Bus driver rude over £10 note

iAMaLONDONER

Buzzybee90 wrote: »

I get the same bus home every day, at some points I have to pay for the fare with a £10 note as I run out of change.

Today I politely asked for my ticket and he responded "with that?" "Yes" "most drivers wouldn't let you on", he did begrudgingly. The issue wasn't that there was not enough change, obviously most people pay for their fare with change! He just seemed annoyed at the prospect of having less change (I am near the end of the route though).

I understand they want more change but the cash point only does £10!

Anyone know if they can refuse me with a note, is there an IOU type system as I've heard of being implemented in London? I don't feel there was any need for rudeness, it wasn't as though I wanted to pay with a fifty!


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Sadly cash fares will be removed completely on London buses in the Summer

iAMaLONDONER

Buzzybee90 wrote: »

I understand, I only use a note once every two weeks. Without spending money, how can I break into my note?

I only get it one way so the pass is more expensive.

Get change from the bank?

iAMaLONDONER

Lioness_Twinkletoes wrote: »

Really? I think it will, carrying cash on buses is increasingly dangerous and unnecessary. I think most rural places will follow TfL's lead eventually.

I hope not!

Jake_027

I've had this problem before when my pass runs out. Get home 10pm Sunday night calling at the cashpoint on the way home and have to get a bus at 7am the next morning before any shops are open to get change. It became quite a common issue for me so I keep a moneybox of £10 worth of £1 coins at home, then use these if I need them and replenish later in the week when I have change again. They're also useful if I only need one thing from the shop e.g. a pint of milk, saves drawing out a note or paying on card so I'm not tempted to spend more money than I have to!

charleem_2

As an ex-bus driver who used to drive around Liverpool and was mugged, it really isn't much of a fun job these days. You have no protection on most of the buses, the company policy where people demanded your money was give it them, but how many times can that happen before the company questions if you've really been mugged?

Carrying all that cash really is a big pain in the neck, you have to keep it safe so putting it into a shirt pocket or the like because if you lose it then it comes out of your wage, the golden age of bus driving ended many many years ago, you no longer pick up your bus in the morning, do your routes and then finish, every single route is a different bus, you have to drag your ticket machine module, your money bag and all the cash with you off of that bus and get your next bus, set up all your stuff again, do that route, and then it's another bus after that, you can drive up to 5 different buses a day.

I'm not saying there's any excuse to being rude, but if everyone paid with a £10 note I bet those people would still complain when the bus was 20 minutes late to it's destination! I used to hate Monday mornings when people would buy their weekly bus passes, I'd be walking around with over £500 in my pocket and was always half an hour late due to the sheer volume of passes I had to print out! The companies don't take any of this into account, they still give you unrealistic schedules, all you're doing all day long is chasing your tail, we were never disciplined for being late thankfully.

h15t0r1an

If the OP's original problem, and some of the other things being reported, is an issue then we really do have a third world economy.

h15t0r1an

iAMaLONDONER wrote: »

I hope not!

IIRC there are actually laws that state businesses must accept cash and up to how much. Why should buses be exempt? not everyone is in a position to be able to customise how they carry their money at all times. To make it impossible to pay something so important as transport by cash is going to discriminate against some who have less choices and less access to technology in our society.

iAMaLONDONER

h15t0r1an wrote: »

IIRC there are actually laws that state businesses must accept cash and up to how much. Why should buses be exempt? not everyone is in a position to be able to customise how they carry their money at all times. To make it impossible to pay something so important as transport by cash is going to discriminate against some who have less choices and less access to technology in our society.

Legal tender only applies to debt

I totally agree but TfL does what TfL wants

Buzzybee90

h15t0r1an wrote: »

IIRC there are actually laws that state businesses must accept cash and up to how much. Why should buses be exempt? not everyone is in a position to be able to customise how they carry their money at all times. To make it impossible to pay something so important as transport by cash is going to discriminate against some who have less choices and less access to technology in our society.

Stagecoach themselves have told me that their drivers should only be refusing fifty pound notes, twenties, tens and fives should be accepted.

gaily

One of my friends has a daughter - fairly young, but just old enough to be out and about on her own.

She was dropped off in a local town to go to the cinema with friends. On completion of this (tickets etc, were sorted by parent before leaving) she went to catch the bus home. She only had a £10 on her, and the driver would not let her on the bus - told her to go to the 'depot'. (Didn't even let her on the bus, and collect the fare off her when he had change later down the route). She hadn't a clue where the depot was, because her mum and her had discussed the route, and the bus she needed to get. Not being a bus user herself, Mum had thought to give her plenty enough money to cover the fare, and said daughter didn't want to be spending Mum's cash on sweets etc to break up the £10.

Mum got a frantic and tearful call off daughter, who was supposed to be enjoying one of her first 'tastes' of freedom. Good thing she had credit on her phone.