Vouchers instead of change on Sheffield busses

[dutch]

25 years ago I spent a lot of time in Nottingham, and their bus drivers drove from behind the protective screens even back then, and they had the hoppers in which to drop the money for your fare. The drivers weren't permitted to handle the money, and you had to tender correct fare, no change was given, either, so if the fare was 50p, and all you had was a fiver, tough luck.

 

That is a very selfish and undeveloped system. A system like that would be illegal in other developed countries I knew of in those days. Even on a holiday in India we got change on the bus.

[alchemist]

I think that the fundemental question surrounding this has still not been answered. At least one poster as well as myself have asked the question, how do you know what the exact change is for the journey you are about to undertake? Does it tell you on the bus stop? Unless you know that vital bit of information you are never going to know if you have the correct change.

[999tigger]

I think that the fundemental question surrounding this has still not been answered. At least one poster as well as myself have asked the question, how do you know what the exact change is for the journey you are about to undertake? Does it tell you on the bus stop? Unless you know that vital bit of information you are never going to know if you have the correct change.

 

1. You can ask the bus driver/ conductor.

2. Regulars are likely to know what their fare is.

3. You can contact the bus company.

4. You can look at their website where the prices are.

 

Drama Queen much.

 

Are Sheffield people so challenged they cant have the common sense to take a bit of change with them so they have there or thereabouts the corrct money for a bus fare? People managed in the past.

Edited September 22, 2014 by 999tigger

[jfish1936]

1. You can ask the bus driver/ conductor.

2. Regulars are likely to know what their fare is.

3. You can contact the bus company.

4. You can look at their website where the prices are.

.

 

Yes, regulars know a lot about the bus system. Visitors, or residents who rarely use buses, don't.

Let's keep the public transport system for knowledgeable regulars, and discourage occasional use!

[999tigger]

Yes, regulars know a lot about the bus system. Visitors, or residents who rarely use buses, don't.

Let's keep the public transport system for knowledgeable regulars, and discourage occasional use!

 

Which part of asking the bus driver what the fare in requires you to be a regular?

Which part of being a local requires you to have the common sense that you know you will need money and it helps if you have more or less the right fare rather than £50 notes?

Which party of not being a regular prevents you contacting or looking up on the internet the price of the journey before you go, if needs be?

 

Plenty of people manage no problem just like they did in the 40,s 50's, 60' 70's, 80's 90's.

Pathetic to say it discourages use, when its no different from the many decades past. If you cant organise yourself, then more fool you. Its nothing to do with knowledgeable locals. If I was traveling to any other city in the world id expect to have to pay and I would expect myself to have more or less the correct money, rather than large denomination notes, so I could buy a ticket. Never realised some of you were so challenged in the common sense department.

[Alcoblog]

Which part of asking the bus driver what the fare in requires you to be a regular?

Which part of being a local requires you to have the common sense that you know you will need money and it helps if you have more or less the right fare rather than £50 notes?

Which party of not being a regular prevents you contacting or looking up on the internet the price of the journey before you go, if needs be?

 

Plenty of people manage no problem just like they did in the 40,s 50's, 60' 70's, 80's 90's.

Pathetic to say it discourages use, when its no different from the many decades past. If you cant organise yourself, then more fool you. Its nothing to do with knowledgeable locals. If I was traveling to any other city in the world id expect to have to pay and I would expect myself to have more or less the correct money, rather than large denomination notes, so I could buy a ticket. Never realised some of you were so challenged in the common sense department.

 

So ... going back to my post #117. I had 'more or less the correct money', but the driver decided not to give me the necessary change claiming he hadn't got it. Fair enough I thought (although I thought it strange that he hadn't got 30p in his float). I was OK with that until the only person getting on at the next stop was given the correct change for exactly the same fare.

In short, he was choosing who to give change to which I find rather discriminatory ... don't you? I ended up being offered a scraggy bit of paper allowing me a reduction on my next ride (which I declined), whereas the (undeniably) attractive young lady at the next stop was given change, no question.

 

By the way ... I use this service once a week and know what the fare is. I normally give the correct fare. I just didn't have it this time. It's no big deal to me, but if the bus companies want to introduce their own currency into just their system (I presume one of their IOU 'Bank of First' notes is not legal tender in the newsagents for example), you'd think it should apply to all paying customers wouldn't you ... not based upon physical attractiveness.

 

You OK with this sort of service?

[Zamo]

Re my bold.

 

Check your "facts" Zamo.

 

You may discover that suggestions made to effect changes by the PTE in South Yorkshire have come up against flat refusals to cooperate by the two largest operators.

 

No they dont, they tried that and both major operators said no. the PTE has no power to implement anything of a similar scheme as TfL has done.

you would want quality contracts for every single route in the county (remember its not just Sheffield) under a single PTE operator with services supplied by independant commercial operators through QC in a de-regulated environment

 

Show me a city in the uk never mind an area covered by a PTE or TCA that has this then you may have a case.

 

You are both wrong. It is a fact that the PTE could introduce Quality Contracts and it doesn't require the agreement of operators. The operators could decide not to bid but they'd be cutting their noses off to spite their face... there is always someone who will take the work.

 

West Yorkshire are going to do it. See here. Leeds (and it's surrounding region) have left Sheffield behind in terms of development and image and this is just another example of how much more forward thinking they are.

[999tigger]

So ... going back to my post #117. I had 'more or less the correct money', but the driver decided not to give me the necessary change claiming he hadn't got it. Fair enough I thought (although I thought it strange that he hadn't got 30p in his float). I was OK with that until the only person getting on at the next stop was given the correct change for exactly the same fare.

In short, he was choosing who to give change to which I find rather discriminatory ... don't you? I ended up being offered a scraggy bit of paper allowing me a reduction on my next ride (which I declined), whereas the (undeniably) attractive young lady at the next stop was given change, no question.

 

By the way ... I use this service once a week and know what the fare is. I normally give the correct fare. I just didn't have it this time. It's no big deal to me, but if the bus companies want to introduce their own currency into just their system (I presume one of their IOU 'Bank of First' notes is not legal tender in the newsagents for example), you'd think it should apply to all paying customers wouldn't you ... not based upon physical attractiveness.

 

You OK with this sort of service?

 

I dont speak for the bus services. In that sutuation id find it rather odd. never happened to me. In times past the driver used to ask if anyone had any change he could swap, just like they do in some shops. What would I have done?

 

1. If it annoyed me that much Id have asked the driver why he gave change to one but no me. Then asked him to give me change. If he was a pain id have taken it up with customer service.

 

2. Used the voucher on my next bus journey.

 

3. Not wasted the energy on it (other more importnat things) and taken it on the chin.

 

4. Cashed it in at customer services, if it annoyed me that much.

[Mr Bloom]

Does it state how many vouchers you can use in one transaction? Or how little the voucher value issued can be? Can you get a voucher back if your voucher value is more than the fare? What's stopping you from holding the queue up and getting your mate behind you to swap your voucher for some change, so the voucher can be used straight away? If it creates more problems than it solves, it will be scrapped eventually. This could be ludicrous fun. Camera phones at the ready!

Edited September 22, 2014 by Mr Bloom

[alchemist]

1. You can ask the bus driver/ conductor.

.

 

Then, I assume in your world, they get off, find the change and catch the next bus?

 

---------- Post added 22-09-2014 at 14:52 ----------

 

From Mainline

 

You may just wish to purchase a single travel ticket. Simply state your destination to the driver when you board and they will advise the appropriate price for the distance travelled.

 

Single fares within SouthYorkshire start from £1 for short journeys.

 

Note: Special single fares may apply on certain routes or where a promotion is in operation.

 

To reduce delays, customers are requested to tender the correct change wherever possible.

 

Most customers will find that our FirstDay, FirstWeek or FirstMonth tickets offer better value for money for multiple trips.

 

Information correct at Sunday 30 March 2014.

 

So, yes, you may ask the driver, but there is nowhere on the site to calculate it yourself, so you cant come pre-pepared with the exact change.