RE: rise20 Oct 2020 23:33
I've traveled by train quite a bit since July, many thousandths of miles including a return trip from Salisbury to Windermere. In all that time I have had my ticket checked just once, & that was last week.
The issue seems to be that the ticket revenue is now going to the government & not the train companies. This means that there is little incentive for the companies to prevent fraudulent travel or even sell tickets. Indeed, in August one ticket office lady confirmed this was the case & pretty much told me not to bother with a ticket. She could then finish her fag in peace & I could catch my imminently departing train for free.
What this means of course is that the figures for passenger numbers, which are based on ticket sales, cannot be relied upon. Massive drops there have been, but several standing room only trains I have been on recently suggest that recovery is stronger than might be believed.