Public transit is a lawless wasteland that tests the absolute limits of human patience. You have the loud talkers, the people who refuse to take off their backpacks, and worst of all, the line cutters. But nothing boils the blood quite like watching someone aggressively shove their way to the front just to steal a free ride while the rest of us pay our hard earned money. One commuter recently witnessed this exact scenario and delivered a dose of instant karma that belongs in a museum.
The Original Poster was navigating the chaotic labyrinth known as the London Underground. They were traveling for work and carrying a suitcase along with a heavy laptop bag. Because of their bulky luggage they rightfully headed straight for the wider accessible gate to enter the train station.
There were a couple of other travelers ahead of them dealing with similar baggage loads. Suddenly a girl completely cut in front of the Original Poster. Cutting in line is annoying enough on its own but she took her audacity a step further. She quickly lunged forward and blatantly tailgated the person directly in front of her to slip through the gate without tapping her card to pay the fare.
The Original Poster did not think too much of the initial incident. Fare evasion is sadly a relatively common occurrence in major cities. They simply tapped their own card and headed into the melee of the station. Being a polite commuter they did the only reasonable thing possible which was loudly tutting and grumbling under their breath about the brazen theft. But they did make a mental note of the girl’s highly distinctive turquoise suitcase.
Fast forward a few stops later. The commuter arrived at their destination and began walking toward the similar wide barrier to tap out and exit the station. Out of nowhere they spotted a very familiar turquoise suitcase. The exact same line cutting girl was suddenly matching their pace and walking just slightly behind them.
The scheme was incredibly obvious. The girl needed to tailgate someone again to get out of the station without triggering an unpaid fare alarm. Knowing exactly what had happened at the entrance the Original Poster realized the universe was handing them a golden opportunity. It was officially their time to shine.
The commuter confidently approached the wider exit gate. They tapped their card with absolute precision while the opportunistic girl closed the gap. She positioned herself mere millimeters behind the Original Poster ready to draft right through the open barrier like a race car driver.
But the Original Poster had a brilliant and perfectly legal trap waiting for her. Right as they stepped through to the other side they suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. They aggressively began patting down all their pockets to urgently make sure they had their wallet, passport, and onward travel tickets securely packed.
Stopping completely still right outside a timed transit gate yields immediate physical consequences. The heavy gate forcefully slammed shut directly on the tailgating girl. Because she was unable to shove past the commuter and their bulky luggage in time she was left completely trapped half inside and half outside of the mechanical barrier.
The absolute best part of this entire petty masterpiece is the immediate consequence. Because she was physically stuck in the gate it was painfully obvious to everyone watching that she had not paid her way. A transit worker immediately spotted the commotion and headed straight in her direction to help untangle her from the crime scene.
Having thoroughly confirmed the contents of their pockets the Original Poster casually walked away to catch their Eurostar connection. They did not stick around to watch the transit worker hand down the official punishment but they did hear the trapped girl screaming a few brand new curse words as they walked out of earshot.
Sometimes the universe needs a little bit of help delivering justice. The commuter fully admitted that the move was stupidly petty but proudly stated they would absolutely do it again. You cannot cheat the system and expect the people you shoved out of the way to hold the door open for you. Have you ever witnessed instant karma on public transit? Tell us your best petty revenge stories in the comments below!