Guy on the run21h ago
Jon Worth

This is a quick thread about the one behaviour that, over and over, has saved me on my rail trips

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Proactively finding the train manager before they find you
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If you *ever* have some sort of grey area or absence of clarity, do this. *Always* do this

Mar 28 at 8:30amWeb
Show threadJon Worth21h ago

Due to the total chaos trying to get to Bourgogne this morning, yesterday I made an error

It was not me, but my partner, who managed to secure literally the last ticket available on the TGV Paris-Montbard

So it is her name on the ticket, not mine

Show threadJon Worth21h ago

There was no way to change the name, and cancelling the ticket was too risky - because there was no guarantee I would then get the spot freed up

I have seen fines dished out on SNCF trains to people doing this in the past - but when the train manager found *them*

But I proactively went to find them, BEFORE THEY FOUND ME

Show threadJon Worth21h ago

I had all the documents on my laptop - the ticket, my reduction card, my partner's reduction card (both are the same, so the price she paid would have been the price I would have paid) and explained the situation

Strictly speaking, the train manager said, this is not allowed (and he is correct), but you came and found me and I accept your explanation

Show threadJon Worth21h ago

Now whether this should be the rule is itself questionable. Whether indeed a train should be compulsory reservation is also questionable (and despite it being "sold out" on ticket portals, there are a few seats - presumably no shows)

But to simply get yourself to your destination in situations where you're not strictly in the right, but there is a reason, speaking to the train manager before they find you ALWAYS HELPS

Show threadJan Wildeboer 😷21h ago
@jon Yes. Respecting the position of power they have, even just subconsciously, and proactively acting on that typically opens up a world of generosity. This is a general rule in my experience. Especially when you allow them to explain something you already know but you listen intently to their version :) People are good. Almost always.
Show threadJon Worth21h ago
@jwildeboer The specific problem that can crop up here is they earn a personal bonus for fining people. So you are essentially denying them that. But overall, yes, I am with you.
Show threadNiklas20h ago

@jon @jwildeboer > they earn a personal bonus for fining people

Is this true? That's a weird and quite frankly questionable incentive.

Show threadJean-Baptiste "JBQ" Quéru20h ago
@nikcorg @jon @jwildeboer At SNCF, between 4% and 10% of the fine if it's paid on the spot.
Show threadJan Wildeboer 😷20h ago
@jbqueru That's why @jon 's tip to go straight to the train manager is so valuable. He/she is at the the top of the hierarchy in this situation, so more inclined to feel him/herself to be above such petty cash hunts ;) That's for the underlings to focus on. @nikcorg
Show threadSuzanne ‘bionic’ Veerman19h ago
@jbqueru @nikcorg @jon @jwildeboer it’s also true for SNCB but not at NS.
Show threadLi ~ Crystal System9h ago

@jwildeboer @jon
> Respecting the position of power they have,

how about not respecting someone having power over you whos able to legally steal from you over stupid shit

and i dont consider being at the mercy of someone else to be "good" or "generous" either.

Show threadJan Wildeboer 😷9h ago
@Li Do whatever you think is right and deal with the consequences. This thread was about avoiding a fine due to crazy regulations, not a call for revolution ;) @jon
Show threadJon Worth7h ago
@jwildeboer @Li Right. And ultimately whether you like the rules or not isn’t the central point here. It’s how to handle situations when you’re not quite in compliance.
Show threadThe Penguin of Evil6h ago

@Li @jwildeboer @jon That person can themselves though be just as trapped by the system because if they allow your "incorrect" ticket and then an inspector boards the train they will get into trouble.

Sometimes it pays to work out who is your actual opponent and where to kick them later.

Show threadSarah21h ago

@jon On interrail trips I proactively went to the train personnel when having any doubts, it always helped. I remember one situation in France, where we discussed everything on the platform with the train team, while everyone was waiting. It was when SNCF introduced a reservation for certain slower trains and it suddenly showed up in the app after we started the trip & we realized whilst waiting for the train.

Edit: certain "regional" trains

Show threadJon Worth21h ago

@cielodenoche I will normally board first, and *then* ask.

Today I am getting off at the first stop, so once it is rolling I will know I will get there 🙂

But generally, yes.

(BTW how compulsory reservation TERs show in Grand Est is not always 100% correct in the Interrail app. In Normandie I don't know, not tried those)

Show threadSarah21h ago

@jon Good point, I have taken a mental note 😀

Our situation was with a TER in Occitanie, from Nice to Marseille last summer. The reservation suddenly showed up, and the opinion within the train team about it was 50/50. In the end, the "boss" decided that we are going to ignore it, because he didn't know about a reservation obligation.

Show threadWrzlbrnft20h ago
@jon And, if possible, at least try to speak a bit in their own language. Especially in France, train staff will be much more helpful if you speak to them in French, but I faced similar situations in Italy, in the Netherlands and so on.
Show threadMichael ᚋᚔᚉᚆᚓᚐᚂ17h ago

@jon A friend was fined €50 on the Mont-Blanc Express yesterday. She got on at Aiguille du Midi, which is an unmanned halt without a ticket machine, nodded hello to the ticket collector on board and sat down.

He controlled the train, asked where she came from. She mistakenly said Chamonix - an easy mistake to make for a visitor because the Aiguille du Midi halt is in the conurbation of Chamonix. He fined her €50 for evasion (Chamonix gare is manned).

Show threadJon Worth17h ago
@baoigheallain wouldn’t surprise me at all. In those moments I’d refuse and tell them to call the police to arrest me.
Show threadMichael ᚋᚔᚉᚆᚓᚐᚂ17h ago

@jon I probably would too but her French wasn't up to it and she assumed she had done something wrong.

As she said, next time she'll drive.

Show threadArtha 🐲🏳️‍⚧️20h ago
@jon Yesss in my experience here in Poland they're mostly friendly. I once lost my wallet just in the previous ride, so I had no document to prove I was eligible for a discount. Totally fine to them. Or when I couldn't get a ticket in time, and I had no cash on me, they let me in on a free ride: "going just two stations? who cares!"
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)21h ago
@jon Perhaps a graphic with the title "train manager" in several languages to illustrate the post? Hahaha
Show threadrail 🦊21h ago
@jon 💯
Show threadoheso20h ago
@jon When my buddy and I were taking the train from Paddington to Penzance with our bicycles, we grabbed a worker and asked him to explain the procedure of boarding with bikes. This was about 20 minutes before our train was scheduled to depart. And it was a life saver.
Show threadElle19h ago
@jon as a previous train manager, I second that! Where I worked, there wasn't any bonus involved for fining people, however, it helped heaps when people presented their situation to me before I found out about it through a check-up. The degree of flexibility I could afford also varied according to my awareness of the situation early on. I could re-seat people, sell additional tickets in case of a no-show, even offer free food or beverage in some situations, etc. However, if you find out about it too late, sometimes it could mean choosing between generosity and your job. If a train comes to a standstill and you can't offer every passenger a bottle of water, you better pray no one has a heart attack or simply writes a complaint about not getting one. Or if a passenger control unit randomly enters and finds out you allowed someone to travel with a discounted ticket even though they failed to present you a valid document. So it's not only about having/feeling the "power", it's also about calculating the risk or being able to get a green light from your superiors before something like that happens.
Show threadtrissc̈hen 15h ago
@hostia @jon jep, also easier to simply grant some maybe questionable request when there’s less people around who might take it the wrong way