"Matt J Forbes" wrote in message
...
In Portsmouth, the two major operators (First Hants & Dorset and
Stagecoach) issue zero fare tickets to those travelling on OAP /
Disabled passes, but seemingly without taking into account the
origin
or destination of the journey in question. I'm no expert on these
things, but I can only imagine that it must cause nightmares for the
company accountants when billing the council for 'lost' revenue.

The boarding point of the journey is what matters, as that determines
which Local Authority will pick up the tab, and the ticket machine
will already be set to the boarding stage.

Fun and games can occur when a LA allows OAPs "extra" time before the
0930 official start.... they can ONLY allow the extra time to their
OWN OAPs, not to those who come in from other areas.

In Southampton, OAPs could use their pass from 0900.

So, at 0910, a Southampton OAP could get on a bus to, say, Fareham,
and use it IF THEY boarded IN Southampton.
If their friend - also lholding a Southampton pass - got on the same
bus at the first stop after the bus had crossed the boundary into
Eastleigh, (but *still before 0930*), then their friend could NOT use
their OAP pass.....

Certain LA's (to the west of Southampton) allowed OAP travel at any
time... the OAP could get IN to Southampton, but not change onto
another bus to continue eastwards unless it was after 0930. Couldn't
get home again, either, until after 0930.

Unless, of course, they were willing to pay. And many are not willing
to pay ANYTHING.... they would rather wait two hours than pay, say,
£1.60 or so, to travel to a point from which they CAN travel onwards
without further charge..... If you said to me, "I want you to stand
there for two hours, for which I will pay you £1.60", I, and no doubt
many other people, would tell you where to go!!!


Passengers holding multi-journey tickets are not issued with a
separate ticket for each journey, but a button is pressed on the
machine to account for their presence, as are those offering the
return portion of a return ticket. Whether there are separate
buttons
for day returns, weekly/monthly/annual seasons, scholars passes etc,
I'm not sure.

Sometimes they are, depends on the operator's policy.


Regards,

Matt