Bus Pass Time Bomb.

Monday. Two passengers, husband and wife board the bus on the Strand. He asks me can they use their passes to obtain concessionary travel on this bus. “Yes”, says I, but something made me add, “Provided they are the correct passes.” Two Welsh passes were presented. “No. Sorry. You can not use them in England.” Passengers get off the bus and walk away.
Today. Two more passengers, who could even have been the same passengers from Monday board the bus. He shows me the Welsh passes and asks for Paignton. I explain that Welsh passes cannot be used in England. He pays the fare, she says, as they walk down the bus, “That’s the 5th bus driver to tell you that. Now will you believe me?”

Right. Let me make something clear now. I know I said I would only mention Bus Passes in passing but what is seen by myself and other bus drivers as a little bit of a joke at the moment could be a gently ticking time bomb for places like Torquay. We rely heavily on visitors. Most of our summer visitors, not counting the foreign language students, are from other places in the UK. That includes Wales, Scotland and to a smaller extent Ireland. But these visitors cannot use their bus passes in England. Already over the last few days I have had to refuse passes from Wales, so far none from Scotland but later in the summer we do get a fairly large contingent down from north of the border, we even have Scottish Bank notes on display in the Pay In room at the depot so we know what they look like. But if they cannot use their passes here in England there could be a danger they will not make the trip to Torquay and other English resorts. Similarly English tourists will not venture over the Welsh or Scottish boarder for the same reason. The Euro is strong at the moment so people are thinking less of holidaying in Europe so we should benefit from more people in the UK staying in the UK for their holidays. Torquay, being the type of resort it is, attracts the more mature visitor and is a resort that, by it’s size and geography does tend to make bus trips an important part of the holiday. But the basic unfairness of people over 60 from England getting free bus rides with the Welsh and Scottish over sixties having to pay might make them reluctant to leave their own country for holidays in the future. Result, less visitors to Torquay.



Please Mr Brown, I know you read this blog, could you give this matter some thought and make the above pass and the Welsh passes valid anywhere in the UK. And quickly.

Just a mention, we have been without road works for the last week or so. So Devon County Council came up with a great idea. In the middle of the afternoon they closed a lane at Penn Inn. The left hand lane of 3. Chaos. Instantaneous Chaos.