Bus driver wouldn't let my dad on bus aibu to think he is a jobsworth?

[oohopo]

My dad is 85.
He has a bus pass.
He was coming to my house last night for tea.
He got on bus and his pass wouldn't work (it has a tiny rip in)
It was valid for two years still.
Normally you tap your pass and they let you on.
Obviously when he was tapping it wasn't registering.
So he had to get off and go home to get his wallet.
He was coming to mine so didn't think he needed anything but his pass.

It made zero difference to that bus driver
Aibu to think it's a shitty thing to do to a elderly man.

My 14 year daughter in full school uniform gets free travel with an oyster card . The children under 16 all get free travel we are in a oyster card area. She forgot her pass. The driver let her on and the conductor got on and fined her £40 for not having her pass. Even tho he knows she is entitled to free travel as she is under 16 . Yes it was a shitty thing to do I agree but maybe if he'd let him on a conductor might have got on and fined him £40 because it was damaged. Not agreeing with the bus driver at all in your dad's situation at all but the driver would have got the blame

This is awful. Funnily enough my very pretty young adult daughter often gets waved on to the bus for free, have seen this happen when I’ve waited with her at night to see her in the bus safely so I don’t buy that “more than my jobs worth” crap. Complain.

It's shocking that any bus driver would treat an elderly passenger clearly entitled to concessionary travel, just because 'computer says no'!!!

It's even more shocking that some posters don't think this twat of a driver did anything wrong!!! So much for "Be Kind"!!

One day, if you are lucky @DoubleBuggyDriver , you may find yourself in a similar situation.... bet you will change your tune then. An incident like this is quite liable to rob an elderly person of their confidence and thus independence (as I think someone posted upthread) - but what would the likes of you care about that! Maybe you could start a campaign to remove concessionary travel for older people, seeing as you are completely devoid of empathy?

Seriously, what kind of person would put an elderly man off a bus that he was clearly entitled to travel on? Takes jobsworth to a whole new level!

Yeah on zip oysters for those under 15 (I think it’s from 11-15) you can see the date it expires and it has a picture of their face on it. So many kids come on the bus with a cracked oyster or a picture with a scratch in it, all the things that’s now allowed stated in the terms & conditions. Some bus drivers still let them on but many don’t. I agree with you, it should be allowed in these circumstances but I don’t think the ones who don’t allow it are bad for following their job

@Canthave2manycats get a grip if you bothered to read all of my comments I said things like this happen in London weekly. Maybe I’m just desensitised.

It would have been nice to let the old man on yes but he didn’t HAVE too. That’s my point

I would complain and tell them exactly which bus it was. Bloody hate jobsworth prats.

Not keen on the word jobsworth as it’s often applied sneeringly to people who haven’t actually got much flexibility about how to do their job. However this does seem unnecessary from the driver.

Would you have let him on?

Well in my area a child in school uniform can't be refused travel by bus drivers on school days even if they've forgotten their pass! This is an agreement made by the bus companies to ensure children are never left in a vulnerable position.

Maybe he was an annoying jobsworthy, plain and simple. But maybe he was new or maybe the jobsworthy is 'one step above him' and has recently come down on him for letting someone on the bus when a pass didn't work. Maybe that jobsworthy or someone else is truly 'after his job' and he's being extra careful so as not to give them reason to sack him. Maybe an edict has 'come down from on high' and he doesn't want to take a chance. You just don't know.

I'm a senior. There have been times I've been given a 'senior privilege' simply based on my appearance or because the 'entity' involved has a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. But I never assume and there have been times I've been asked for ID so I always carry it. Better safe than sorry. If the issue was that Dad had no cash, he needs to remember to carry a bit of cash, if only because passes can also get lost or stolen. Plus, it's always good to carry some spare cash. DH and I always have what we call our 'hidden $20' in our wallets for emergencies.

What area are you in?

@DoubleBuggyDriver …you really missed out on empathy when your genes were dished out ! Hope you are not in a job that involves dealing with vulnerable people!

A lot of bus drivers are like this.

If I was a bus driver I’d let anyone on who didn’t have money on their oyster/oyster card is broke etc. Of course I would have let him on, doesn’t impact my life at all (unless I was already on multiple warnings for being late to bus stops etc then I probably wouldn’t risk it on the off chance that an inspector would come on)

People are biting my head off for saying bus driver wasn’t in the wrong for following the rules? Okay then🤣 next time the cashier at Tesco should let me off just because I’m 5p short then

That's good to know.

There are a lot of things we don't have to do but morally most people want to do the right thing.

That’s the thing, I never ONCE said the driver shouldn’t have let him on. I genuinely think he should have along with kids who get turned away. I just don’t think it’s fair to the comments that are insulting him because he didn’t do someone a favour. I don’t think you can pick and choose when someone should follow the rules and then insult them when they choose not too. I can see how it sounds a bit contradictory but I just think the majority of the comments are harsh, that’s all

I just refreshed the page and saw this. Didn’t you say we should agree to disagree yet you’re here continuing to quote my post? People are @‘ing me and quoting what I’ve said, I’m simply responding. I didn’t know that was arguing? I’m really not arguing about something that has absolutely nothing to do with me. It’s not my dad in this situation

I haven't said he should have known it wouldn't scan. I said if I'd been in that position, as a younger person, people would be saying it was my own fault so I shouldn't get to travel - I should have made sure my card didn't get damaged, I'd got cash or card on me etc. I'd probably get lambasted for holding up the bus.

We don't leave vulnerable people at the roadside
Until OP drip feeds that Dad has to visit every night as he has no electricity or money for food so it's the only meal he gets hot all day, can we remember this was a guy getting on the bus out of choice early evening. If he's so vulnerable that he can barely get the bus anywhere perhaps OP should be visiting him. It wasn't 3 am or the last bus or the night or in the middle of nowhere or outside of A&E as he hobbled along on crutches. Lots of 85 year olds are fit and healthy and capable of catching buses without concern for them being vulnerable and alone outside

I've asked that to be deleted.

You have the right to your opinion.

Our local bus company has guidance that no child is to denied travel due to not having money or pass. I presume this would apply to elderly as well. Certainly I've see people waved on rather than holding the bus up while the dig in their handbag for the pass. And if in the situation where an inspector fined your daughter I'd be appealing that to the top.

It's a shame that a card that clearly belonged to an elderly man presenting it wasn't honoured.

@SleepingStandingUp elderly and schoolchildren are automatically classed as vulnerable. We allow travel and report to an inspector if necessary.

I doubt the bus company would go bust by using a little common humanity. the marginal cost is negligible. the driver was a first class jobsworth.