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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

My son has just paid for bus ticket with a twenty pound note...

281 replies

Miserylovescompany2 · 17/09/2017 08:54

The driver issued a ticket and stated he didn't have enough change - he told my son that he (my son) would have to go to the depot for his change.

All my son has is the issued ticked - it doesn't state how he paid? The depot won't refund him.

Surely it's the drivers responsibility to have change in the first instance.

What would you do?

He is still on the bus as I type...

OP posts:
PolarBearkshire · 18/09/2017 17:53

Probably it will be a lesson. Need to pop into news agents and change first then board the bus. Most towns buses do not provide any change at all nevermind mahoosive 20£. You sure your child is not telling porkies? I have seen it before haha! Even 5 years olds know no change given on a bus.

diddl · 18/09/2017 17:57

" all buses should be taking payments from a contactless card only. "

Fine for regular users/people living in UK.

irishbaby · 18/09/2017 17:57

Hi only just seen this.... dp is s bus driver for stagecoach and in the mornings no most drivers won't give out that much change as leaves them short for rest of the day ( and they have to go to the bank to get more change can't get from the depot ) dp gives out change vouchers which you can use to get your change from another stagecoach bus or from the shop ( if they have a stagecoach ticket shop ).

But it says on it how much is due back to the customer.

I would go down to the depot and speak to the staff all buses here are covered by cctv so won't be hard to find him on it if you give time and date.

Drivers pay in at the end of shifts so all money us accounted for. Go down there and can be easily sorted out. Driver should know better that has to have in it how much is due back or what you paid with.

It's not just your son that couldn't be bothered to get change, dp other week first thing in the morning on a Monday and 16 people tried to give 20 pound notes for 2 pound summit . All admitted didn't get change as can get on bus.

So he gave out 16 change vouchers and no none told them were happy about it to which they were told when the next bus would be along and they can wait for that.

It's just lazy to expect the driver to change such big notes in the morning knowing it leaves them with nothing for the rest if the day and they can not get more as can't go to the bank as driving.

So your son knows bus drivers shifts are about 12 hours long with some 45 minute break for the hole day. So to expect them not to eat lunch/ use facilities because they have to wait in a long queue in the bank isn't fair.

Depot staff will happily sort out the change.

Or give head office a call, weekly ticket might work out cheaper as saves money

lloydee1983 · 18/09/2017 17:57

Also because people were coming on with notes all the time , hoping to get a free ride. In some cases that's what would happen

DixieNormas · 18/09/2017 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LadyBusDriver · 18/09/2017 18:02

I'm actually a bus driver in yorkshire.

FYI:
We have credit vouchers that we can print if we have no change which can be changed on ANY bus of the same company at any time weather your travelling or not.

All the main companies around here do this.
Arriva isn't in our area so don't know about them.

Glad the driver helped in the end! 😊

irishbaby · 18/09/2017 18:02

That's ridiculous. You would actually waste police time ??

For 50p that's stupid. But some drivers are not given a float at all esp on few routes.

Why should you call police waste their time because your stubborn arse won't move.

That's where my dp announces over mic that you won't move so bus going no where until you do that way the other passengers move you as they gotta go places.

quizqueen · 18/09/2017 18:11

Not very wise for a child to be carrying a £20 note around. You should also have talked to him in advance about the importance of having the correct change for a bus ride!

bigdonna · 18/09/2017 18:11

bus drivers have to get there own change!their float is only 20.00 .why do so many passengers think they should have change!

LadyBusDriver · 18/09/2017 18:15

Oh and we only carry £5 float!

Osquito · 18/09/2017 18:16

Glad it all got sorted, OP - I use buses too and have experienced something similar before though would just be told to collect my change at end of trip (by this time driver would have collected more coins).

However, in response to some previous posters, my DP is an ex-Arriva driver here in the north and they were NOT given a float. The drivers at his depot had to provide the float themselves every day, and would be remunerated at end of shift (or be short/over, according to mistakes made). Whatever that may say about the way the company is run, I try to have a sensible amount of money for my fare because it is not the driver's fault. And yes, the driver should issue a receipt which your son would have used to collect his money with... however DP says this usually involves the person going somewhere out the way so most nice drivers will wait for more people to get on board and pay in BUT they are not required to.

MrLovebucket · 18/09/2017 18:16

This would not be acceptable in any other service (refusing to give change if you don't have the correct money

Surely you've used a parking meter/machine that doesn't give change? I've been caught out a few times and paid, for example, £1.00 for a 0.70p ticket if I'm low on change.

Some vending machines also ask for exact money as they don't give change.

MissionItsPossible · 18/09/2017 18:20

I'm from Birmingham and didn't know that drivers carrying change for people was a thing until I went to London and saw it there and was confused because it was busier and more people to get on and the driver was faffing around sorting out change for people.

CheshireChat · 18/09/2017 18:23

Also, if the note is fake (not saying the OP's son was btw), it's considered the driver's mistake and it will come out of their wages.

Unsurprisingly, most drivers don't want to take the risk.

Also, I second that Stagecoach drivers don't get given a float.

Osquito · 18/09/2017 18:24

*repaid! not remunerated.

fannydaggerz · 18/09/2017 18:30

There are 3 busses that give change where I live. The rest are correct change only.

rosy71 · 18/09/2017 18:43

Ds1 has been given a credit note before now. So he paid with a £10 note for a £1.50 fare & got a credit note for £8.50 which he then used to pay for his next ticket & got either money or another credit note as change. That's with Arriva.

FaveNumberIs2 · 18/09/2017 19:10

Shame on all you who said the driver was running a scam.

You should all apologise. The driver went out of his way to ask another driver to help him out with change. Shame on all of you for having no faith!!

Guiseley64 · 18/09/2017 19:11

I think the event has passed so telling you to walk here and there isn't going to help. I would cause a stink on social media and Trustpilot,- Tripadvisor etc. You might get a reply or you might just start an avalanche of disgruntled customers. I used Trustpilot to complain about a pre-booked Imax theatre trip that went wrong through no fault of my own.. I also complained some years ago when my own 13 year-old Son was refused a bus journey by an Arriva bus driver because he had no change. It was dark and my Son had been helping a blind couple as he did every week. Arriva offered us free travel tickets (which turned out to be useless because Arriva lost their bus run where I lived). McDonald's sent us a free meal token after I complained about a disgusting meal that was inedible. I put it into the bin and haven't eaten there again.. So Cause a stink. Write about your feelings and the feelings of your Son. The impact of that life lesson on your Son etc etc.

sandelf · 18/09/2017 19:13

Most buses have signs saying no change given, or exact fare only etc.. Can your son change his note with other passengers?

Glitterbug76 · 18/09/2017 19:24

Report it to the police it's theft ! If it was the other way round they would come after your son , the bus driver will have a camera above his head

maxrayeseth123 · 18/09/2017 19:24

He can't do that! By most bus companies policy they should not refuse travel, they should take your money and issue a ticket with fare on it & if they can't change the note by the time your journey ends, they should hand you money back - take your details and request that you pay for your journey within 7 days at a travel shop.

EatingMyWords · 18/09/2017 19:25

Can't any of you believe your buses might be different to other parts of the country? I use Arriva NE buses and they don't ask for the correct change- because there are lots of different prices depending what zones you are in I suppose. If a driver hasn't had change for me they've asked me to wait until other customers have paid then given me the change further into the journey- pretty simple!

Incidentally, our local buses have just started using contactless cards and it took longer than cash with change because the transaction didn't go through and had to be cancelled and repeated!

I'm glad it got sorted OK.

Touchmybum · 18/09/2017 19:28

I am stunned at how many people are so exercised about twenty quid on a bus...

niccyb · 18/09/2017 19:30

It appears to be common that a lot of the bus drivers don't have change for £20 note. My child has been told off before go not having the correct change from even a £10 note and as a result has ended up getting the bus for free because they have not been able to give change