3:22pm Friday 30th July 2010
In response to Janet Cameron (Letters, July 26): the position regarding late evening concessionary bus travel in Brighton is complicated. I was a little puzzled about the timekeeping comment as if Ms Cameron’s ticket was issued at 23.01 then our 23.00 Coastliner 700 bus was running virtually on time!
In the UK in general, concessionary passes are only valid until 23.00 on Mondays to Fridays, but all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Bus operators are not paid for any tickets issued after 23.00 on Mondays to Fridays. On our last Coastliner 700 journey from Brighton a pass would be valid from Pool Valley at 23.00, but not at Churchill Square at 23.03.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Brighton and Hove City Council have an additional concession for local residents only. Their concessionary passes are valid until 02.59 (but not on Stagecoach night buses) – so a Brighton passholder would be allowed to board our last journey at 23.12 at Hove using their pass, but a passholder from another West Sussex district would have to pay.
Whatever the circumstances of this case Ms Cameron should have been allowed to board free at 23.00. This clearly did not happen and we owe her an apology and a refund.
Bus operators in general are lobbying the Government for a simplification of the rules when the concessionary scheme changes in April 2011 and responsibility transfers to county councils. I am sure readers of The Argus would agree that a simpler scheme would be in the interests of bus drivers and passengers alike.
Andrew Dyer, managing director, Stagecoach South, Southgate, Chichester I read with interest the plight of Janet Cameron (no relation to David Cameron), regarding her journey with Stagecoach buses.
If only she had studied the current free issue of Bus Times, published by Brighton and Hove Bus Company. On page 13 it indicates that, with a concessionary pass from Brighton and Hove City Council, she could have travelled free except between the hours of 4am to 9am. It is a different story with a non- resident concessionary pass.
Roy V Hilliard
Old Shoreham Road, Portslade
Reading much lately about pensioners’ bus passes, I would like to present another side of the coin. I have a pass but am denied the use of it in a way. I am disabled and have to negotiate small distances on crutches. I cannot get to the shops, bank, building society, supermarket, chemist, doctor, the station or the beach. This is simply because there is no bus stop near enough to my road. Taxis are not an option more than once a week when one is on a state pension. I have a car, but very soon will not. So here’s the rub. I have a bus pass but no bus or bus stop. The nearest stop to where I live is by the Harvester pub in Grinstead Avenue, much too far for me to walk, let alone carry things.
Gordon Dean
Barfield Park, Lancing
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