A MAN was faced with a two-and-a-half mile walk home when a bus driver refused to accept his free pass four minutes past the 11pm deadline.
Stuart Brooks, 61, of Raddicombe Close, Brixham, had to walk for two hours following his twice-weekly darts night at The Bell, Brixham.
Stuart usually uses his free bus pass to get home and was waiting for the number 24 to Kingswear when he heard the St Mary's Church clock strike 11pm.
He said: "I showed my pass and started walking up the bus then the next minute, the driver said I have got to pay.
"I said I have always used this pass for the last bus.
"I had to get off the bus. I was too embarrassed to say at the time but I had no money left.
"I had my £12 which I use to buy four pints and I spent that."
The former bus driver and long-distance lorry driver has been claiming incapacity benefit for more than three years for spinal arthritis.
He said the walk had left him in great pain.
"My ankles and back are killing me. I am really having a job to walk."
A Stagecoach spokesman said that the bus passes are governed by times set down by Torbay Council.
She said: "Outside of these times our drivers must charge customers the appropriate fare which does place our drivers in a difficult position.
"Our drivers are empowered to use their discretion in the event of a vulnerable person being unable to pay their fare.
"It appears that this may not have happened on this occasion, although we have not had the opportunity to interview the driver.
"However, we would like to apologise to the gentleman concerned for the distress and inconvenience caused and if he would like contact us we can investigate the matter further to ensure that the appropriate action is taken."
The above is an item in the Herald Express about a concessionary bus pass holder being refused free travel after 11 pm. There are 6 comments on the this story, 3 of which are uncomplimentary to Stagecoach and Torbay Council. Of the others one suggest that the gentleman concerned, Mr S. Brooks of Brixham, should have caught an earlier bus and also should have had some change left over for emergences and an other, noting that Mr Brooks had terrible arthritis suggested he shouldn't be playing darts. A third person commented that this kind of thing happens all the time the Herald Express will print any old garbage. The last comment, by me, points out the 11 pm deadline isn’t set by either Stagecoach or Torbay Council but by central government. And I quote:-
(a) at any time on a Saturday or Sunday or on any day which is a bank holiday in England and Wales under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971; or
(b) in the period from 9.30 am to 11.00 pm on any other day,
Now I can understand the not before 9:30 am restriction, children have to get to school and workers, what left of them, have to get to work but why have the government stopped us oldies using our passes after 11 pm. Do they think we all turn into Vampires that late at night?
And what happens if the bus is due at 11.00 pm but is a few minutes late? That isn’t the fault of the pass holder, the bus should have been there before or at 11:00 but wasn’t. The problem is the wording in the Act states the pass may be uses in the period between 9.30 am and 11.00pm. So if the bus is late, tough luck.
This is an other example of how badly some parts of this legislation were thought out from the definition of ‘disabled’ down to how the money each council are to receive to run this scheme.
Write to your MP and complain.
PS Writing to your MP is easy, all you need to write on the envolope is his/her name followed by MP and on the next line write Houses of Parliment.
Example
Gorden Brown MP
Houses of Parliment
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9 comments:
It's an outrage that 4 pints of beer cost £12. No wonder he was skint.
What's this country coming to????
People were made aware of the restriction when it first started. Whether or not the restriction is stupid, the OAP concerned should have caught an earlier bus.
I agree with NThorn's comment.
Another one of these annoying "I am in the wrong - but let's go the the press anyway" stories.
Perhaps those critical of the OAP could tell us how long he'd been waiting and when the bus was due.
The bus would have been due to leave Bank Lane, Brixham at 11 pm. If he was waiting at any stop futher along the route it would have got there too late for him to use his pass.
As the terms of all the concessionary travel schemes in the UK are easily and readily available then Stuart Brooks, 61, of Raddicombe Close, Brixham ought to be made legally responsible for any costs incurred by the local council, by virtue of his stupid and mindless actions...
If it was the 24, it couldn't have been after 11pm because the last bus back is at 18:09.
If it was the 22, in the evening they go at 7.05pm, 8.05pm, 9.05pm, 10.05pm and 11pm but this is from Bank Lane.
If he's always used his pass for the last bus, it's always going to have been after 11pm because the stop for The Bell is St.Mary's Square and the time there for the last bus is at 11.03pm.
If he had walked to Bank Lane and got the 11pm, he would have been able to do it because the 11pm comes from the 10.50pm 17 from Wall Park Road and is scheduled to arrive 10 minutes later but it always gets down in the evening within 8 minutes.
Although, I do think that the rules are ridiculous.
Especially because you can use your pass in Torbay after 9.30am but in Teignbridge, it's after 9.00am!
I drive for Stagecoach (Fife Scottish Omnibuses) and we are not governed by the same legislation with regards to passes however I have done loan driving down south and aslong as the passenger had some kind of ticket which was valid they got on even bus passes after 11pm
We used to here as well but not any more for some reason.
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