An Australian nursing student has sued a Melbourne tram inspector after he reduced her to tears when he confronted her about not having the correct ticket.
Emma Jane was returning home from her nursing shift when she was stopped by the tram ticket inspector.
Despite tapping her Myki card, the inspector stopped her because it was registered under the student concession category.
Melbourne Rail users must use a Myki card to pay their fare when boarding and alighting at the station they board and leave.
‘Myki boy comes up to me and I say, ‘oh, I’m fine, I tapped’ and he says ‘it’s a concession’.
‘I’m a student, I study and work at the same time. I said to myself: “I can show you my university. I don’t have a student card because I study online.”
He says, “No, you actually need a document, I’m going to have to report you.”
Emma was shocked to have to present her student ID to prove she was a student and cried as the inspector berated her.
“Myki inspectors are very ruthless,” he said.
The Myki inspector was then joined by other workers who told Emma that they would report her for misusing the card.
Melbourne nursing student Emma Jane (pictured) was left in tears after a confrontation with a Myki public transport inspector on Monday
“I’m crying because, oh my God, I’m going to get fined $300 even though I tapped,” she said.
‘I didn’t realize and they’re just sitting there and I’m crying and having a panic attack because they’re scary and everyone’s coming around you.
‘I feel like I’m going to jail or something.
Hundreds of commenters criticised Myki’s inspector for being too harsh and shared their own horror stories from the internet.
“Myki inspectors are the ugliest and most ruthless ogres in existence,” said one.
“I was on my way into town and saw a burly, middle-aged inspector from Myki questioning a young girl. She looked like she was 14, you could tell she was young,” wrote another.
“The exact same thing happened to me when I was a college student,” said another.
Others shared their support for Emma and called for better treatment of nurses.
“Nurses should have free public transportation,” wrote one.
“As if we needed another reason to cry after a nursing shift,” said another.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Public Transport Victoria and Emma Jane’s management for comment.
The inspector reprimanded and reported Emma for using a Myki concession card without carrying documents to prove she was entitled to a discount.
