EXCLUSIVE
Thousands of concessionary fare passholders in Greater Manchester are facing potential problems on public transport in the region since one bus operator introduced changes at the end of March to how it processes the use of the passes.
All national concessionary passes for the over-60s and disabled people issued since April 2008 contain a scannable chip, but it is not evident to the naked eye that the card can be swiped.
Stagecoach introduced pass scanners on all its bus routes in Greater Manchester on 28 March but concession passholders have complained that the machines often do not recognise the cards and that information about the change has been badly communicated.
Some passengers have told Inside the M60 that drivers have frequently been rude to them when struggling to use the new system. One occasion, a disabled passenger was forced to explain his disability to a driver before he was allowed to travel.
David Taylor, a 35-year-old IT worker, travels every morning on Stagecoach’s 86 bus from Chorlton Library to Oxford Road station, where he catches a train to his workplace.
He said: “I’ve never seen any info on the bus about needing to scan the pass so when the change came in I was confused about what to do. The drivers don’t seem to know either – I had one driver a fortnight ago who didn’t speak much English so I had no help. Another driver a week ago told me I’d have to get a new pass as mine was broken. It doesn’t always scan correctly but no driver has explained to me how to scan the card.
“Last week, I had a driver who didn’t know how much to charge me now the 80p concession fare has been scrapped. I had to show her the flyer where the fare change information for concession pass holders was tucked away at the back and then explain to her that the full fare was £2.30 and I only had to pay £1.15. She was aggressive to me and made me explain what my disability was. I felt I was being made to justify my right to travel. All the delay made me miss my train, by seconds. It was infuriating and shouldn’t have happened if the drivers had been trained properly.
“I don’t mind paying the extra fare but there has been no consistency in the amount I’ve been charged and the attitude of the drivers has been really distressing.”
Taylor added that he felt there was also a data protection issue: “Concession passes are all registered with the transport authority and if we have to scan the cards now, the bus company has the data on what trips I’m making. I’ve not been asked to give my permission to have my travel data recorded and who knows what’s happening with the data collected?”
Another disabled passenger, Lauren Smith, a 45-year-old consultant who works from home in Longsight, often uses the buses to get around to see clients.
She said: “I didn’t even know there was a change until five days after it was introduced, when I spotted a small ad tucked away almost on the ceiling of the 192 bus. Yet there were ads everywhere about the fare changes. I don’t understand why Transport for Greater Manchester couldn’t have mailed info to all the passholders explaining the need to scan the cards on Stagecoach buses. Both they and Stagecoach have failed their concession passholders.
“My experience has been awful. Almost all the drivers have been rude – one clicked his fingers at me like I was a thick child, another shouted at me and a third even snatched my pass off me, told me off while he scanned it for me then shoved it back at me. Only one driver took the trouble to explain patiently how to scan the card properly but even then it doesn’t work about two-thirds of the time.”
Stagecoach said in a statement to Inside the M60: “While this technology is already used in other parts of England, Stagecoach are one of the first operators in Greater Manchester to convert to the new system. All drivers have received training on the use of concessionary smartcards. Clearly we recognise that concessionary customers have to get used to the new system, and if any member of staff has been less than helpful then we want to know about it. Once the new system has settled down, this will enable speedier boarding times to the benefit of all.
“There have been some issues with cards not working on our ticket machines and we are working closely with Transport for Greater Manchester to provide advice to customers on what to do if their card doesn’t register correctly on the machine. There is a procedure to follow if cards don’t work and a small number of customers may have to request replacement cards but they won’t be left without a means of travel.”
Stagecoach said it had distributed 30,000 leaflets on its buses and at TfGM’s bus stations and Travelshops, along with posters on the buses and information on its website. The company told us that 81% of concessionary journeys had been successfully registered using the smartcard technology on the first day of introduction, rising to 85% by Friday 1 April.
TfGM, which is responsible for administering the National Concessionary Travel Pass Scheme in Greater Manchester and has around half a million passes in circulation at any one time, said all passes remain valid for use on all Stagecoach services, even if they cannot be read by the electronic readers.
It said it had received 600 reports of passes not being read by the machines, including 35 Concessionary Plus passes which had been identified not to work with the electronic readers.
Susan Wildman, TfGM’s director of communications and customer services, said: “We are working closely with Stagecoach to monitor the use of passes on the new electronic readers. We would stress that all National Concessionary travel passes are still valid for use on all Stagecoach services as a ‘flash’ pass.
“If passengers are in any doubt about how to use their pass on the electronic readers, they should speak to our concessionary pass team who will be happy to help.”
Passengers experiencing ongoing difficulties with their concessionary passes are advised to contact TfGM’s Concessionary Travel team on 0161 244 1050.
[...] Inside the M60 reports on teething problems for Stagecoach with the scanning of concessionary bus pass smartcards [...]