“Your tickets please!” Ever heard of this specific phrase coming from the mouth of a ticket inspector !? Who hasn’t, right?

Personally, all these times that I hear this phrase, even if  I have a ticket, I start sweating. I don’t know why … probably due to the bad memories of my school / teenage years, when I was hopping with my friends on the train and we were feeling cool not validating our tickets … but still, everytime I was seeing  someone entering the train, who according to me, had the face of a ticket inspector I “was peeing my pants” from the fear!

In Greece, the fare inspectors -when they decide to do a public appearance – look like a governor ! That is the style of a man who believes that is doing the most important job in the world and owns the place! What is more, when they ask you to check your ticket and see that you can’t find it they keep staring at  you and from their lips pops a creepy smile.(the caught’ya smile)

They’ll never say hello or thank you, and when they find the poor guy who doesn’t have a ticket, they’ll raise their voice in order to be heard by the whole world and make the man feel an asshole. They seem to have an orgasm as they’re pulling out from the train the ticketless man to take him “to the police!”

A common, ridiculous behaviour of a specific category of Greeks who think that they’re special … but all they need is a slap in the face reminding them that:

• They they definitely don’t do the best job in the world
• Kindness never hurt nobody
• Sooner or later will come their turn too-> #occupyticketcontrollers

In Italy, however, the ticket inspectors are the joy of life! They enter the train and say, so many thank you  and good morning as many as the passengers of each wagon are. If you get in without a ticket, they will make you pay a fine but in the meanwhile you”ll be chatting with them as if you were their best friend!

The Italian ticket inspectors not only do I find them friendly , but I also feel very worried and sorry for them. For example, the other day,a controller got hit in the face because he’d tried to split two drunk people who were fighting in the middle of the wagon and a week ago – photo- after having managed to pull off the train 6 people who haven’t validated their tickets, a lady came towards him calling him names and threatening to beat him.

Of course, the ticket inspector’s profession is not the easiest job in the world as a lot of people think of them as something between cops and bullies and I also imagine that those people when they finish their shifts they definitelydon’t feel as they had an enjoyable and productive day.

So … this post is dedicated to this very strange job category … because what would be a train passenger without the ticket inspector!???-I know what you’re thinking of…We would be happier- Shame on you!

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