No money, no ticket, no pass, no travel

That is the company rule. There are exceptions such as when the person with no money etc is vunerable. But the person who got on the bus on Sunday wasn't in that class. He was in his early twenties and said that his girl friend was waiting for him at Newton Abbot railway station. She had the money which he needed to pay for his bus journey.

Incidents like this do happen but not very often, Once or twice a year seems to be about average.

Now the last time I heard a story like this was from a man in his forties with his arm in a sling who got on at Torbay Hospital (the man that is, not just the arm in the sling). He had been taken to hospital by ambulance and had no money but his wife would be waiting at Paignton Bus Station and she would have the bus fare. Seemed reasonable. When I got to Paignton Bus Station he got of the bus, removed sling, made a rude gesture with one finger and walked away. No sign of wife.

So, "Sorry mate," says I. But I did come up with a solution. I would continue to Newton and if girl friend was at the station waiting for him I would radio the next bus and tell him to pick the young man up as his fare had been paid.

As I got to Penn Inn a couple of stops before the Station the tension was mounting, would she be there, sitting forlornly waiting for a bus that her boy friend may or may not be on?

Or would the stop be bare. Round the last corner, heading for the stop.

And guess what.