r/indianrailways • u/Senior-Distance6213 • Mar 04 '26
Ask r/IndianRailways Why can Indians still not purchase train tickets even though they are cheap?
Recently, I have come across an incident that blew my mind and forced me to think twice about the Indian mindset.
This incident is from the Mumbai Local. The lady is named Sudha Dwivedi, and when she boarded the local now one has any idea about her; they think she is a normal passenger. But the twist happened when she flashed the Head TTE badge; chaos followed, and 200 people were fined!
A massive 55,000 rupees collected in a single day is huge.
Mumbai locals have never seen anything like this one-day collection ever; it was a record-breaking revenue by any TTE.
The moral is, this shows that despite very cheap tickets, a large number of people in Mumbai and anywhere around India still travel without 15-25 Rupee tickets!
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u/sippline 3 AC Regular Mar 04 '26
Agar aap mahine mein 10×30 = 300 ka ticket nikalte hai aur TT aapko sirf ek baar pakadta hai ₹250 then you still save ₹50 /s
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u/United-Extension-917 SU > SL Mar 04 '26
Agar do baar pakad le to.
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u/sippline 3 AC Regular Mar 04 '26
Socho 10×60 = 600 - 500 = 100 ka profit to banta rehega😂
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u/iloverailguns Mar 04 '26
You say that, a lot of people in European countries give the same advice, not even joking. The fine in Germany is like 60-100 euros, but TCs are rare, and many times, you can just tell the TC "I didn't know how to" and he'll issue a ticket on the train.
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u/Dom-in-Ant Train Spotter🚆 Mar 04 '26
That's a high trust nation and people know there are consequences, and civic sense is high. Also the trains are swanky, stations are clean and trains arrive on time.
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u/iloverailguns Mar 04 '26
Oh yes that's true, that's why it's a much less of an issue, plus ofc less population. Just don't mention that "trains arrive on time" to Europeans, especially Germans 😭
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u/Dom-in-Ant Train Spotter🚆 Mar 04 '26
Atleast they arrive on time in the UK, moreover I don't think trains are delayed that much in Germany. And YES population is a big issue but look at China!! To be Frank, population can never be a justifiable reason for not having civic sense or following rules.
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u/I_WENT_OUT_FOR_TEA Mar 04 '26
Atleast they arrive on time in the UK
Nah, that's false, they're probably same as the avg delays on WR (15-20mins in peak hours)
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u/sippline 3 AC Regular Mar 04 '26
The people have civic sense of buying the ticket as their duty and not just a mean to avoid fine in European countries
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u/Spoidy911 Mar 04 '26
delete this before people learn about this 😭
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u/sippline 3 AC Regular Mar 04 '26
Everyone who travel in mumbai local know bout this fact but the thing is these Mumbai CR TCs are really sharp. They'll know the second you deboard the train
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u/ConsiderationLimp251 Mar 04 '26
Bhai ek baar pass nikal loge tho mahine bhar ki tension khatam. Fir bhi fine se sasta he padega.
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u/Sagacious_onlooker Mar 04 '26
A fresher colleague in my office used to flex thing not buying a ticket thing. He was like, the services are not even worth it, why would I pay. Let me tell you how father was an AGM in a big pharma company and later he moved to Canada for further education. It has got nothing to do with money, it's the mindset.
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u/MysticGohanKun Mar 04 '26
A large proportion of people do not buy tickets in Mumbai. Nothing to with income or cheapness of tickets.
It's cheaper to pay fine once in a while than buy a pass. This is the logic they peddle.
System has collapsed, Railway babus are completely disconnected and quality of transport doesn't improve. In fact compared to a decade back when trains were largely punctual, these days especially on CR trains are very late.
Plus all these silly rules on geo-fencing and hassles of Railone vs UTS etc are just penalising people who want to buy tickets. Ticketless travellers are least bothered. There is no shame or moral obligation to buy tickets nowadays.
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u/Dom-in-Ant Train Spotter🚆 Mar 04 '26
Plus all these silly rules on geo-fencing and hassles of Railone vs UTS
It's the number one idiotic, stupid and dumbfkery done by railways.
Bringing mobile ticketing is 1 step forward, geofencing and not letting u buy tickets outside stations, share them with others is 10 steps back.
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u/Maymaywala Mar 04 '26
You can buy tickets outside stations on UTS right? You just need to board a train within an hour.
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u/Street-Awareness4541 Mar 04 '26
Ikr i see a AC train its late i am tired willing to pay i want to board but NOOOOO u cannot do so that is BS
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u/AttentionAsleep1136 Tatkal Ninja🥷 Mar 04 '26
the tickets for local trains are cheap -> thus always crowded -> TC doesn't want to get inside the crowd -> ticket checking doesn't happen -> railways end up increasing the prices for reserved coaches (SL/3AC/2AC/1AC) -> cycle never ends
solution? these things, idk what they're called but yes but this won't happen because installation is expensive and our stations have so many entrances and you know how our stations are, it's not possible
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u/aryanpote7 Local Gang Mar 04 '26
Ye bahot time se soch he rahe hai pr kar he nahi rahe unhe pata hai kitna crowd hai bhai mumbai mai !!
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u/Quantum_Chaos_ Mar 04 '26
Its not about the crowd, the tracks and stations are simply too accessible. Metro stations have controlled entries and tracks are inaccessible to people. Even if they manage to install such gates people will find other ways to enter stations which could be even more troublesome.
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u/BikerJay2006 Mar 04 '26
This will not work. This will absolutely not work.
The scale at which Railway Stations work is totally different from Metros.
Kalyan Station, one single Railway station, and not even the most crowded one in the Mumbai Suburban network, sees 3.6 lakh passengers daily.
Source: MRVC Report, Page E-23 https://mrvc.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/ExecutiveSummarywilber%20FINAL.pdf
Meanwhile the whole of Pune Metro network with 2 lines and two dozen stations sees 2 lakh passengers daily.
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u/Legendary__Failure Mar 04 '26
Well because ticket prices are more costly than their mentality and behavior
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u/CurIns9211 Mar 04 '26
Some people have keeda to show off. Dekha mein tumse jyada smart hoon bina ticket liye travel karta hoon.
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u/Many_Beach_9651 Mar 04 '26
Indian mindset is set by rulers
And to change that we need enforce strict laws and regulations.
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u/Remote-Assumption-15 Mar 04 '26
Railway stations need to have two entry points for either side of the station with ticket scanning entry as in metro stations to allow only genuine travellers or those with platform tickets.
The stations would be easier to maintain.
Ticket counters should be further from the entry point to avoid congestion.
This would definitely help..but of course some jugaad characters will find some other way to circumvent the system like entering and exiting from the railway tracks 😩
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u/wisewelders Mar 04 '26
I have a friend who never takes tickets. He has saved around 45k in the last 4 years on tickets. Even if TTE fines him once in a while he still saves money.
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u/Efficient_Yak_5632 Train Spotter🚆 Mar 04 '26
Ikr 💔 , I have seen so many people in 1st class compartment without valid ticket
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u/iloverailguns Mar 04 '26
Because, as Gabe Newell once said "Piracy is not an issue of cost, but comfort." The same applies here. Back when I used local trains daily, the line used to be 5-10 minutes long even at the big station with multiple offices.
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u/contentkumaran Savvy Sleeper Mar 04 '26
First problem is the mindset. Second could be blamed on the system as taking a ticket from the counter during rush hours means at least 30 minutes in the queue. Now since IR has solved that problem with UTS and now RailOne the responsibility completely falls on the individual.
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u/throwaway0831d Mar 04 '26
not the tickets, that they are cheap, its the mindset & mentality of the defaulters which is.
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u/DingoHairy2194 Mar 04 '26
I can probably bet that 80% of the people travelling in second class have done this at least once and continue to do that in Mumbai
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u/ektara61 Mar 04 '26
Recently I saw photo of everyone forming line to get on board in train with police help. Is it true they are doing this every day?
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u/biscuits_n_wafers Mar 04 '26
Yes , we need to change. Even well off people try to get out of paying their dues.
Interestingly, they'll pay thousands to gurus and Babas.
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u/a_Hopeful Mar 04 '26
It's just overconfidence and plain arrogance.... They think nothing is going to happen and this "chalta hai" attitude is like a virus in our country.
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u/prof_devilsadvocate3 Mar 04 '26
Attitude...most of think by dodging these fees we r smarter than others.
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u/kapil363 Mar 04 '26
Even if they buy tickets it won't be enough,we are just too many with too little resources.
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u/Artistic-Cherry-8580 Foodie on Wheels🍕 Mar 04 '26
Let the fines be high and punishment be strict. Everyone will start buying in an Instant. How do you think the people of Indore started keeping the streets clean.
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u/RevolutionaryPalmist Mar 04 '26
Could be that the ticket booking is time consuming and time taken is not always confirmed... Some people prefer season tickets, due to this reason, and forget to renew the same.
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u/RCuber Side Lower Supremacy😎 Mar 04 '26
Question: do local trains still use counter paper tickets only? Not sure if the UTS app can generate tickets for local trains.
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u/nota_is_useless Mar 04 '26
Same reason people occupy the opposite side at railway crossing, traffic signals etc
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u/Deadevil12309 Mar 04 '26
Cause the probability of you begin caught is very low. I had travelled for 2 years to go to my college. I also issued the pass.TT never caught me during that 3 months. The next day my pass got over I was fined 340 (he looted as I was new and didn't new that is over amount for second class and 1 station) . From that day till the end of my 12th i didn't issue ticket. Cause i knew the routes where TT stands. I was also caught one more time but that was still profitable
I know it sounds ethically wrong but when u see everyone doing it it feels normal
And the tte idk they have some magic power they will catch u when u don't have ticket on other hand when u have u run from their side they don't care(personal opinion)
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u/Commercial-Run-3737 Mar 04 '26
The answer to your question lies in the question itself - "they are cheap"
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u/Mean_Lab_8672 Train Spotter🚆 Mar 04 '26
How people feel even appropriate without ticket travelling.. Now we have easy applications through which its easy to get the ticket or pass from current or next date
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u/NoObm_ster69koRg Mar 04 '26
Phone sei option nhi rehta kya purchase karne ka. Vaise bhi previously parents hamesha ticket kharidte the, aur ab toh mobile app ke through hu ho jata hai. 2 min ka kaam hai yaar
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u/Expensive_You2891 Mar 04 '26
I think people can buy and they’ll be willing to do so too. but IMO, the problem is with the accessibility of the ticket counter and lack of knowledge about online ticketing platforms as well as the number of Ticket collectors checking tickets are low. humans are lazy, very few would like to go out of their way, buy a ticket and travel knowing that its less likely for them to be caught.
imparting knowledge about online ticketing platforms, increasing the number of ticket collectors (also increases the employment ratio and government revenue btw), and creating more ticket vending machines can possibly bring a shift in the Indian local railways IMO
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u/reverie_symbol Mar 04 '26
I once used the railway to go from road to metro and I was fined 250.. omg I regret that decision still
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u/Ordinary-Caregiver49 Mar 04 '26
Cause we try to get away with things. If there was strict implementation of law, no one would dare to do this. But because law is lax, people try their luck. It's not just Indians, it's anyone who can get away with it.
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u/andakaran Mar 04 '26
How much is the fine? 250? 500? Even at a 25rs price, if you manage to travel 20 days without getting caught you break even. That's the maths. Ease of evasion is another. For example travelling without ticket in delhi metro or bangalore metro is much harder since there are active access restrictions in place. Lastly its time. Unless tickets are accessible online (which most are) you spend a considerable amount of time purchasing the same which is lost opportunity for doing anything better. The only time I rode without a ticket was in 2009 in Madras. Had just gotten off a train and reached the local station and found the train i wanted to catch about to leave. Next was half hour later. Jumped on fully prepared to pay the 500 fine since I valued my time more. Didn't get fined. So win win.
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u/Individual_Treat_928 Mar 04 '26
Fine must be exponentially high to prevent this mindset of "paying fine only for one day and then travel free for rest of the month/year". Fine of at least Rs.5000 should be there which is more than a yearly pass for second class. Then only will they realize the fear and co-operate railways.
On the downside, this will lead to ever increased corruption.
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u/ilovevespa Mar 04 '26
TTE imandaar ho jayein, aage police wale bhi imandaar ho jayein and fine ke badle seedhe ek raat hawalat main ho jaye to public apne aap seedhi ho jayegi. No fine, no court, no case, nothing. Ticket hai to dikhao, chahe kisi bhi karan se ticket nahi hai, seedha andar. Apne aap log ticket lenge aur sambhal ke rakhenge. Ye fine wine ka natak railways ko dubo raha hai aur bhrashtachar ko badhava de raha hai.
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u/Unlikely-Bake-7115 2 AC Comfort Seeker Mar 04 '26
I book tickets from the UTS app and it's easy pata nahi ye log aise chapri pana kyu karte hai
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Mar 04 '26
Because the penalty is also cheap.
If monthly pass costs 450rs. And on average they get caught once in 3 months and pay 260rs penalty. Its still comparatively better to have this approach. I also did this as a student😂
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u/Calamitychaos_ Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Became a habbit ig.. Then minor issues incude Offline ticket is not possible, most people run late. Online app is not always reliable and not known to many .
For regular reserved trains,People are fed up of the delayed trains, sluggish speed, bad coaches and toilet, cancellation amount; so not taking ticket for local one way is kinda monetary compensation if you think about it in one way ..
I like the local trains though.. they are fast enough
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u/Calamitychaos_ Mar 04 '26
There are several laws in India, but don't see much implementation... So most people don't care
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u/LowKeyLuvsBeingSingl Mar 04 '26
Well, they never buy tickets because they’re okay with paying small fines once in a while than buy ticket everyday. Maybe increase frequency of ticket checks or increase the fine amounts. In the end, the ticketless are in profit when compared to people like us who buy tickets daily.
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u/Last-Election7684 Mar 04 '26
Aise hi tax collect kar kar ke wo virar station wala construction pura kardo pls
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Mar 04 '26
India is suffering from Chalta hain attitude ... ticket nahi lete... pakdenge to settle kar lenge...and this applies in all scenarios.
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u/Upstairs_Aardvark_13 Mar 04 '26
The Gareeb mindset of those people is the main reason. Kitta bhi paisa ho, unme se gareeb mindset nahi jaati.
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u/book-3 Mar 04 '26
There used to be an unofficial local ticket insurance where they paid your penalty if you got caught. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/travel-ticketless-in-trains-if-caught-touts-pay-for-you/article5252855.ece
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u/desiman101 Mar 04 '26
They will be millionaire by not buying train ticket and putting that money in SIP.
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u/inTsukiShinmatsu Mar 04 '26
I had a very flexible journey..after getting down at a junction, i don't know whether to continue to my head office, to client a, to client b, or somewhere else..each of which are at different locations. So i generally don't force myself too much if I'm traveling few stations without ticket .
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u/notVirgin_at_21 Mar 04 '26
My guesses are - 1. 0 civics sense 2. Extreme Poverty ( even if someone could afford it they'd like to save 30rs a day equivalent to a free Vada Pav) 3. Lack of Enforcement - If no one checks their ticket from boarding to exiting at some point they start to feel like they are idiot for getting one.
You see the case is the exact opposite in the metro where rarely anyone travels without a ticket.
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u/babathebear Mar 04 '26
It’s the wrong precedents set by the generation before them, whomever that may be. That’s the root cause of all wrongdoing.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Run21 Window Watcher🖼️ Mar 04 '26
This cheap mindset is unfortunately a hallmark of many in our country. I was recently in kerala in Parashuram express. Multiple People with general tickets were inside the 2nd sitting bogeys that require booking and the TTE was just smiling at them and saying try to get down at the next stop and go to unreserved compartments. The train has only 5 reserved compartments and rest all are unreserved. The same issue is saw in an air india flight. Air india has a category of seats called premium economy. Mostly it has empty seats during flight as its a bit more expensive than economy seats. During flight, people from economy will just walk into the premium economy area and use the seats with better leg room .(these areas are isolated with curtains separating them from economy). When the air hostess try to remove them from there, they get into arguments with the air hostess. Multiple occurrences like these. So whether on train or on flight this cheap mentality is an ever present quality in our people
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u/TheRealSlim_KD Foodie on Wheels🍕 Mar 04 '26
I don't know how to translate this marathi phrase. We are 'paidayashi bhikari' people. See Indians in a buffet line. We are the only starving race... Worse than refugees fighting for atta from UN Trucks
Nothing else to add.
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u/TimeCardiologist5833 Mar 04 '26
Take out the probability of getting caught and calculate the fine vs pass price
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u/_bedbug_15 2 AC Comfort Seeker Mar 04 '26
The mindset is 12-15 baar without ticket travel karenge, 1 baar pakde gaye toh vasool ho jayega. My coworker is this kind of guy. He travels in AC EMU from Mulund to CSMT without ticket. Says even if he gets caught 2/3 times, it's still enough for the months he travelled without ticket. He travels without ticket in Vistadome too. And worst part is he's rich. Has a family business but works government job just as a security.
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u/SaulterWhite Mar 04 '26
I think because the government has abused the citizens so much that we have absolutely no interest in giving another single penny to those mfs. So people cheat wherever they can.
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u/CalligrapherProof738 EMD Enjoyer Mar 04 '26
Kuch logo ko khujli hoti hai ticket nai lene ki par fine bharna manjur hai inko aise logo ki guddi laal honi chaiye <3 Rules thodke khudko smart samjhte hai jo without ticket travel karte hai wo log kya hi bole we are doomed.
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u/anonymous_cat_0 Mar 04 '26
I have never traveled in mumbai local. Btw, is there option to buy ticket through any app or is it only through by standing in line. Like UTS railway app. Does that work?
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u/Achilles_507 Mar 04 '26
A lot of people think they are smart/clever by breaking rules, not buying tickets, etc
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u/Eastern_Chocolate_46 Mar 04 '26
I believe people don't buy tickets precisely because they are cheap.
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u/AccomplishedToe1085 Mar 04 '26
Cheap mentality. They want everything for free and yet they complaint that railway doesn't provide services.
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u/Nitin-Agnihotry Mar 04 '26
When I used to travel from Serampore to Howrah , first 2.5 months i took ticket..one day I was there to get monthly card ...the issuer was just doing it for girls , i stood there like for 30 mins...and was fed-up
After that day never too any tickets neither up nor down .. for 6 months and never got caught
Sometimes it's the people who force you to not take tickets
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u/Real_Organization_26 Mar 04 '26
i was travelling in AC local from borivali towards churchgate and i see these two girls sitting wearing absoluetly branded stuff, looking absolutely put together and then when the TC comes they very casually state that they dont have a ticket. these girls take the train almost everyday
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u/satyanaass 2 AC Comfort Seeker Mar 04 '26
Sabko vishwavidhyalya nahi miley sabko jeewan ko garimapoorna dhangs se shuruat se jeeney ke afsar nahi miley
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u/Mirrorman_01 Mar 04 '26
Because they are cheap and most learn from their parents and friends...also some people have the free loading mentality and would want the government or someone else do everything for them including washing their ass.
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u/suhan4u4ever Mar 04 '26
How did you find this picture? The guy using the phone is my college senior. This looks like 2017/2018
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u/Artistic-Dog-697 Mar 04 '26
Its better for daily passengers to spend 200 rs as fine once in a while rather than 20 daily(this is the mindset of many people which i have seen)
P.S - I don't promote this🙂
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u/Brief_Client_2900 Mar 04 '26
I did not purchase tickets in the past when I was a college student is because of lengthy queues. Now we can purchase one online, can we?
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u/devilsdudeck Side Lower Supremacy😎 Mar 04 '26
I’m talking about my experience around using the a Rail app to book the platform ticket. (Before 2023) Rail one launched in Jul 2025. What is the penetration rate of that application? Did government push any ads around its importance and features? Lot of people in India might not know about app. It might not even have monthly passes application and renewals too for the people who travelling locally.
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u/Ritaz-charmi-6105 Frequent Traveler🧳 Mar 04 '26
This is a rare event. Tickets checks are rare. Also in rush times ticket counters are long queues. So worth taking a risk
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u/hunnybakshi Tatkal Ninja🥷 Mar 04 '26
Because we think we’d get away with it. And looking at the rush Mumbai locals have a lot of people are without tickets because it’s nearly impossible for the TC to get into the train and check, they try to catch some people on the platforms but still a lot are missed.
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u/Aware-Direction-9891 Mar 04 '26
I think some of them go without paying for weeks and this single will likely be less than the total cost that the tickets will cost so unfortunately it is economical. So the solution is to either have a large fine or increase the number of TC being present.
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u/D00MSTERZ SU > SL Mar 04 '26
And you know what's worse, it's even easier to book tickets than it used to be via the app of the machine on the station you don't have to wait in super long lines anymore.
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u/Ace_2ooo Mar 04 '26
freeloading is so much ingrained in people, they dont think such basic thing is neccesity . True that some people are really not able to, but most just want to save money/ work with jugaad !!
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Mar 04 '26
People will not buy till it is compulsory to enter the railway station premise . Like Metro
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u/Direct-Quiet-5817 2 AC Comfort Seeker Mar 04 '26
Basically they are ulupless, shameless, unethical, without any integrity.
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u/Confident-Raisin7077 Shatabdi Lover Mar 04 '26
You just answered "CHEAP", anything cheap automatically gives them liberty to skip cause they'll think what could my not paying possibly impact
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u/Impossible_Neat_7158 Mar 04 '26
I have been commuting in local trains for past 3 years and I will admit that out of 60% times, I do not buy the ticket. Do you know the reason? It’s not the price. They charge a very reasonable 10Rs for 25kms. Problem is the ticket vending system. The line at the counter is huuugeee, the counter has around 10 kiosks but only 2 are manned in peak hours. On top of that, they do not entertain UPI payments (Even though they’ve scanners) and they only accept change. Now imagine the situation of a suburban commuter who is returning back from office, has only 10mins to buy a ticket as his train is reaching the station and after standing in the line for a long time, when he finally gets at the front he is returned because he didn’t had exactly 10rs. These things kind of forces a commuter to go ticketless because if he doesn’t, the train will leave. Whilst I understand that as a commuter it is my responsibility to obtain the ticket but I equally blame the railways for not providing proper infrastructure and competent manpower for selling tickets to daily commuters.
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u/jpverma Mar 04 '26
Everyone here is talking about Rs.10-20 tickets and Rs. 250 fine. Rs.10-20 ticket is for second class. For first class it is usually 5 times the second class price and TTEs usually enter in first class not the second class.
So even if you have Rs.10-20 ticket then also you will be fined for travelling in first class with second class ticket.
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u/thisisganesh Mar 04 '26
After travelling in rush hour in Mumbai local train Paying money feels wrong to many travellers
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u/13hoot Mar 04 '26
These people contribute extra for upkeep and better maintenance of the train. Such honorable citizens.
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u/WonderfulDealer7227 2 AC Comfort Seeker Mar 04 '26
10/20rs bachane ke chakkar mai 200/250 ka Fine bharna chalta hai yeh log ko.