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Can you refuse legal tender?

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isasmurf
isasmurf Posts: 1,999 Forumite
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in I wanna buy it or do it
I'm not sure where to post this, so I thought this was as good as anywhere!

I was getting on the bus this morning, when the person in front of me tried to buy a ticket with a Bank of England £10 note. I note the Bank of England, as I know that Scottish and other notes, are not legal tender and can be refused. The bus driver staunchly refused to accept the note, saying she didn't have enough change. I butted in here and asked "You mean to tell me 8 people haven't got on this bus and paid in cash this morning?" Which was pretty surprising considering there was 60+ people on the bus. I know Ken has the wonderful idea to get cash of the buses in London, but surely they have enough change for a tenner.

I think there's some law that says the highest denomination (which I think is £50 in the UK) can be refused, but can any note that is legal tender be refused?

In the end I could see that it was stalemate between the bus driver and the passenger, so i ended up paying the fare for her.
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  • Spendless
    Spendless Posts: 24,179 Forumite
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    That was nice of you to pay her fare.

    Don't know the answer to your question but I've read before about bus drivers refusing to take more than 20p in coppers as this wasn't legal tender (was years ago though).
  • Queenie
    Queenie Posts: 8,793 Forumite
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    AFAIK - then yes, the driver *can* refuse to accept a £10. He gave his reason as not having enough change - who's to know that the change he had in his float hadn't been used up on his previous passengers? :confused:

    Also, shops etc., are not obliged to take bagfuls of copper coins in payment. ;)

    Even had a circumstance where a BS wouldn't accept my children's piggy bank money because, even though it was bagged up, no 1 bag had the "precise" amount allotted ... ie: one 2p bag only had say 78p and the 5p bag only had 95p ... the total in the bags was to go into their CHILDRENS savings account too! LOL
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  • Bossyboots
    Bossyboots Posts: 6,746 Forumite
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    It seems from this http://www.royalmint.com/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/Corp_british_coinage/LegalTenderGuidelines.asp?menuID=-1&MenuItemID=102&MenuType=PAGE that the money was not legal tender as the passenger was requesting change.
  • Murtle
    Murtle Posts: 4,154 Forumite
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    Don't the answer either, but did notice the other day that nearly all the buses near me state "Exact Change Only"....I've never used the bus, don't know what the exact change only is....too scared to now!!!
  • Murtle
    Murtle Posts: 4,154 Forumite
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    Bossyboots wrote:
    It seems from this http://www.royalmint.com/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/Corp_british_coinage/LegalTenderGuidelines.asp?menuID=-1&MenuItemID=102&MenuType=PAGE that the money was not legal tender as the passenger was requesting change.


    it was legal tender then, they just wouldn't get any change from it.... :eek: should have got a taxi!!!
  • Tony_H_3
    Tony_H_3 Posts: 2,643 Forumite
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    Add this to my subscriptions for later reference!! icon6.gif
  • klondyke
    klondyke Posts: 463 Forumite
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    QUOTE/"You mean to tell me 8 people haven't got on this bus and paid in cash this morning?"\QUOTE

    Particularly in London. most people will have travel cards/season tickets, so it is quite possible that very few passengers will have paid cash - or the right sort of cash to produce the right sort of change!
  • Natzdance
    Natzdance Posts: 46 Forumite
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    A little off the topic but still along the same lines. I'm not sure how many others have found this but when I am in England and try to pay using a northern/ulster bank note shops won't accept them, even though they state stirling on them. its so annoying!
  • Xh2oX
    Xh2oX Posts: 46 Forumite
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    agree with you Natzdance.....i live in scotland and when i go home visiting family i get very strange looks when trying to pay with 'scottish' money!!! clydesdale banks notes really confused the shop keeper!
    ;)Water!
  • louise1234_2
    louise1234_2 Posts: 224 Forumite
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    Lots of buses give no change - the driver doesn't even have access to the money in Glasgow & Edinburgh. You put the exact change in a box, the driver has a see-through panel, checks it then pushes a button to send it into secure box.
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