OK its not trains, but buses, and I hope I dont get struck off the forum !
Your comment about Sheffield public transport not stopping at stops reminded me of when I lived in Sheffield in the late 1970's. The Council had introduced a heavily subsidised uniform bus fare of 2p, which even in those days was ridiculosly cheap:- being about a tenth of a the fare in other towns.
The bus drivers soon realised that the passengers were simply a hassle and inconvenience, as they got paid for running the busses full or empty regardless. It was much easier to not bother picking up passengers and many a time they would drive past a bus stop with people obviously waiting. Or they would stop the bus to let people get off by the middle doors, but refuse to open the front door to let the waiting passengers board because they couldnt be bothered to collect the 2p's.
I had to do a lot of walking in those days. - until I bought an old banger of a car
