CHILDREN using Wilts and Dorset services were today being asked to give their names and addresses to bus drivers if they were unable to meet rising ticket costs.

The bus company introduced a five to ten per cent price increase on all of its journey fares paid to the driver across the network on Saturday.

As part of the price hike, children will no longer be able to buy discounted tickets before 9am.

However, some drivers have complained that adequate warning was not given to customers informing them of the price rise, leading to concerns that some children will arrive at the bus stop without the correct money for a ticket.

But Chris Harris, public relations officer for Wilts and Dorset, said that under no circumstances would a child passenger be refused onboard a bus due to a lack of funds.

He said: "Our staff have had very clear instructions that children will be allowed to use the bus, even if they do not have the correct money because they were unaware of the price changes.

"Instead, drivers will ask the children for their names and addresses and we will seek reimbursement."

Mr Harris added that the decision to scrap child discounts before 9am was to bring the service in line with other Wilts and Dorset buses which, since 1973, had adopted a similar approach.

Some bus drivers said they were concerned at the short notice given to passengers about the price rises on some services, with some buses among the 280-strong fleet failing to carry any indication of the alterations.

However, Mr Harris said that many efforts had been made to distribute flyers and leaflets informing customers.

The company has identified the rising cost of bus fuel, which has soared by an extra 40 per cent in the last year, as the main cause for increases on some services.