Fraud

There could be quite a few entries with this title.

Today's fraudsters were a pair of sixty-somethings. I approached them at their bus stop as one of our competitor's vehicles was leaving. I was a little shocked that they didn't catch this first bus as it serves more stops than mine and is no slower. But, more passengers for my company can't be a bad thing.

A lady and gent were stood on the kerb. The lady boarded first while her husband boarded second, seemingly struggling with his walking stick. The lady opened her purse, showed me her free bus pass and said: "Two to town, please".

I assumed, through the wording she used, that her husband had a free bus pass, too, so issued her ticket and then waited for the man to show me his. But I managed to introduce a very awkward silence. I had no idea what was happening at first, until the man said: "Oh, er, and I'm paying."

The mist began to thin and lift.

He bought a return ticket to town costing £2.50. Too right. His crime was, clearly, defrauding the local authority and tax payers by allowing his wife to give the impression he was in possession of a free bus pass when he was not. He may have lost it; he may have mislaid it; he may have damaged it beyond repair; he may even have been going to pay for a replacement, but chose not to volunteer any of this information.

They both sat down and I drove off, with a smile on my face.

But what made me more annoyed was when I realised that this was a calculated attack on my integrity. They had deliberately let my competitor's bus go as this company has card readers on its ticket machines and there's no way they could even attempt to pull off on that bus what they did on mine.

Absolute complete and utter bastards. Your card is marked. I shall definitely remember you next time.

Common Sense Solution: This is very simple. All drivers should check all free bus passes on all occasions. Familiarity breeds contempt is a very accurate phrase. There are some who I have got to know who never show me their pass. After today, this will change. I'll tell them why, too. Politely, of course. I've seen a few people who used to have free bus passes for a disability no longer in possession of them, so clearly some boundaries are changing.