Bus passes again

Savvy_Sue

margaretclare wrote: »

I vaguely remember something like this and I only remember it because it's a place I used to know. It was the coast road from Scarborough, a very scenic route (think 'Heartbeat' country).

That sounds about right.

I hope that me, margaretclare and Radio 4 make a reliable source, of sorts! :rotfl:

jojo1964

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

And I've even heard about a service which is regularly full of those using bus passes, making it impossible for fare paying passengers wanting to board en route to do so.

I can say that it does happen, as at 9 or 9.30 am (depending on which issuing authority you are in) regular fare paying passengers are left behind, i can never understand why they have to all come out en masse at that time. ( and woe betide any poor unsuspecting casual passenger sat in THEIR SEAT) And yes i speak from experience, with over 15 years experience of driving buses.

Savvy_Sue

Same reason as they all had to queue at the PO the minute it opened to get their pensions out, in the days when that's what you had to do. No, I never knew why they all did that either ...

datostar

dggar wrote: »

Do you know whether an ordinary fare paying passenger has the the "Start" and "destination" displayed on the ticket? Most passengers I see in Manchester usually just ask for "a £1.60 ( or what ever the fare is) without stating a destination.

Yes. By the time it's all printed out the ticket's about 4 inches long. Everybody gets the same ticket, bus pass or not, and notices on the buses ask passengers to state their destination.

DebtHater

datostar wrote: »

Yes. By the time it's all printed out the ticket's about 4 inches long. Everybody gets the same ticket, bus pass or not, and notices on the buses ask passengers to state their destination.

Again, this is dependant on the area.

Here down South, the tickets only record the start point.

chesky369

Well, I think all the areas should be just like London - after all, if the busiest city in the country can cope with pensioners travelling at all times, why can't others? They changed the rules a couple of years ago and now there's no limit as to when you can travel. Having said that, I still like to get out and about in the morning and into the shops before they get busy.

Biggles

chesky369 wrote: »

Well, I think all the areas should be just like London - after all, if the busiest city in the country can cope with pensioners travelling at all times, why can't others? They changed the rules a couple of years ago and now there's no limit as to when you can travel.

Here in Suffolk we have always been able to travel at any time with the passes.

But we've just been told that, from 1 Apr, our passes will only entitle us to the national statutory travel, ie 9:30am to 11pm. Plus (and the one that irks me the most) we'll no longer be able to use the Park & Ride free at any time.

Savvy_Sue

Biggles wrote: »

But we've just been told that, from 1 Apr, our passes will only entitle us to the national statutory travel, ie 9:30am to 11pm.

Gosh, I never knew there was a curfew!

Biggles wrote: »

Plus (and the one that irks me the most) we'll no longer be able to use the Park & Ride free at any time.

I think the P&R have always been a law unto themselves in this area, they are not run by First who have most of the other contracts, and when the one near us opened I contacted the bus company to see if the school bus passes could be used on them. It took a week or so to get it agreed but it was allowed, mainly I think because the service was initially under-used. (This is a service with several stops between the car park and the centre.)

A year or so back they removed that concession, probably because too many children were using it and fare paying passengers were being left behind in the mornings (as were some of the children, I have to say!) at the intermediate bus stops.

Biggles, if you have a 'tourist' bus in the summer, can you use your bus pass on that? I'm in a walking group, and once a year we usually get our open top bus to the docks, and then go for a walk and catch it again somewhere else. 99% of the walkers can do this for free with their bus passes, while I, alas, have to pay nearly £10 for the privilege!

Biggles

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Biggles, if you have a 'tourist' bus in the summer, can you use your bus pass on that?

We do have a tourist bus that chugs around the town; the new rules are silent on this issue, so I assume it's included. As long as it's during 'off-peak' hours of course (I never realised the rush hour started at 11pm!).

dggar

datostar wrote: »

Yes. By the time it's all printed out the ticket's about 4 inches long. Everybody gets the same ticket, bus pass or not, and notices on the buses ask passengers to state their destination.

There are no notices like that on Stagecoach or First group bus in the Greater Manchester area. Tickets are about 2 inch square.
I've never had a ticket issued when showing my pass in Manchester, but since 28th you have to swipe it over the ticket machine, like Oyster cards in London, so that slows down the passenger boarding process.