Ten pounds will do!

Over the past few days I've run out of money twice. First was at the start of the week when everyone was paying for a £3 fare with a £10 note. What few £5 notes I had soon went and thereafter I was dishing out seven £1 coins per person. I add to the basic float I'm given but I soon ran out. Unlike the competing bus company in the area, I don't have a 'no change voucher' option; I have to hand-write an IOU slip and the passenger has to make their own way to my depot to collect their change. This can be many miles away from their location and when they realise they'll have to pay more in bus fares/petrol than the amount they're going to collect, they get very annoyed indeed.

We're told to be hard-line on this. We have to tell the passenger that we are not obliged to offer change at all but do so to encourage travel but on the occasions when we run out of change through no fault of our own, the only option for travel is for the driver to issue the passenger with an IOU and for this to be redeemed at the company premises. The passenger also has the opportunity not to travel.

It causes aggro. "But it's money!" said the guy to me on Wednesday when he offered me a note that required £17.90 change. I had about £400 on me, but all in £10 notes. "For fuck's sake. What kind of shoddy outfit are you running?" he added.

Indeed. Adding to this that we're not obliged to offer change at all only makes things worse. It's a bad procedure that causes unnecessary animosity for all but the managers.

Common-Sense Solution: If our ticket machines cannot be configured for it, a carbonated note pad should be offered where we write down the amount the passenger is owed and for this to be worth that value to any driver from the same company, upon production by the passenger. I could then tell the passenger that: "I can't give you your change, but I can give you a piece of paper that's worth £17.90 but only to drivers of my company who I'm sure will be only too happy to exchange for you, provided they have sufficient change to do so." The passenger wouldn't need to go to the depot, just to go without their change until they see another bus driver from my company - be it when they get to their destination, on their way home or the next few days. Simples.