Consumer Alert – Beware buying fake bus tickets!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley, Gleaner Online Writer

Imagine that you are at the end of a long day and eagerly await your arrival home where you can relax and de-stress. Then when you board the bus that will carry you to your destination and present the ticket that you thought that you legitimately bought only to be informed that it is a fake ticket!

The scenario described above is not from my imagination but has recently been experienced by bus commuters in Jamaica. It is a known fact that taking the bus can be a stressful experience as it is usually overcrowded and in recent news have had some safety issues.

However, we now enter a new phase of frustration when unscrupulous persons have now started selling these counterfeited tickets to unsuspecting consumers.

Fake bus tickets discovered
A news release from the J.U.T.C company outlines that the fraudulent tickets are either photocopies of real tickets or test tickets not meant for sale.
Some of these tickets have incorrect times and routes.

These fake tickets that may have been tampered with heat or photocopied have resulted in a darker colour than regular tickets. So consumers should examine their tickets carefully to avoid purchasing them.

The company has also advised commuters to buy tickets taken from the ticket machine on the buses or from the emergency ticket book if the machine is not working.

To read full article click the link http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=48434

There was no information given on who were selling the tickets or if they were being prosecuted.
It is my hope however, that further investigations will be done so that law abiding citizens can purchase bus tickets without worrying whether they are fraudulent or not.

I also noticed that although customers were advised to look out for a darker shade which was common on the fake tickets, none of the media houses carried a picture showing what a fraudulent bus ticket looked like which would have been helpful.
Perhaps the company could think of releasing a picture of these fake tickets so that customers could instantly recognize them.

The sad part of all of this is that those corrupt individuals who are selling these fake tickets don’t realize that they are making it difficult for the country to make any kind of progress.
The running joke about how Jamaicans always find a loophole in any system is getting tedious.
What we need to do as a people is to embrace a culture in which honesty and hard work are valued.

I also have a suggestion for the bus company. In order to reduce the likelihood of this type of corruption they might have to issue tickets in various colours for specific routes which can be randomly switched.

Often tickets are discarded as soon as they are received as commuters don’t keep them after they arrive at their destination.
A public education campaign could be launched to encourage commuters not to discard their tickets in such a manner that they could be taken by others to copy.

Of course despite the valiant efforts made by the company, those who are corrupt will always try to find a way to circumvent the system.
So it is important for the company to be alert to catch those who insist on breaking the law.

So watch out for those fake tickets!

What’s your take on the issue? Let me hear from you!

Tags: alert, consumer, Fake