The ‘genius’ commuter habit that train station staff are disposing of

It needs to be done subtly (Picture: Getty Images)

There’s no shortage of irksome commuter habits that us Brits are growing tired of, from double bagging to bare beating.

But there’s another, much more considerate behaviour, to add to the list — proving humanity on public transport may still be alive and well.

Young TikToker Harper Mack posted a video of herself leaving her ticket for the Tyne and Wear Metro on the machine, for someone else to take.

The day saver ticket can be used until the last service on the same day it was purchased.

Often, kind-hearted passengers, like Harper, who have finished their travels for the day, will therefore leave their tickets for others to use the Metro free of charge.

‘Can we normalise leaving our day saver tickets for other people to use?’ she said in the clip.

Others were quick to agree: ‘I don’t get people who don’t [do this] because it would just go in the bin otherwise… I’ve taken them from people in the past, so it’s like repaying them in a way.’

‘If I ever get a day pass I ask anyone after I get off if they need one. If not I stick it by the machine or stop,’ another agreed.

Others said it was ‘genius’ and that acts like this could ‘bring back community’.

Some travellers shared they’ve done this on different transport networks too, like the Subway in Glasgow, bus tickets across the country, and even recall sharing paper car parking tickets.

But surprisingly, some travellers pointed that they’d seen station staff dispose of these tickets left for others.

‘The staff are told to remove tickets like this,’ wrote one. ‘I’m not defending it, but the back of the ticket says non-transferrable so giving it to someone directly stops the staff from binning it.’

‘I’ve seen the staff in the Metro throw them out before,’ added another.

What did transport operators say?

When asked if Metro staff ‘dispose’ of tickets left for others, Stephen Bellamy, commercial fares manager at Nexus (the parent company for the Tyne and Wear Metro), told Metro: ‘Day Tickets on the Tyne and Wear Metro are not a transferable product under our terms and conditions.  

‘Any tickets which are left for other customers to pick up and use are removed by our customer service teams.’

Stephen explained that this is due to funding the service in the first place.

‘Fare revenue is vital to help us meet the running costs of the Tyne and Wear Metro,’ he says.

‘Metro is a publicly owned system, and a vital public service, one which also requires an operating subsidy from the Government. 

Train tickets are being shared between passengers (Picture: Getty Images)

‘Every penny we get from fares is vital and why we cannot allow day tickets to be transferable.’

While the practice is more common up north, we asked TFL about their ticket-sharing policy on the London Tube, and it’s a similar story.

‘The majority of our customers pay with Oyster cards or contactless so this is not a practice we are aware of and, obviously, we would like to avoid highlighting things like this to customers, which could inadvertently encourage people to do it,’ a spokesperson told Metro.

It’s worth noting that around 60% of TFL’s operating income is generated by fares.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, which runs Glasgow’s Subway, have been contacted for comment.

An act of kindness

While it’s vital that we support our transport services, it’s worth noting that transport costs are keeping five million people (8% of the UK population) below the poverty line, according to the Social Market Foundation.

Not to mention, regulated rail fares across England are currently frozen until March 2027, but tickets outside this freeze (like TFL) may rise by more than 4% based on inflation figures.

So, it’s understandable why the act of leaving your ticket for another was dubbed an act of ‘kindness’ by those who did it.

‘I used this when I was solo traveling as a broke student, didn’t realise oyster card didn’t work where I was,’ confessed one. ‘It saved me.’

So, would you leave your ticket to help someone else?

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk

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