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Original poster

Should the bus driver have accepted my Scottish 5 pound note without kicking up a fuss?

20 replies

Habba · 03/12/2018 19:17

She made a right huff about it and didn't want to let me board at a UK airport that has many flights a day to several Scottish destinations.

She seemed almost proud that the bus didn't accept contactless (even market stores accept cards these days so major bus companies not is just pathetic) and only takes cash.

Eventually she let me on after a while, but was saying I'm on CCTV and my photo will be sent to the police if there's problems with my money. I doubt they would do anything as they aren't even visiting shops unless 200+ has been stolen. But it wasn't a nice threat t make.

I couldn't really just wait for another as they are once every 90 mins and had already been waiting over half an hour for this one.

If she's serving an airport and running an exclusively cash service should she kick up a fuss over Scottish money?

OP posts:

PotteringAlong · 03/12/2018 19:18

No, it’s legal tender.

dementedpixie · 03/12/2018 19:21

Strictly speaking it isn't legal tender. She maybe just doesn't see them often enough to know it's not forged. She took it in the end anyway

viques · 03/12/2018 19:23

I think this is a case for a sweet but snotty letter to the bus company suggesting they invest in a bit of training re customer service and the legality of currency in the UK.

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Finfintytint · 03/12/2018 19:24

There is an agreement to accept the currency but it's down to the recipient to accept the condition. I.e. They don't have to if they don't want to, annoying though it is.

Akaudi · 03/12/2018 19:24

She was unreasonable but I'm not surprised, had it happen to me far too many times! Thr Michael macintyre sketch on Scottish money always sums up my experience paying with it in England!

BollocksToBrexit · 03/12/2018 19:26

Scottish notes are not legal tender so it's up to the company if they want to accept them or not.

PattiStanger · 03/12/2018 19:26

No, it’s legal tender

No, it's not

PattiStanger · 03/12/2018 19:28

I think this is a case for a sweet but snotty letter to the bus company suggesting they invest in a bit of training re customer service and the legality of currency in the UK

Don't do that or they might suggest you google the correct answer

3out · 03/12/2018 19:30

I think it’s mostly due to the high proportion of scottish fivers that are forgeries, and the driver may then end up liable for covering the cost out of her own pocket if her ‘till’ is short as a result.

V V annoying though

Original poster

Habba · 03/12/2018 19:30

Scottish notes aren't legal tender, but nore are English ones strictly speaking either.

Yes they could reject it, as they could reject any English note. But it was a good condition plastic note.

As she bus goes to an airport that serves several Scottish destinations daily I think it would be expected to take them without any fuss. Supermarkets used to train all English staff on the notes and and have a crib sheet to lookup as it is a bit confusing that several banks issue Scottish notes.

OP posts:

Original poster

Habba · 03/12/2018 19:32

I don't think there's any issues with Scottish £5 plastic note forgeries as never heard of that. Wouldn't it cost way more than the value of the note to make a good one?

OP posts:

3out · 03/12/2018 19:35

I think it’s just ingrained in people that they’re at a high risk of being forged, despite them now being plastic.

I think the main unreasonable part of your post is that they don’t take contactless! That’s bizarre.

dementedpixie · 03/12/2018 19:36

English notes are legal tender in England and Wales but not in Scotland

Original poster

Habba · 03/12/2018 19:38

I agree. It's like 50s being forgeries although the note that was easy for forge was phased out ages ago and replaced with a high tech one.

So many buses still don't accept contactless or cards, it's ridiculous!

OP posts:

Original poster

Habba · 03/12/2018 19:39

I think m people get way to bogged down on legal tender, that isn't a very useful term. They are legal currency and that's all that matters.

OP posts:

JaiNotJay · 03/12/2018 19:39

Was it Bristol airport by any chance? This used to happen to me all the time when I lived down south. I always used to want to say "I think you'll find it's legal tender!" Iike in the Michael McIntyre sketch (I know it isn't really).

Original poster

Habba · 03/12/2018 19:40

I mean Scottish notes aren't legal tender in Scotland, paying for something that's 12p in 2ps isn't legal tender either. It's not a useful term.

OP posts:

User0ne · 03/12/2018 20:12

I live in Durham and find that if you go 15 miles south to teesside you get challenged using Scottish notes; it seems to be the cut off point. North of there it's fine.

I agree with writing to the bus company, what a faff

TooManyWIPs · 03/12/2018 20:34

Also get this with Northern Irish notes.
I try to use them in nearest Tesco, etc (after a detailed inspection by all on duty) otherwise it's the palava of lodging it into the bank to withdraw it straightaway.
Funny how the same doesn't happen in NI when people use bank of england notes.

KnobOfStork · 03/12/2018 20:41

I ended up going back to the airport and buy a coffee just to shift an Irish tenner once. I think because we don't get them so often in England it's harder to work out if they're fake or not but the self checkouts never seem to accept them and its such a a faff. Less trouble when I got given a paper 10 and a George Stevenson paper fiver the other week ffs.

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