I am seeing RED thinking about AMTRAK

[Katzateer]

This morning my youngest (17) was flying out of BWI so instead of driving into the mess of Baltimore/Washington we took her to a train station one hour out. She had cash to pay for the ticket. If you are at a smaller station and there is no ticket purchasing option at that station, you can pay on the train.

We have done that many times.

In PA the high school students don't get id's.and my daughter doesn't drive yet. I bet you can guess where this is going.......

When she got on the train and they came around collecting tickets, the agent said she would have to get off at the next stop since she did not have an ID. That would be downtown Baltimore. The train station is only 10 minutes further. She called to ask what to do and I told her to let me talk to him. I could hear him in the background saying" I don't need to talk to her"


So Stephanie got off the train in Baltimore. We started heading that direction. She called back and said why doesn't she just take a taxi to the airport. I told her fine, not really knowing how far out the airport was. It ended up being ok and was $35.

I was sooooo upset that he made get off - called Amtrak. The lady I talked to said she had to ask a supervisor about the rules- she wanted to make sure she had the correct information.

In order to travel by yourself on Amtrak you have to be over 16. If you are over 18 you have to have an ID. So...he should have not made her get off the train. She will be 18 the end of September.

I am supposed to call back Monday since the customer service office is closed today.

What would be your next move? Ask for reimbursement for the taxi ride? Free tickets? Ask them to Fire the rude.......person that didnt allow her to ride 10 more minutes??

I was so upset but nice she got to the airport my blood pressure may be under control now.

[Kairi_7378]

I would be tempted to ask to be repaid for the cost of the taxi ride, at least. (They will probably give you a reduced fare on your next ride.) I think that what the conductor did was horrible, but I am also surprised the the ticket agent didn't say anything when she purchased her ticket. I am glad that she got to BWI okay!

[Katzateer]

t I am also surprised the the ticket agent didn't say anything when she purchased her ticket. I am glad that she got to BWI okay!

She didn't have a ticket-she was paying on the train. No where to get the ticket before she got on train- unmanned train stop. That is what we have to do at our stop here in PA also.

If she had had her ticket already I don't think he would have said anything.

[PlutoToo]

At 17 is your daughter still considered a minor? If so, did he put a minor child in a potentially unsafe condition (unknown station)? I would probably seek a written reprimand for failure to follow company policy that does not require photo id until 18.. Even if your daughter doesn't know the name of the person, the line should be able to learn it from the work schedule. I would also ask for the taxi fair since your daughter was put off not in accordance with company policy, according to the woman and her supervisor.

[Katzateer]

At 17 is your daughter still considered a minor? If so, did he put a minor child in a potentially unsafe condition (unknown station)? I would probably seek a written reprimand for failure to follow company policy that does not require photo id until 18.. Even if your daughter doesn't know the name of the person, the line should be able to learn it from the work schedule. I would also ask for the taxi fair since your daughter was put off not in accordance with company policy, according to the woman and her supervisor.

:thumbsup: I like the way you worded that! Thanks!! I really wouldnt want to get anyone fired but if I handled a problem like that at work, I am sure they would do something about it.

The agent I talked to at Amtrak said to just have the train number and time and they would have no problem figuring out who made her get off the train.

[Kairi_7378]

She didn't have a ticket-she was paying on the train. No where to get the ticket before she got on train- unmanned train stop. That is what we have to do at our stop here in PA also.

If she had had her ticket already I don't think he would have said anything.

I forget that not all of the Amtrak stations have ticket sales.

I like PlutoToo's wording. The idea of a conductor leaving a 17-year-old girl in a train station in a stange city really upsets me.

[Katzateer]

. The idea of a conductor leaving a 17-year-old girl in a train station in a stange city really upsets me.

I KNOW- I was upset about her being in downtown Baltimore all by herself! Scared me ! She has traveled a lot but you just never know -if she had been in downtown Philly (she has been there many times) would not have panicked (she knows her way around and where to go and NOT go) but I know nothing about the station in Baltimore. And it made me a little uneasy her being in a taxi in that city alone....on a train and in the airport at least there are other people around.

[joonyer]

Just curious. How was she going to get on a plane without any ID?

[VWL Mom]

Just curious. How was she going to get on a plane without any ID?

Photo ID is not required by TSA if you are under 18.

[VWL Mom]

I KNOW- I was upset about her being in downtown Baltimore all by herself! Scared me !

I'm sure you were, and with good reason! Now that she's safe you should take the time to pat yourself on the back for raising such a self reliant young lady. She got herself out of a tough situation without having a meltdown. Great job :thumbsup:

[joonyer]

Photo ID is not required by TSA if you are under 18.

Even when traveling alone? How do they know you're not 18? Do they just take your word for it? Our teens have always have their passport if traveling alone (or with us for that matter).

[Katzateer]

They have never questioned it when she has flown alone. She has been to Florida several times alone and to Ohio. When you buy the ticket online you have to put all that information in order to purchase the ticket (age, birthdate) I don't even print a ticket for her - she just takes her reservation number to the ticket agent and they print a boarding pass. She gets through security with no problems.

[SBETigg]

My daughter had that issue on Amtrak when she was traveling with her friend. She is in college, over 18, but did not have her ID with her. She doesn't drive, either. But, they were very nice to her and let it slide. I definitely think there are some cases when common sense and decency could take over, and Amtrak reps should have behaved differently. But also, I can understand why they have rules and why some would stick to them-- but putting a 17 year old in a bad situation is not an option, and would cause me to call up and talk to someone about it.

[PopPhan]

First off, I do not condone what the AMTRAK worker did and think that you should, at very least, get reimbursed for the taxi ride.

Now, a question, and I am NOT trying to be rude......If you are allowing a minor to travel alone in this 'heightened security' age, why would you not get that minor a non-driver ID just so they have a photo ID for this type of situation, let alone for emergencies? Since I see that you are a PA resident, you can go to the Driver Photo Center nearest you and get one in minutes for $10.00.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I absolutely would expect them to reimburse you the cost of the taxi. As far as getting the conductor fired, don't be surprised if that doesn't happen. Unfortunately they are union and the person will be covered by them.

I would definitely look into getting your daughter some kind of picture ID. Heaven forbid anything happened and she was unable to speak up for some reason. They'd have no way of knowing who she was or who to contact in an emergency.

I would be very proud of her for being able to take care of herself and not panicking.

[Katzateer]

She has not had any problem without an ID before and didn't think it would be a problem without it.

This was supposed to be a short train ride.

But she is getting an ID in a few weeks. She has to have one for college. And she will be 18 in a few months so she will have to have one then. Just didn't need one before.

The airline and Amtrak have never made an issue of it before.

And she has only been without one for a couple of years. The schools in Ohio had picture ID for students. Not sure why her high school in PA didn't.

[BriarRose0708]

I am sorry that happened! I would have done exactly what you did, and it sounds like your daughter is very smart to think of calling you and then taking a cab to the airport.

I'm glad she's getting her ID soon, so this won't happen again. My sister is 26 and doesn't drive (no need to in metro DC) so no license, and she uses her Passport to get into bars! I don't know why she just doesn't get a residency ID.

[PETE FROM NYC]

I am a retired railroad electrician, 36 yrs. I don't know Amtrak, but I never heard about our conductors asking for any ID. I used to see many school aged kids taking the train at all hours with no problems except when some groups would start acting up.
I worked for MTA Metro North Commuter Railroad, and we worked inter-state also.
I just don't see what was the big fuss on Amtrak.

[ElenitaB]

Apparently your daughter is not alone:


Teen girl kicked off Amtrak train in the middle of her trip
A 15-year-old Steilacoom girl is kicked off an amtrak train in the middle of the trip to Portland.

It wasn't because she misbehaved, but because she was too young to travel without an adult. Her parents are furious at the way Amtrak handled the situation and decided to Get Jesse.

Amtrak has said it could have done a better job handling this particular situation and apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused. They also have offered to provide a full refund to the parents.

— From the king5 site in the PNW

[Katzateer]

I got the same response but was told they don't give refunds.

It wouldn't have been a problem if she hadn't been riding without an Id for the 3 years we have been here. I ask and plan so we not have surprises like that!!

I am on my way to pick her up today. She is flying into BWI, returning from Ohio after 3 weeks visiting friends. Had planned on her taking train part way home but that isn't happening with her alone and no ID.

She is going next weekend to get her PA ID so no more surprises when she travels. I hope!

[VWL Mom]

It wouldn't have been a problem if she hadn't been riding without an Id for the 3 years we have been here. I ask and plan so we not have surprises like that!!


I don't condone what they did at all but their policy for unaccompanied minors seems to have changed in Nov 2011. The ID procedures may have changed then too.

This is from their website

Please note that unaccompanied children 15 and older must also produce valid photo ID when purchasing tickets.

IMO when there is a problem, keep the passenger with the conductor until a parent/guardian can be reached but don't abandon them in the middle of nowhere.