you got it Mick.

G

Maybe the 'big man' was in a hurry to get somewhere and he was sick of having his ears assaulted by some student shouting obscenities at a ticket checker who was forced to keep repeating himself....or whatever it was coming out of the mouth of the student.

Not sure that I got it totally right but I think that the fare dodger's excuse was that he was not evading the fare. He said that when he tried to get a ticket (presume from an automatic machine), he could not get a cheap return on his student card because he was travelling before 10am (or something). So in his wisdom he bought 2 singles and his highly educated student brain told him that was the same. It seems to me that the reason that he could not buy the cheap ticket was simply that he was not entitled to buy one at that time. He light as well as gone and bought a bunch of bananas as buy an extra ticket for the same journey.

G

I understood he was told (at the ticket office) that buying two singles would be cheaper than a return. Most of us would assume that means a single there and a single back. The guy on the desk accidentally gave him two 'out' tickets rather than one out and one back, and the student didn't bother to check (being, as you say, highly educated).

When I first saw this story my sympathies were with the passengers on the train as the assumption was that the problem was with an abusive passenger who was attempting to fare-dodge. Since privatisation, the greed of the railway companies has created a ticketing and fare system designed to rip passengers off wholesale. While there's no justification for abusive behaviour, the frustration and anger of a passenger being doubly ripped off, and the apparent lack of staff in the frontline to apply common sense and be flexible, suggests to me that responsibility for this situation lies at the door of the train company.
From my experience, I think passengers are often sold the "wrong" tickets for their journeys. I don't see how "highly educated" the passengers intelligence has to do with anything.

So it's the train companies fault for offering various discounted tickets.Perhaps the poor lad ought to get in touch with those lawyers who advertise on the tele.........................

You appear to be missing the point, rgw.

According to a Which investigation, purchasing train tickets has become so complex and hard to understand that few consumers actually know what they are buying.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/sep/20/complex-train-tickets-confuse-passengers

Not at all,Muddy.People know there are various discounted schemes available,so they either research it on the internet or use the old fashioned way,ask.It works for me,and I'm not Albert Einstein

Hmm, most people just want to get from A to B for the cheapest price without having to undertake research. Unfortunately, asking at the station can result in wrong advice, different advice depending on who you ask, and the people in the huge queue behind you missing their train. If the train companies cared anything about customer service they would employ more staff and simplify their tickets and pricing.

Though generally I have little to complain about East Coast trains – usually on time – I still feel as if I’m getting ripped off

When I had to return home early one week I transferred from a peak Friday PM train out of Kings Cross to a quiet off-peak time. Cost – an extra £95 to travel on a quieter time whilst freeing up a peak time seat. WTF

Via their website - On their through journeys they have a train that arrives at Kings cross 1 minute later than the next connection leaving St Pancras - just over the road but a good 10-15 mins getting off one train and walking across

Generally though (before W&G writes a scathing response ) I find most of the staff and crews helpful

I find the staff helpful as well.The last time I went to London with 2 others, the chap serving me automatically charged me for the tickets under the Group 3 Save discount scheme,saving us a third of the normal fare each,enough for a couple of pints

Billy the reason East Coast trains give a good service is because they are run by the State as the previous private company made a right shambles of it and that is why I advocate a return to public ownership of all the rail network.
As for the future of the railways it looks bleak as this government still believes that privatization is the only way for the railways in this country, its a shame we don't have what the rest of Europe has a state owned rail network and cheaper fares for the passengers who use them.

What about the people who don't use them,but still pay through their taxes?

Helps keep traffic off the roads & a properly run train network that carried freight as well would help reduce motorway repairs due to damage from heavy vehicles & the resulting congestion from both. A different use of public money to the benefit of all at possibly no extra cost, who knows could even be cheaper, just a thought.
As for charging can anyone explain & justify two stories I've seen in the last couple of years of people being charged more for wanting to get off at a station earlier than the one they were originally booked to go to

We could always get the canals operating again for non-perishable goods,which would clear waterways and benefit the wildlife