On 07/06/2010 21:41, Brian Robertson wrote:
Graham Harrison wrote:
I don't use my Senior Pass a lot (we don't have that many buses round
here in rural Somerset) but when I do I get issued with a ticket. I
was in London at the weekend and the drivers there were happy to have
me simply show it to them - didn't even have to place it on the
Oyster reader. Was that correct? How do London organise the
funding?

Oh God, you'll start that old nutter from Preston off!

Anyway, it runs like this in Manchester at least. In the south of Greater
Manchester Stagecoach issue a ticket. In the north, First don't. The
operators seem to have an agrement with the PTE where an average fare is
agreed for an average number of passengers using the passes. At no time do
the drivers of either company have to record a boarding or destination
stage.


For a while, First Manchester did issue tickets, but stopped doing so -
I think someone decided it was causing delays to services by issuing
lots of zero fare tickets.

Practice varies even within the same group. Arriva's Bolton depot even
asks your destination, which the driver enters into his machine and this
is shown on the ticket. Some depots issue tickets, but do not ask your
destination, and certain depots don't issue any tickets at all - the
driver just presses a button on the ticket machine.

To me it seems a waste of money to print lots of zero value tickets when
you also have a bus pass to show to that rarity - a bus ticket
travelling inspector.

Bevan