Stagecoach concession tickets

[tivoli]

While travelling in the Lake District I went to purchase a NW Explorer day ticket @ £11.30. The driver allowed me a concession ticket @ £8.30. I assumed that this was because I am (and I guess looked) over 60 but not yet eligible for a free bus pass. Three days later applying for the same I had to encourage the driver to search for the same ticket.

I have since purchased an East Dayrider Gold ticket with a concession although the driver wasn't aware a concession was available. I have checked the Stagecoach website to confirm these concessions exist but cannot find confirmation that the concession is because of my age and an e-mail to Stagecoach hasn't helped either.

Is anyone aware of the criteria Stagecoach use?

 

[Megafuss]

While travelling in the Lake District I went to purchase a NW Explorer day ticket @ £11.30. The driver allowed me a concession ticket @ £8.30. I assumed that this was because I am (and I guess looked) over 60 but not yet eligible for a free bus pass. Three days later applying for the same I had to encourage the driver to search for the same ticket.

I have since purchased an East Dayrider Gold ticket with a concession although the driver wasn't aware a concession was available. I have checked the Stagecoach website to confirm these concessions exist but cannot find confirmation that the concession is because of my age and an e-mail to Stagecoach hasn't helped either.

Is anyone aware of the criteria Stagecoach use?

The concession fares are a commercial ticket, so different operating companies may have different T&C. I am sure in the case of East Dayriders Gold it's a case of someone with a concession pass can buy the Concession Dayrider Gold at times when the Concession Pass is not valid so long as they present the pass when boarding. For example, Bedford Borough Council no longer allow Concession passes on the X5 for long distance trips before 0930, so folk in Bedford can buy the Gold pass on that bus at a reduced rate

 

[tivoli]

Thank you for the reply, so it seems that just because a driver in Lancaster offered me a concession ticket I have persuaded other drivers to give me a concession although I am not eligible. There remains the problem that many drivers are clearly not sufficiently versed in ticket availability to be certain what the concession ticket is for.

 

[tivoli]

I received a reply from Stagecoach which I find amazing.


Sorry about the delay. I have been tracking down where the information is.
The bus drivers have this information on the training materials and also on the fare charts.
I can not find it on a public domain as yet.
I am not sure if this is a ticket that is brought very often . which is why the driver would not be so sure about it.
But he let you buy it, so that was a good thing.
Customer Support
Stagecoach East

100 Cowley Road,
Cambridge,
CB4 0DN

 

[padbus]

The South West Falcon has sections on which concessionary passes cannot be used. However, discounted fares are offered. Thus, the standard Exeter-Bristol return fare is £16. The discounted fare is £10. To quote the Falcon leaflet "Discounted tickets can be bought at any time by concessionary pass holders, people under 25 or over 60". When I bought one yesterday I was not asked for proof of age though I must reluctantly admit that that I do look over 60 these days.

 

[Smethwickian]

The Stagecoach website is not normally too bad when it comes to finding ticket details, but there are random glitches where a child price is given but no adult, or a ticket appears in listings for one operating area but not another where it appears to be valid.
The North West Explorer seems to show up in a different category from other day tickets, mainly called dayriders, in some areas only. And while the East Dayrider Gold listing offers a link to a map and details of validity, nowhere is 'concession' defined.
Still a lot better than the likes of Arriva, for example.

 

[philthetube]

Presumably stagecoach concession tickets are just available for certain specifics, and not for use on all their buses?

 

[tivoli]

Presumably stagecoach concession tickets are just available for certain specifics, and not for use on all their buses?

Certainly for North West Explorer and East Dayrider Gold tickets for example. Regular tickets do not have that option, whatever the qualification is.

 

[skifans]

I don't know if this is related but Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire (who operate the Lake District buses) also operate the X8 which does not accept national concessionary passes, a note advising this and the discount to the explorer is in the timetable: https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s...yside/Lancashire/PrestonServiceX8-April18.pdf

Slightly to the east Dale bus oversee a number of services in the Yorkshire dales. Some of which don't accept ENCTS passes, however, there is a reduced day pass available, down from £12 to £7.50. They also offer the same reduction for railcard holders interestingly.

 

[ashworth]

While travelling in the Lake District I went to purchase a NW Explorer day ticket @ £11.30. The driver allowed me a concession ticket @ £8.30. I assumed that this was because I am (and I guess looked) over 60 but not yet eligible for a free bus pass.

Now that concessionary bus passes are no longer issued to everyone who reaches the age of 60, and are now linked to the age when a person receives their state pension, there are now an increasing number of people over 60 who are not now yet eligible for a bus pass. This includes many people who are still fortunate enough to be able to retire at 60 with a work pension but will not now receive their state pension until they are 65+.

I am now in that category. Retired and receiving a pension from my former employer but I won’t receive my state pension and bus pass until I am 66. The Senior Railcard is very useful but bus travel can be very expensive especially as I live in a relatively rural area. Sometimes when I board the mid morning bus from my village I feel that I am the only one who is paying the very high fare into town.
However, when I consider that those younger than me are going to have to work way beyond 60, I need to be thankful that I was financially able to retire early and accept that I am actually very fortunate to be in this situation rather than complain about having to pay on the bus. However, a concessionary cheaper fare would be useful.