight, who are both equally likely to take risks, because ticket inspectors have pancake butts with a cottage cheese texture

holy shit. is this why I have never had my ticket inspected in my life?

[brenden]

holy shit. is this why I have never had my ticket inspected in my life?

Yes. Have you looked at a ticket inspector lately? They would think they needed fifty men and a battering ram to fine you and your beard.