Bus concession not all it seems

Published: 10:53 AM December 17, 2008 Updated: 3:57 AM February 23, 2021

RECENTLY Stagecoach claimed that it would re-adjust fares so that children were no longer charged full rate if travelling before 9am. In these financially depressed times, parents who send their children to school by bus could not believe their luck. Howe

RECENTLY Stagecoach claimed that it would re-adjust fares so that children were no longer charged full rate if travelling before 9am. In these financially depressed times, parents who send their children to school by bus could not believe their luck.

However, this story does not have a particularly happy ending. Although the children no longer have to pay a full fare at peak times, there is hardly any difference as the fare has increased by 30 per cent. Although the parents of children travelling at peak times may save a few measly pence, everyone else has had to incur a dramatic rise.

Stagecoach, which recently claimed to make a profit of £105million, is nothing more than a money-grabbing company that claims a generous and fair spirit on one hand while squeezing its cash-strapped customers with the other.

I hope these increases will persuade people to avoid lining this greedy company's pocket by opting for a healthy walk instead. I certainly will.