As easy as public transport...NOT

Lochie struggles to read at the best of times.  When he is stressed or suffering anxiety, it becomes twice as hard to concentrate at the level he needs to be able to understand the written word.

Melbourne has undergone a change to its ticketing system for its extensive public transport networks. As Lochie has not needed to use public transport since he got his licence two years ago, he paid little attention.

After working onsite all day installing a new reception desk, Lochie returned to the workshop.  Ready to leave at the end of a 14 hour day, he looked for his backpack to get his car keys.  Rolling his eyes at his stupidity, he realise he had left it onsite and it would now be too late to get back to pick it up.  The trains run fairly close to his work so he headed to the station.
When he got to the station, it was very busy.  He looked at the new ticketing machine and gazed up at the lengthy instructions.  He looked down at the words scrolling quickly across the monitor on the ticketing machine.  Busy people were pushing past him, pressing buttons and retreiving their tickets.  It didnt look to hard.  He fronted up to the machine.  Pressed a few buttons that looked like they might be right.  "PLEASE INSERT $70" scrolled across the monitor.

Lochie decided he would run the 1.5 km to the milkbar and purchase a ticket from there instead.
The man at the milkbar shook his head.
"No mate, we can't sell the new tickets", he said.
Damn, thought Loc.  He ran back to the station.  There was no staff at the station so he decided to get on the train and and get off at Dandenong, which he knew was manned and he would be able to get assistance to purchase a ticket.  After he got his ticket, he would get back on another train and continue on home.  What a long day.  He had left home at 5am and it was now 7.30pm.

Lochie got off the train at Dandenong and walked to join the queue to purchase tickets.  The ticket inspector approached him.


"Do you have a valid ticket?" he asked.
"No I don't", answered Lochie.  "Thats why I'm in the line to buy one".
Lochie explained the full story about how he couldn't work out the ticket machine and how he could have simply stayed on the train without a ticket and continued on home but he wanted to do whats right.
"Ok," said the Inspector, "Here's a ticket for you".  He handed Lochie a fine for $295.

Loc got back on the train.  He wasn't angry at the Inspector, he was angry with himself.  Couldnt believe he was too stupid to buy a train ticket.  Something that school kids manage to do every day.

He arrived home at 9pm.  16 hours since he had left home to go to work.  Tired, stressed, upset and exhausted.
I was furious at the lack of understanding from the ticket inspector, but Lochie just kept saying it was his fault for being stupid.

I've contested the ticket.  I will post a copy of the letter I wrote and lets see how I go.

If you have any similar stories about issues dyslexia causes for you please comment and share your story.