“I just feel like the bus drivers — potentially, I can’t say it’s gospel — profiled my son because he is quite tall for his age and Black.
“And I feel like maybe if he was white, and maybe even female, in school clothes, they would have given that young person a ride.”
Really? Despite the fact that children of all colours have been stranded when payment fails?
Stagecoach has since apologised to Amma, letting her know they have identified the drivers and will be finding out further information.
They added that the card readers sometimes block payment from Apple and Android Pay, and have offered two MegaRider tickets plus vouchers.
There! Are you happy now?
In her complaint to Stagecoach, the mum stressed that a policy change was needed.
Oh. Of course not.
“Drivers should be made aware all over the network that any child who gets on the bus, in their school clothes, who maybe doesn’t have the means to pay or their technology isn’t working — especially because we’re moving to a cashless society — should be let on the bus, no question.”
“It’s a safe-guarding issue at the end of the day,” she added, “they are old enough to get the bus, but not old enough to not get where they should be going.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The company’s response suggests that Amma’s points have been taken on board: an email sent yesterday (May 20) confirms that all drivers have been told they must not decline a child boarding the bus.
So, are you going to stop whinging now..?
But Amma wants to take things further, and has started a petition calling for free bus travel for children and young people in full-time education in Cambridgeshire.
Oh, FFS!
Why didn't the boy just get his knife out and threaten the driver?
ReplyDelete"But Amma wants to take things further, and has started a petition calling for free bus travel for children and young people in full-time education in Cambridgeshire."
ReplyDeleteBut Amma wants to take things further, and has started a petition calling for bus travel for children and young people in full-time education in Cambridgeshire to be paid for by other people.
Fixed it for her.
She is wasting her time with the petition.
ReplyDeleteNow that bus drivers will let any schoolkid on if they can't pay it won't be long before they get more and more card failures and forgotten cards.
So he's too old for a half fair bus pass but keeps trying it on?
ReplyDelete"Why didn't the boy just get his knife out and threaten the driver?"
ReplyDelete🤣
"Fixed it for her."
Spot on!
"Now that bus drivers will let any schoolkid on if they can't pay it won't be long before they get more and more card failures and forgotten cards."
Indeed! Why should the driver risk his job? Or in some cases, his life?
"So he's too old for a half fair bus pass but keeps trying it on?"
When there are no consequences for it, why not?