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I rarely pay the train fare, only when I absolutely need to.
It’s not that I’m stingy (or not entirely). I have been using the system daily for the most part of a decade and it’s just not worthy. Everyone is disrespectful in big, noticeable ways (loud music, littering, etc), there is almost zero security (and thieves are common), the trains are always late and, what is worst for me, on every ride I have to stand being near someone who smokes, because in my country there is no notion of “You know, I could wait a bit and not be an ass, filling a closed room with the stench of my addiction” (despite being illegal, but you know, no one to check).
The ticket collectors are extremely rare, I may see one over the course of a year if I’m lucky, and paying a 50€ fine over that time is nothing comparing to paying that a week. To add salt to injury, in my country the train services are run by private companies that inflate the prices greatly.
I feel a bit bad walking behind people who actually pay their fares, when getting out of the station. It’s not that I’m making some kind of political statement. It’s just not worth it.
