Sprinter153
Member
By virtue of having a disability which means I am medically unfit to drive, I hold a Derbyshire ENCTS (English National Concessionary Travel Scheme) card. This permits me free travel on most buses in England 0930-2300 weekdays and all day Sundays and bank holidays.
This morning I boarded a trentbarton service at 0926 and requested a single ticket to a few stops away to enable me to use my pass and continue my journey on the same bus. My request was denied by the driver who threatened to withdraw my pass and made some vague comments about ‘that sort of thing’ not being allowed. I was required to purchase the full single fare for the whole distance of my journey. I couldn’t travel any later due to needing to get to a hospital appointment.
After the fact, trentbarton’s travel centre is adamant that the driver took the correct course of action and my intention to ‘split ticket’ constituted misuse of my pass.
I have reviewed the terms and conditions which came with my pass and I cannot see anything to back up this point of view, merely a statement that the pass is valid ‘for all local bus journeys between 09:30 and 23:00 Monday to Friday and at all times on weekends and public holidays’.
Does anyone here have any insight into the validity (or lack thereof) of trentbarton’s claim? I cannot find anything to back their view up.
I have concluded it is a case of them preferring to receive an entire fare rather than the smaller fare and an ENCTS journey rebate from my council, although that would be a prime case of taking advantage of the elderly, disabled and vulnerable people to whom these passes are issued!
Any insight anyone can offer would be very welcome.
This morning I boarded a trentbarton service at 0926 and requested a single ticket to a few stops away to enable me to use my pass and continue my journey on the same bus. My request was denied by the driver who threatened to withdraw my pass and made some vague comments about ‘that sort of thing’ not being allowed. I was required to purchase the full single fare for the whole distance of my journey. I couldn’t travel any later due to needing to get to a hospital appointment.
After the fact, trentbarton’s travel centre is adamant that the driver took the correct course of action and my intention to ‘split ticket’ constituted misuse of my pass.
I have reviewed the terms and conditions which came with my pass and I cannot see anything to back up this point of view, merely a statement that the pass is valid ‘for all local bus journeys between 09:30 and 23:00 Monday to Friday and at all times on weekends and public holidays’.
Does anyone here have any insight into the validity (or lack thereof) of trentbarton’s claim? I cannot find anything to back their view up.
I have concluded it is a case of them preferring to receive an entire fare rather than the smaller fare and an ENCTS journey rebate from my council, although that would be a prime case of taking advantage of the elderly, disabled and vulnerable people to whom these passes are issued!
Any insight anyone can offer would be very welcome.