cashless buses

That sounds right - what you said- but you should still email the bus company with all the details

Yes GTwice, that I must certainly do. I will hope to find out the correct procedure. Although I will do my best not to forget my Freedom Pass again.

He should have taken your name and address and let you on the bus. The bus company would then contact you regarding the fair.

Thank goodness we don't have cashless buses here. How ridiculous. How does this encourage people to use public transport rather the car?

Cashless buses were introduced recently for all london transport buses. Here where I live there is a well used bus route which goes to Kingston and is run by TfL. It links a lot of towns on its way there. When they brought in the new system, if you didn't have a cashless card - and lots of people don't-.you had to buy an Oyster card. The nearest place to get one from where I live is 5 miles away. To get there, you have to get the bus. To get the bus, you have to have a cashless card. Lots of people don't have cashless cards so to get an Oyster card, you have to travel 5 miles by bus. To use the bus............

What's the reasoning behind cashless buses?

Take a guess - saves money ie increases profits for TfL. Btw my bank doesn't offer cashless cards and I wouldn't want one anyway- how can you keep track of what you've spent that way?

They're known as Contactless cards and they're very useful for small purchases in the newsagent, etc, I think the max is £20.

The amount appears on your statement so it's easy to track use.

Sorry - muddled up my cashless and contactless. But when I check my statements at the moment, I have a receipt to check against don't I? In this system, you don't. What if it went through twice for example by mistake?

I've never had a problem because I immediately recognise entries in the monthly statement.

If I saw a double entry I would contact the card company and complain. I assume it's a successful system and further assume that the company take into account losses from stolen cards, as no pin number required if card is used by a fraudster.

In the long run of course it's the consumers who pay for any system.

I'm surprised how Luddite I feel about this. Maybe it's because I think it's going to be forced on us eventually and we'll not have the choice. Maybe I'm just being a bit pessimistic

I have bought an Oyster card just in case I lose my Freedom card. A bit belt and braces I know.

I think vampire is right - you should be able to give your name and address.

I can't be that honest because I wouldn't bother about contacting them to pay - it's their stupid bloody system that wouldn't allow you to pay cash and it would probably cost them more in admin anyway - and he should have been more obliging.

Buying bus tickets with cash and the driver giving change takes time and, if a lot of people are getting on the bus at the same time, may cause delays. If the driver then tries to make up the lost time, he may end giving the passengers an uncomfortable ride at best or causing a traffic accident at worst. Equally, if there is no cash on the bus, there is no incentive for thugs to try and steal it.

How many bus drivers are mugged on the bus for their takings? It's certainly never happened around here. Is it a London thing?

Sounds more like a way of cutting costs.

I use the buses in Manchester quite a bit, and would say that those passengers paying by cash are in the minority, as most people seem to have a bus pass, weekly or monthly ticket, so I can see that cashless buses will probably be introduced here. I have seen bus drivers let on without payment youngsters who have lost their money or pass, so they obviously have some discretion in this. Incidentally, you can buy an Oyster card online. I have one for my frequent trips to London.

I only use the bus once a week at 07.31 on a Thursday morning. I have a free bus pass but am unable to use it until after 09.00. The fare is £5.40 to travel 17 miles. The bus stop is just about two minutes from my door. The train is £4.10 with my senior railcard but it is a ten to fifteen minute walk from the station. We must be lagging behind in Northumberland as I have never heard of cashless busses.

Yes all buses in London are now cashless I guess most people are used to it now but for visitors it can be a pain.. thank goodness for my freedom pass

I found TFL website on cashless buses.
It clearly states that vulnerable people must be able to travel free, if they have forgotten or lost their freedom pass. Clearly this is open to abuse. Therefore Bus Drivers must use their discretion.
As for my Driver I dont know whether to be flattered or angry!

Cashless buses? -just buses would be nice!!