To not pay my bus fare (London bus)

[KatRee]

Got on the bus today with my 1-year-old in the pushchair and my 3-year-old, who was walking. We went through the doors at the back to get directly into the wheelchair/pushchair space.
As soon as we got on, the announcement was played: “For your child’s safety, please stay with your buggy.” There were no seats, so my eldest also had to stand with us and hold on tight to keep his balance. I needed to supervise him to make sure he was doing that.
There were people standing in the aisle, so I couldn’t easily get to the front to tap my card to pay. So I ended up not paying.
This has happened maybe 2 or 3 times before since I’ve had kids and I always feel like I’ve done something wrong! But I’m not really sure what’s expected.
Usually we either get on at the front if the aisle is clear, as I have a little pushchair that fits down it, or we get on at the back, I quickly put the brake on, my eldest sits down and I run to the front and back to tap before the bus sets off.

Was I unreasonable not to pay today?
YABU – It’s basically stealing – pay your fare!
YANBU – For the love of God woman, supervise your small children and don’t worry about depriving TfL of £1.75!

Which bit?

Leaving a 3 year old for 15 seconds or using your fellow travellers assistance to pay?

I had a double buggy and lived in z2. Im a big bus user so have taken thousands of journeys. I've always done the following with never an issue

1. Queue until you are next to the open front door of the bus
2. Lean forwards and beep card and clearly say "ive got a buggy so i will get on at the back".
3. Embark through back doors

Ive seen others do it too, never an issue.

Yes, let me pass my £1k plus phone down a chain of 10 strangers, what can possibly go wrong!

I don't think you'd need to. Surely you'd just cancel your card in the circumstance where you've accidentally given you card to a magician who's somehow disappeared from the inside of a bus?

I get buses all the time and I’ve never seen this, but I’ll watch out for it next time!!

And what a pain in the arse that is. Best all round to tap it yourself really.

I work in London! I've never seen it happen, but I don't use the bus that often. I would just feel very uneasy passing a bank card or my phone down a bus full of strangers, particularly if one of them was to just hop off the bus with it!

I'm not suggesting anything.

I'm simply reporting what I saw on Wednesday last in a similar scenario.

Not being able to get to the front to pay has happened to me loads of times. I couldn’t even get on the bus to work this week in the morning because there were loads of school children blocking the aisle even though there were seats at the back, I should have just got on the back and moved forward to pay when they got off.

Of course! But when you can't, like in the OP, this is a normal and reasonable alternative. It's done frequently.

I think maybe you are just not looking. It happens ALL the time

Can someone explain how london buses work? Im due down next week and unfortunately at the mercy of buses/tubes etc I normally use Edinburgh buses but all this talk about doors etc is confusing me lol

I made the mistake of leaving the buggy to tap on. The driver started driving as soon as I’d tapped and the buggy fell over. I have occasionally handed by card to the front - no one’s stolen it yet. Or occasionally someone’s been chatty at the bus stop and they’ve offered to tap on for me. And when I just had a buggy I did go via the front door/aisle. With a buggy and a toddler, I found it really hard to push down the aisle whilst holding toddler’s hand and asking oblivious people with headphones to move. If you don’t make it to the buggy spot before the bus starts it’s very hard to keep buggy, toddler and self upright. You mentioned that your 3 year old had to stand - most people will give up their seat if you ask nicely!

It only happens when the aisle is fully blocked so the people can't get anywhere...there is no 'hopping off' on a bus so packed you can't physically get down the aisle to pay yourself.

If you feel uneasy then don't do it of course! I'm not suggesting it become mandatory. I'm just explaining that it happens fairly regularly and there is no need for pearl clutching, insults or scorn towards someone explaining something to you that you didn't previously know about!

Do you have a buggy or a wheelchair?

Get on amd tap in at the front. Leave at the doors half way down, there no need to tap out as it's a flat fare. £1.75. And if you get more than one in an hour, you're not charged for the second.

So today I got one to go shopping, whizzed round, got another back, and was only charged for the first fare. Or will be after midnight...

Tubes it's tap both ends.

But a child who is old enough to do that is not similar to a three year old, are they?

If it's happened three times, that's about £5 you haven't spent. Give a fiver to the next homeless person you see, and the (moral) job's a good 'un.

While at a bus stop I was asked to tap in for a woman in a wheelchair. While she wheeled herself up the ramp through the exit doors.
I was a bit puzzled but told her she did not need to pay since she was in a wheelchair.
She seemed puzzled too.

Must have been an out of towner.

I like this idea.

I don't know the age of the child I saw.
They come in different sizes.
But was a small child.
Had to reach up to tap the reader.

@NuffSaidSam- pass the card forward?? Are you kidding?

It’s amazing how many mums with prams think they don’t have to pay because they’ve got on the back. Ive literally witnessed it on empty buses but they seem to think it makes them exempt it’s so funny when the driver makes an announcement and they act shocked that they are expected to pay. Even a packed bus you still need to pay lol

No, as a couple of other posters have affirmed it's a fairly frequent procedure on a London bus.