Sheffield bus fare change vouchers

Is it common for Stagecoach bus drivers to issue change vouchers? A friend wanted a £1.50 fare and proffered a £5 note. He got his ticket and a change voucher for £3.50, to be used within a month.

What happens when he uses that change voucher for a further £1.50 fare? Does he get cash change - or another change voucher?!

If everyone paid for a single fair with a fiver the bus wouldn't move because it would need to carry a bank vault on board for all the coinage.

I think you can exchange it for cash on any Stagecoach tram or bus .

I think you can exchange it for cash on any Stagecoach tram or bus .

From the bus/tram company's point of view, doesn't that kind of defeat the object?

From the bus/tram company's point of view, doesn't that kind of defeat the object?

how is that? you simply present it to the driver and if he has cash to the value he will exchange it. I fail to see how that defeats the object.

What DOES defeat the object is when the same people get change vouchers on a daily basis and cant work it out.

Is it common for Stagecoach bus drivers to issue change vouchers? A friend wanted a £1.50 fare and proffered a £5 note. He got his ticket and a change voucher for £3.50, to be used within a month.

 

What happens when he uses that change voucher for a further £1.50 fare? Does he get cash change - or another change voucher?!

Bus companies have been doing that for years in other parts of the country.

Is it common for Stagecoach bus drivers to issue change vouchers? A friend wanted a £1.50 fare and proffered a £5 note. He got his ticket and a change voucher for £3.50, to be used within a month.

 

What happens when he uses that change voucher for a further £1.50 fare? Does he get cash change - or another change voucher?!

If the driver cant change it then yes you would get another change voucher.

---------- Post added 14-01-2017 at 18:25 ----------

I think you can exchange it for cash on any Stagecoach tram or bus .

It cant be changed on the tram, has to be a stagecoach bus

Is it common for Stagecoach bus drivers to issue change vouchers? A friend wanted a £1.50 fare and proffered a £5 note. He got his ticket and a change voucher for £3.50, to be used within a month.

 

What happens when he uses that change voucher for a further £1.50 fare? Does he get cash change - or another change voucher?!

Wonder why there should be any time limit? It's not as if there is a time limit on cash which the 'change voucher' in effect is.

Still, suppose it makes a change for the stage coach to be the potential robber, It was never like this in the old cowboys

Wonder why there should be any time limit? It's not as if there is a time limit on cash which the 'change voucher' in effect is.

 

Still, suppose it makes a change for the stage coach to be the potential robber, It was never like this in the old cowboys

The reason for the time limit is obvious, these vouchers are in lieu of cash and need to be accounted for. surely it is not difficult to find a stagecoach bus within 4 weeks?

Both First and Stagecoach bus issue change vouchers. If you haven't the correct fare and the driver is unable to provide change a change voucher is issued which can be used to pay for your next ticket or alternatively cashed in if the cash is available. If a £3.50 voucher is then used to pay for a £1.50 ticket as in the example quoted it is most likely £2 change in cash will be given, however if the driver doesn't have £2 in change then a £2 voucher will be issued.

Obviously the practicalities of driver sales limit the amount of change that can be carried and that often doesn't last long if numerous passengers pay with notes.

This is an improvement on the previous situation where passengers without the right money could be refused travel and also stops those people who regularly attempted to blag free travel by offering a £20 note for a ticket costing less than £5!

It is also a better situation than in some cities such as Nottingham, Birmingham and Glasgow where there is an exact change only policy - you drop your fare down a chute into a safe next to the drivers cab. It is possibly also a better situation than in London where cash is not accepted at all on buses - just smart cards and contactless debit cards.

Stagecoach will be adding the facility to pay on board buses by contactless debit card later this year when they get new ticket machines, both First and Stagecoach already also offer the facility to buy daily, weekly and monthly tickets online by card, fulfilled generally either via a smart phone app or smart card.

Personally I would refuse to accept one and demand that the balance be paid in cash as the money given over was in cash.

Isn't it about time bus travel came into the 21st century and you could pay by debit/credit card Would go a long way to overcome these kind of problems, as would the Parisian concept of buying a carnet of tickets.