OK So I do not usually put rants up here but one thing that really annoys me up here in Edinburgh is the public transport, more specifically the busses.
I have taken up cycling to work as the busses although very frequent don't give change. I have lived in Edinburgh for 6 years now and last April (I think it was) they upped their single bus fair from £1 to £1.10, which isn't a lot, I might add, but if you do not have that extra 10p change and only 20p then tough you loose 10p, same with 50p or more still if you need to catch the bus and you only have a £2 coin then you loose 90p. I mean what is that all about? But it then makes me ask the following questions:
- What do they do with the extra money they get from not giving change?
- Do they declare this extra money?
Lothian Busses received UK Best Bus Company of the Year in Jan 2008. I was astonished when I heard this, ok so I do not use other City's public transport that often but I did grow up in Brighton where their bus service I would say is far better than Lothian Busses. They DO give change on Brighton and Hove Busses, even from a £20 note, ok begrudgingly the driver will give you change but never the less they do.
Also I had to wait for over an hour the other day for my bus as I had my little girl with me in her push chair, and get this Lothain Busses can only take on one opened push chair on their busses, again Brighton and Hove Busses are better they can take 5. so how does a bus company that I would say rips of its passengers by not giving change and also makes its passengers wait round for over an hour till a bus comes along with no other push chair on can win UK Bus operator of the Year??.
Along with this only accepting one push chair, if there is a push chair on the bus and some one with a wheel chair gets on that person with the push chair has to get off the bus to allow the wheel chair access... ok I am not having a go at the person in the wheel chair here, but what does that mean for the person with the push chair? do they then have to buy another ticket on the next bus? and what if that next bus already has a push chair on it? I mean come on Lothain Busses surely you have to have considered all these? I am just curious as to why you do not give change and why only one person can get on the bus with a push chair?
You can buy a Day saver ticket on Lothain busses for £2.50 that is a bit cheaper than the B&H Busses £3.20 or so but you are restricted to using that one ticket on Lothian Busses where as the B&H busses I remember using it on Stage Coach and other Bus Operators within the Brighton and Hove region.
I would have soon rather given the award to B&H Busses over Lothain any day considering that you get change with B&H Busses and they can take up to 5 Push Chairs/wheel chairs on one bus
How can they want us to leave the car at home and take the bus when they do not really meet all the needs of all potential passengers?