Bournemouth RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


Bournemouth from the Bournemouth Eye Balloom in the Lower Gardens. Picture by Richard Crease, Bournemouth Echo. To buy this photo of Bournemouth seafront and to see more pictures, click here

Bus driver wouldn't change disabled woman's £20 note

10:30am Wednesday 14th July 2010 in


A DISABLED woman and her partner have received an apology after being told to get off a bus by the driver who refused to accept a £20 note.

Tina Mills, 21, who suffers from sciatica and learning difficulties, and Chris Addoo, 33, boarded the 431 Transdev Yellow Bus service at Winton to head for their home in Ensbury Park, Bournemouth.

But the bus driver told them to get off and find the right change for their combined £3.20 in fares.

He drove off, leaving the shocked couple on the pavement.

Bartender Chris, said: “I just wanted two single fares but the driver refused and told us to find the right change for another bus.”

Tina finds it hard to walk and although Chris mentioned this to the driver, it was not taken into consideration.

Chris said: “We changed the note in a shop and waited for the next bus.

“If Tina had been by herself, she could have been stuck.”

He added: “I have since been told all drivers have enough coins provided for their journey. If they are all used up, they have machines which print tickets with the passenger’s name and address on, to be taken as the fare for another bus.

“There was no reason for us to be thrown off unless we were being abusive, which neither of us was.”

Damian Robson, road traffic manager for Yellow Buses, said: “I have interviewed the driver concerned and he confirms this incident occurred.”

He added: “We encourage passengers to have the correct change or purchase long-term travel, as it speeds up boarding and helps ensure our services keep to time.

“However, the drivers actions in this case were not acceptable and we unreservedly apologise to Chris Addoo and Tina Mills for this incident.”

This incident comes just over two months after Bournemouth web designer Adam Goswell boarded a Wilts & Dorset bus and had his £20 note rejected when he tried to pay for a £12 weekly ticket.

Comments(27)

dizzy17 says...
11:19am Wed 14 Jul 10

hope they got a free years bus pass for there trouble !!!!!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

waspy says...
11:24am Wed 14 Jul 10

bus drivers moan about everything the vast majority of them here need attitude adjustments...if you don't want to work in a job that involves dealing with the public then change your career...don't take it out on the passengers misery guts!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

GB916 says...
12:29pm Wed 14 Jul 10

While i have sympathy for this couple,they must have realised that most bus drivers wont except large notes for small fares,the fact this couple then went to a shop to get changes meens they should have thought of this before,this story has the same principles as the lady who keeps sending off money to scammers,we have all been warned time and time again,but some people dont listen,so i suggest next time you use smaller notes,and you can avoid this situation.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Bournemouthstorm says...
2:21pm Wed 14 Jul 10

waspy wrote:
bus drivers moan about everything the vast majority of them here need attitude adjustments...if you don't want to work in a job that involves dealing with the public then change your career...don't take it out on the passengers misery guts!
Ive never had a driver moan a me. I seen plenty of drivers being given greif though. Sorn at, moaned at, spat at, assalted, cut up, road rage... no wonder some of the driver do look miserable. As for paying with a £20 note, I wouldnt do it because I know I would get the same answer as this couple.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

jsmith1988 says...
2:56pm Wed 14 Jul 10

I have to say that while I do not think the actions of the bus driver were not acceptable the headline "Bus driver wouldn't change disabled woman's £20 note" is not really needed, and this whole story. Transdev have apologised, so what more do they want by going to the echo??

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

carm11 says...
3:31pm Wed 14 Jul 10

I suffered for sciatica from a slipped disc over a period of 4 months and I have real sympathy for anyone with this condition, it is excruciatingly painful and you cannot explain to everyone your problem and how you cannot stand or walk for more than a few steps. It must have been horrible for this girl to have been turned off this bus and left to struggle. Unfortunately until you have something like this happen to yourself it is hard to understand how difficult life can be. Why not have a little bit more tolerance and kindness rather than blaming someone who is already disabled and in pain for a small mistake, such as not having the exact money?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

wayneofafcb says...
3:36pm Wed 14 Jul 10

Think needs some sort of stated rules on this. Maybe buses only changing 5 pound notes. Then everyone knows the score before they get on. A driver could start off his duty with a load of change, but if everyone pays with notes, he'll soon run out.
A shop keeper will tell the same story. Some times you just don't have enough change if loads of people pay with notes. When i was a kid, no bus driver would change a note.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

misplacedspaniard says...
3:37pm Wed 14 Jul 10

Right, this is why bus drivers should not be dealing with money anymore - it's ridiculous.

Bus drivers don't carry a big float for security reasons, therefore it does not take much to run out of change. In the USA you must have to correct change as the money goes into a machine that does not give change. Everywhere else in Europe you buy your ticket before you get on the bus, just like a train. Bus drivers run to a tight timetable so if they run out of change they don't have time to just pop into the bank!

One man operation is the worst thing that could have happened in this country. People need to have the correct change and stop being so lazy. Btw I have siatica so I know what it is like but give the drivers a break they do long days and I know plenty of nice ones!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

djd says...
3:57pm Wed 14 Jul 10

Adopt the London system where you buy your ticket BEFORE you get on the bus or you have an Oyster card (similar to Yellow Buses Glo-Card).
Drivers do not have to handle the money and simply if you do not have a ticket or a pass you do not get on the bus. Everyone knows the rules, even the tourists.
As for this story, they got their apology, why go to The Echo ??
Perhaps the driver had already changed other notes and had no change ??
Perhaps these lovely people could have thought ahead and got change before they got on the bus ??
As for the gentleman's demand that the driver be sacked.....why ???
I appreciate this is not the Wild & Woolly West, but surely The Echo could run with a more newsworthy story.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

H2oHara says...
4:21pm Wed 14 Jul 10

waspy wrote:
bus drivers moan about everything the vast majority of them here need attitude adjustments...if you don't want to work in a job that involves dealing with the public then change your career...don't take it out on the passengers misery guts!
I'd give the same advice to some other shopkeepers and professions which involve dealing with the public too !

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

butlincat says...
5:07pm Wed 14 Jul 10

What a cheek. Give them a licence and they think theyre Stirling Moss.I hope he feels good for giving all the other drivers a bad name. Theres one in every barrel.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

tjayuk says...
5:19pm Wed 14 Jul 10

To be 'fare' isnt it about time we caught up with other countries? You buy you ticket in advance from a machine or a stall (local newsagents perhaps) or from a ticket desk at the bus station

You then just validate this ticket upon boarding - a non validated ticket results in a fine.

Buying tickets on the bus is very much the worst way to operate

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Syd Poumen says...
5:29pm Wed 14 Jul 10

NatD
Sorry, the Echo cannot accept your note as it has a no change policy....
Much Addoo About Nothing.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

addntox says...
6:57pm Wed 14 Jul 10

This man is in the wrong- thinking the world revolves around him. Sure he's misses is ill, but he's not, stop blaming everyone else for your failings.

I use the bus every day and make sure I have the correct money, if not I miss the bus get change and catch the next one.

The bus company should'nt say sorry the customers not always right- sometimes there just dicks!.

Intresting that you delete he's follow up comment but continue to carry the story-never let the truth hide a (non) story?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Kieran/Kaz says...
7:54pm Wed 14 Jul 10

The poor people that was unfair transdey(if thats how you spell it) have done nothing good for yellow buses.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Pippins says...
8:40pm Wed 14 Jul 10

oh my life! go and get change before you get on the bus like everyone else. No bus is going to sit there and wait for you to go into a shop to get your change you loons!

do you know how annoying it is when you're in the bus queue in the rain or in a hurry waiting for everyone's change to be dished out before you can get on with your correct money??

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Was Charlie says...
8:25am Thu 15 Jul 10

This is like people who go to a car park and then ask others for change for a machine. I always carry a small plastic envelope with a £5.00 selection of coins. You know you're going to a car park, so carry change with you. You know you're going to get on a bus, so get some change before you go to the bus stop. Simples.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

tjayuk says...
9:51am Thu 15 Jul 10

why should the driver change it no matter what!

if he hasnt got the change he cant change it!

im not blaming you but the system

In my opinion you shouldnt buy tickets on the bus it just slows everything down!

Bus journeys would be a lot quicker if the driver didnt have to mess around with change at every stop

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Autista di Pullman says...
10:05am Thu 15 Jul 10

On my way to work early one morning, I stopped in at McDonalds to get a coffee before catching the bus.
The man in front of me must have had the same idea as he also ordered a coffee and paid with a £20 note.
I bought my coffee and then went tothe bus stop to catch my bus to work.
The same man was also at the bus stop and when the bus arrived he boarded and asked for a £1.10 fare. He then handed the driver a £20 note! The driver asked if he had anything smaller because it was 6.45am and he hadn't got enough to give change yet. The man said he hadn't and asked the driver for an uncollected fare form. (this is where the bus company trusts you to send in your fare at a later date)
Now, I'd just seen him receive £18.20 in change from McDonalds so I told the driver that he did indeed have change and was just being awkward. The man then said "Oh yeah, I forgot" and handed over the correct money.
The driver told me that there are a lot of people that do that in order to get a free ride.
Its no wonder that they sometimes refuse to accept a large note isn't it?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

JamesBond0070 says...
10:38am Thu 15 Jul 10

In the forty years since I left Parkstone for Canada, I have lived in Montreal and Calgary. The bus services here have a fixed cash fare regardless of the length of the journey. The driver does not handle any money or give change. The passenger drops their fare into a small, strong glass sided box and the driver examines it before triggering a lever to drop it down into a safe fixed in the bus. If the passenger desires to extend their trip on another bus or the commuter train then the driver gives them an extension ticket with a two hour limit for use. There is also monthly and yearly passes which have to be purchased beforehand which have to be shown to the driver on boarding the bus. These are also fixed price for the time, a month or a year, regardless of how many occasions that the person travels in the period. Perhaps this may prove to be a better way then your present system.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

twobigdogs says...
10:46am Thu 15 Jul 10

If you are going to get on a bus......make sure you have enough change.Why use a £20 note for a fare costing a few quid!.....

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Jonkers says...
12:53pm Thu 15 Jul 10

Syd Poumen wrote:
NatD Sorry, the Echo cannot accept your note as it has a no change policy.... Much Addoo About Nothing.
I liked it Syd!

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Ganmor says...
2:28pm Thu 15 Jul 10

I have sympathy with these people, I witnessed a lady being refused a ticket when tendering a £10 note at 06:30 in the morning, she rushed to a shop for change, then the driver drove off as she ran back to the bus, laughing.

The next bus was 30 minutes later.

As a passenger, I witnessed this and if there had been a number to ring at 06:30, I would have complained.

That driver still works for the company.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

chris77 says...
9:23pm Thu 15 Jul 10

well my girlfriend only had a £20 note and if we had change we would of used it.the drivers have the power to give a ticket and u can pay later.my girlfriend cant walk far and i would of thought the driver might at least of gone that extra mile.but no he did not.also the driver could not even give change for a £10 note which ment i would of got £6.80 in change.not a lot to ask for even my milkman can change that

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Was Charlie says...
8:01am Fri 16 Jul 10

So obviously you suddenly decided that you were going to get on a bus. You didn't plan to get on a bus and that's why you didn't have change. If you had intended to catch a bus, then I'm sure you would have bought something small to break the £20 note before you got to the bus stop.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Was Charlie says...
8:06am Fri 16 Jul 10

chris77, If Tina is registered disabled, you know she can get a free bus pass? And if she has to be accompanied by you then she can get a pass that enables you to travel free with her.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Tina21 says...
9:27pm Fri 16 Jul 10

Hi I'm Tina Chris's other half I would just like to say why should of we have chance when the bus driver could easily print of a ticket so we could pay at a later date and YES before you say it I would of pay anyway that driver had no right to shout at me and chris I would understand if we were rude to him but we wasn't and apart for suffering sciatica I have had a bone removed out of my right knee which is the same side as my sciatica so I really find it very hard to walk or even stand for that matter..

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

More Bournemouth stories


Chris Addoo and Tina Mills Chris Addoo and Tina Mills

Most popular







Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »

Local Businesses