Bus driver refused to give my teen DD ID back

While I have every sympathy for DD and agree that, under the circumstances, the driver's behaviour was unnecessary and upsetting, I can't help being envious of the free child's bus pass. I shell out tons of my hard earned in fares for my three. It is only the mouldy oldies who get free bus travel in England.

The thing is the terms will say it's the parent/guardians responsibility to make sure the child has a valid pass with them when travelling. If it's damaged it is up to the parent to get a new one. Here in England there's a thing with s hool kids scratching the photo off their pass because they don't like the pictures. The pass is then invalid but it doesn't stop them complaining when it is confiscated. The other one is kids demanding travel without a pass saying they left it at home. Again, that's the parents problem as it's their responsibility to make sure the child has their pass to go to school.

The Scottish disabled adult scheme uses the same cards (though no DoB once you’re over 25). The policy for a broken card is that the driver takes it and issues a temporary travel pass. I think this is because when you lose a card the scheme disables it, and the drivers presumably can’t tell between a cancelled and a broken card.

Worth getting in touch with the bus company and council (who look after issuing the cards), but suspect the response might be that this is standard for a broken card.

I used to show my valid, in-date passport on London buses to pay child rate, and a bus driver once rejected it as proof of ID.

"It's good enough ID for the government and international travel, but not for London buses?" I snapped.

"Yes" he replied and charged me adult fair.

Some people are wankers

It’s bloody ridiculous for him to keep it. Not his bloody job no matter what he seems to think!

I applied for my DS's new one just yesterday as the hologram is damaged and the online form wanted a photo of the card and then the number written on it. Gonna magic that out your arse are you? Idiot man.

Im sure you can get a new one with no card obviously but having that info makes applying a lot easier/faster I bet.

My DS has had to show it at the pictures to prove he can get into a 15 rated and stuff like that so it’s handy to have still when waiting on a new one.

Eto. It was a bus driver that noticed the damage and said he’d need to order a new one. He didn’t confiscate it!

@Mumforadecade1 - agree that it is totally inappropriate for anyone to confiscate the card. It’s a safeguarding issue. What kind of fuckwit leaves a child without the means of travelling? It’s really bad.

The Scottish ones are definitely more than bus passes.

Oh it was a different part funded bus pass in Engald. Entitled me to journeys to/from school. I had it on a key ring and it was a bit bashed and the driver confiscated it.

I have an over-60s Saltire card. When I damaged it (tripped getting onto a bus) the driver kept the broken card but gave me a 5-day travel pass until I could get a new card. There was no charge to get a replacement card. I think your DD should have been given an alternative ticket.

(I had a slight problem with the 5-day ticket because two bus companies operate in my area and the ticket was only valid for the one that issued it. However, at my age, I had the confidence to insist that drivers accepted it as a replacement card and nobody cared enough to argue and drag me off a bus!)

I'd be Really pissed off if a bus driver took ds young scot card off him.
Firstly I don't see how the bus driver would be allowed the cards come from the council not the bus company. Secondly his is as you say his library card school and public libraries and his card for the council pools and gyms so he wouldn't be able to access his sports clubs or swimming.

what is the issue with it being damaged anyway? surely the worst possible outcome if it is THAT damaged (which the dd's card clearly wasn't if it had scanned fine several times that day) is that it just won't work and the child won't be able to use the bus....which by taking it off her he has ensured a 'maybe' is a 'definite.' I can't see why there would be any reason to take it off her, rather than just warning her she needed to get a new one.

I would ask the bus company for a copy of that policy, and ask if it went through equality impact assessment?

As with many 'policies', it's nonsense. 'Policy' means nothing by itself and it's often just made up guff based on nothing that has a legal or otherwise reasonable basis. Even if it's in the T&Cs, so what? Could easily be an unfair contract term.

It has nothing to do with the bus company. The card is a Scottish government card.

In which case, the 'policy' is authorising theft of children's cards. And is a safeguarding issue in more than one way as already stated. Someone needs to get this 'policy' overturned once and for all, for the safety of the minors involved.

(Funnily enough, no-one snatches a less-than-perfect railcard, credit card, Oyster card, library card or similar off us adults. Why are children fair game so often?)

Yes, now that I've clicked I see that the card is not supposed to be bent.

However, the OP tells us that the card "was still working on the machine" Therefore, I'm assuming that it scanned. There is really no excuse for leaving a minor in a position where she might not have transport.

No, that's not cool.
Letting you know it needs to be replaced is one thing or making it with a date somehow "this is only valid for 2 more weeks due to ID being damaged" or SOMETHING. But taking it off her and refusing to return it...? Unless completely and utterly destroyed beyond recognition, no! How can that be okay?!

Read point 10, you might need to click the picture. It’s invalid if damaged.

Libraries still let you take books without the card, you need an account but not the physical card as long as you can confirm details.

You can use the school photocopiers by typing in your credentials.

The cafeteria staff can also access your account without the card.

Im a teacher so all of this is first hand info. It’s annoying, but the only thing that you really need the physical card for is the bus. And the bus company are not paid unless the card scans.

My ds has one of these cards plus a companion on it. I renewed in plenty of time but that was in November. They're waiting from something from child disability payment review to process the new card. They told me he's to use it anyway.

I would complain because they're telling others to use their young Scot's without companion even when they're renewing. They're issued by the local council so should not be removed by the driver.

That only says that the council needs to be informed if the card is damaged. Doesn't say that being damaged automatically invalidates the card.

Given how important the card is to a youngster, it's appalling that the driver took it.

I'm in my 60s and do a bit of supply teaching.

One day coming back from work, the card reader wouldn't accept my card. God bless him, the driver just issued a ticket. When I got my connecting ride, the ticket worked. If the first guy had taken my ticket off me, I'd have been seriously inconvenienced. As with your daughter's card, it's also my library card plus it allows me to access the photocopiers in my school.

Given that many youngsters have their school dinner money on their card (and all free dinners are on the entitlement cards) it's a damned disgrace that the driver took it.

I'm furious on your behalf. I know that you've already phoned, but email the company and copy to your MSP.

Stagecoach, perchance?

It does seem that the card was invalid at time of use though

Can you report it stolen? To the local authority or whichever govt department issues them?
Even if it's not usable on the bus, it's still her property. The driver has basically stolen it. And like you say, it has her personal information on it. Even if he cut it in half or something, he still should have returned it to her.

The card can be used on any bus, any company, for free transport anywhere in Scotland. Some schools use it to pay for school dinners, it can be used for a few other things too.

@Notmyuser ah, ok. Can they look at the t&C's of the card and the bus firm. Is it because you need the old card to easily renew the new one?
I guess if the bus driver was rude in his manner then ask your daughter if she wants to complain.
Can you get her a more sturdy wallet/holder for the new card?

This isn't a bus pass, it's much more than that - it's ID, used to get access to certain activities, used to get discounts in shops etc.

Those cards haven't existed for that long, so it must have been a different type of card (unless you're around 20 now?). The current Young Scot Saltire Card is also an ID card and is used as more than a bus pass.

This happened to me as a teenager. My parents complained loads but it did no good.

It happened to me too back when the cards were just laminated. The driver took my card in the middle of the week and I didn't have another passport sized photo at home in order to get another one. If I still had the card we could have reused the old photo. My mum was disabled and on benefits and we couldn't get to the shops to get another one until later in the week. I know it's a bus company policy but it's not very well thought out.