Ann Ellis' letter about the bullying tactics employed by railway companies (June 17) reminds me of an incident I witnessed about five years ago.

One Tuesday, I boarded a train at Hove to go to Shoreham A ticket inspector was being rude to a passenger who had no ticket.

The man wasn't trying to evade paying, he just hadn't realised he wasn't supposed to get on the train without a ticket.

He was, I would guess, of middle-European origin and couldn't understand why it was perfectly okay for him to buy a ticket on the train on Monday but when he came to do precisely the same thing on Tuesday, he was fined.

I might also add the ticket inspector was the perfect candidate for the job - rude, overbearing bullying and intimidating. I also never worked out why his peaked cap had more gold braid than an admiral of the fleet.

Perhaps someone can explain? Is it acceptable for me to buy a ticket on the train or must I have a ticket when I board? If the latter, why have guards selling tickets?

-Tony Carr, Sompting