OK, OK, I did say I wasn't going to talk about bus passes again but here goes. I was talking to our Managing Director on Wednesday and he was trying to explain how the system worked regarding how the bus companies got paid. He probably did a good job but in the end I decided that I was glad all I have to do is press a couple of buttons and smile sweetly at the passengers as they take their tickets. Mentioning tickets; one thing I have noticed is some passengers just showed the pass and walked down the bus, obviously at home they don't need to tell the driver where they are going or get a ticket which they do down here. Something to do with statistics.
One little calculation I did do that definitely isn't rocket science was 11 million into £1 billion equals £90.90 . That is 11 million passes issued Nationwide and £1 billion cash per year to fund the scheme. The £90.90 is the spend per pass per year, that's £1.75 per week. That's one return trip out for an OAP every eight days. OK I know not everyone over 60 will use their pass, I don't expect Liz and Phil will do much travelling by bus but there are determined people out there who will make up for the Queen's failure to enjoy her free bus travel.
9 comments:
With the previous system, the bus companies were refunded the 'free' tickets issued to pensioners, correct? Does this mean the companies receive a fixed amount?
If so, £1.75 per week per passenger must severely undercut their profits! They must have made seven times that much with the previous system.
I just hope this doesn't push ticket prices up further
When are you going to tell them of the changes to the routes? ;o) lol
Oh, and don't forget to mention the dayrider going up too!
Lol up here we get passengers getting on when it's going to the terminus and stay on to comeback when it's going to the destination so they don't cross the raod, pure laziness if you see what I mean
To be honest I do that with dayriders. Does that make me lazy as well?
No beacuse a dayrider (if it's like our day ticket?) you pay for with your own money, so your getting the most out it.
A freebie on the other hand is funded and when the council looks at the stats they think wow freebie travel has gone up by (X)% and agree with the company as to how much funding they get, which in turn affects how much council tax you will pay.
when it was a flat fare travel (30p) before free travel came along they used to cross the road.
Do you see where I'm coming from?
I thought the bus company were just being nice to OAPs with free travel...
We Professional Drivers are always nice, never whilst driving do I get Bothered, show dis-interest(?) and always, I repeat always appear to care what every individual is asking about.
honest
I am wondering if revenue is part of the reason for the summer decision of terminating the 32 at the Strand- Many people with passes at present travel between stops on the Babbacombe Road and stops in town. Now they will have to catch two buses to cover the same journey especially difficult when travelling towards Babbacombe loaded with shopping.
without knowing a lot about the route, If they are like our large ones being split up, it's for the new EUrule that routes over 31 miles are classes as long distance and the Driver has to have more time off, a get around is to split the route pure and simple, that way the bus company doesn't have to emply more drivers or fit/use Tacho's, the downfall is the passenger with X amount of bags has to do a change for what was once a straight forward route
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