Bus passengers kept in the dark
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BUS operators who give insufficient or out-of-date information to passengers, particularly at stops and railway stations, have been criticised by the National Consumer Council. An example quoted is the exhortation on bus-stop signs to passengers to offer the correct fare without telling them the amount.
That wretched £1 coin is the answer to the order, "No notes," but if one does not have one and the fare is, say 90p or more, a problem may arise. The solution, which the operator will not like, is to walk.
The mystery bus is another strong discouragement to travel. Its builder and operator assume that passengers will always approach it from the front, and that destination signs on the sides and rear are superfluous. They also seem to believe that every passenger knows the route and that a number is sufficient. It is not, Some bus operators still have much to learn about marketing. I like to think that their shortcomings are the result of ignorance rather than arrogance. Ignorance at least is susceptible to correction.