Bus change tickets for Bristol area 'a rip-off'

Bristol passengers claim a service that sees customers receive a voucher instead of change is a rip-off.

'Change tickets' are issued by city bus operator First when a driver needs to give a passenger change for their fare but does not have it in cash.

Recipients have 14 days to collect their money.

First's change tickets can be redeemed at the city centre bus station in Marlborough Street, in Weston-super-Mare High Street and at Bath, Taunton and Wells bus stations.

But the change tickets cannot be used towards the price of another bus fare at a later date, despite the fact that the passenger has already given the money to First.

Some passengers have complained that change tickets are an inconvenience, can often cost more to redeem than the value of the change itself and are just a money-making scheme.

First issues around 900 of the tickets in Bristol every week. With an average value of £1.18 per change ticket it means the company issues IOUs to the value of more than £55,000 to its passengers every year.

The Bristol Evening Post approached First for figures to show how many of those tickets are redeemed and how much they are worth.

The company said it was not able to provide a complete breakdown and there was no system in place to record whether specific tickets were redeemed.

But giving one week as an example, First said one in 10 tickets issued at the Marlborough Street bus station went unclaimed.

Other figures were less clear, as tickets don't have to be redeemed in the same area they are issued, and could come from anywhere in Bristol or the surrounding area.

First claims the average number of change tickets issued just by buses using Marlborough Street is 113 a week, worth around £11,458 a year.

But at the same time it said the same station redeems 224 change tickets a week, worth around £43,967 a year.

Customers agree the numbers don't add up.

Patrick Steer, of Fishponds, was given a change ticket after he caught the number six from Whitefield Road to the centre.

The 58-year-old said: "The fare for my return ticket to the centre is £4.10p, and I presented the driver with a £5 note and 10 pence.

"He was unable to provide change, saying 'you're my first passenger'.

"Why are drivers not provided with a float first thing in the day?

"I think this is a rotten way to treat passengers .

"They can't be bothered to carry change, so I have to take half of my lunch break to get my money back.

"I'm quite sure hundreds – if not thousands – of people each year simply can't be bothered, and I think it's quite likely First know this.

"I wonder how much it's worth to them each year to provide this second-rate service?

"And how can they justify not accepting these vouchers on the bus towards another ticket?"

Teresa Ball, of Shirehampton, faced a similar problem when she caught the number 54 bus home.

She said: "I got on the bus and asked for a £1.30 fare and gave the driver two one pound coins.

"The driver then issued me with a ticket but then stated that he didn't have any change and would have to give me a change ticket.

"It would cost me in excess of £3.50 for a return fare to the bus station.

"There must be any number of people who don't bother redeeming their tickets because of the cost, so imagine the amount the bus company must be making."

The change ticket service was introduced in Bristol last year but it hasn't been universally adopted by First across the country.

It has also not been adopted by local rivals such as aBus, although the Cardiff Bus company in the Welsh capital runs an identical system.

Drivers are given £25 change at the start of their shift, and change tickets can only be issued up to the value of £5.

The company says it tried exchanging change tickets for future fares in a trial but faced problems with fraud.

Tickets are now checked with a UV light before they are exchanged.

First spokeswoman Karen Baxter said: "There is currently no system in place to check whether a specific change ticket is redeemed or not.

"This is partly because customers can redeem change tickets in a number of different locations, so for example a change ticket issued in Bath can be exchanged for cash in the Bristol travel shop and vice versa.

"Where we are able to, we always like to give customers actual change, but if a driver has insufficient funds in his float and a customer wishes to board, we will issue a change ticket instead.

"The best way to avoid being given a change ticket is to tender the exact fare on boarding, or to ensure you have lots of small change yourself."