OK, dumb question. Not really travelled on buses for a while. Do they accept notes these days, or will they insist on coins?
Particually interested in Trent-Barton?

[Edited on 14/1/10 by bilbo]

Buses round here don't even take the spoken word, well, the Polish drivers anyway!

Hi, dont know about up your way but down here in dorset they still wont take notes
Ray

too dangerous for the drivers.
if they had acess to the money they would be robbed.

too dangerous for the drivers.
if they had acess to the money they would be robbed.

in leeds they take notes - and you dont get much change!

city busses tend to use just coins and country ones take notes (within reason)

Interesting. I don't know if the law has changed, but at one time, I'm sure, once you were given a price for goods or services you were entitled to settle with legal tender (which does include all Bank of England notes - and coins up to certain values) and if they wouldn't accept it, the goods or services were yours for free. They might be able to argue that they haven't enough change, but it'd be more difficult for them to argue that if they actually have, but they've intentionally made it inaccessible to the driver.

Like car parks, buses are a pain, they want you to pay with the correct money, but frequently you've only got notes, 'cos that's what comes out of the cash machine!

My bus takes notes. Last time I got the bus into town with my wife it was £6 odd each and it's only 25 mins away.

So as Joel said....not much change!

Doesn't really encourage using public transport does it? Cheaper and easier to drive and park....

When I was a city bus driver I was always happy to take notes in the hopper

just don't expect any change, not happy with that...walk or get a taxi

Thanks for the replies guys.
Just started a new job, so I'm trying different options for the commute each day.
Tried the car today, but spent 3+ hours in it in total due to traffic from hell
I was going to try the train tomorrow, with the bus to get me to the station, but I don't have a pile of change.
Think I'll drive to the station tomorrow, then risk the bus another day when I have plenty of coins. If the bus works well, I can then get a season ticket/pass so I don't keep having this problem.

Long term plan is to move house nearer the job, but I'm going to have to put up with the travel for now.

[Edited on 14/1/10 by bilbo]

the website for the bus company normally details their policy on this...

round here, if they've got change of notes they'll take them. we're not in the city.

in glasgow, its exact chenge only. if you don't have the right money, thats it.

but...

going back to one of these old unenforced law things:
buses have to accept things like stamps as legal tender apparently. if you offer, and the driver doesn't accept the payment, thats their problem and you can get on the bus i understand.

hi there, if you let me know which bus numbers you are catching I can tell you if they take notes/coins

generally in notts the single figure buses (1-6, indigo and red arrow) all take notes and the higher numbers take coins (e.g. the 36).

again generally the trent barton buses are the ones that take notes and you can also purchase multiple trips at a discounted price if you are using it to commute.

look in to the notts easyrider city card or the mango card

eta: stamps as legal tender is a myth btw, also coins are only legal tender depending on the amount of debt they are used to pay

"In the United Kingdom, only coins valued 1 pound Sterling, 2 pounds, and 5 pounds Sterling are legal tender in unlimited amounts throughout the territory of the United Kingdom. In accordance with the Coinage Act 1971,[9] gold sovereigns are also legal tender for any amount. The face values of sovereigns are 50p, £1, £2 and £5; their value in material worth is much higher. The United Kingdom legislation that introduced the 1 pound coin left no United Kingdom-wide legal tender banknote.

Currently, 20 pence pieces, 25-pence coins and 50-pence pieces are legal tender in amounts up to 10 pounds; 5-pence pieces and 10-pence pieces are legal tender in amounts up to 5 pounds; and 1-penny pieces and 2-pence pieces are legal tender in amounts up to 20 pence."

[Edited on 15/1/10 by cd.thomson]

If you're going to commute, you can usually buy a weekly or monthly ticket.

Buses in Birmingham ask for exact fare only, i.e. no change given.

In Birmingham as I remember you had to have exact change only. You could put in more but you wouldnt get any change.
Here in Leicester City apparantly they take notes.

In my experience they will generally take notes tho don't go mad with a twenty. I have had to go round the bus to get change before now.

Generally if they don't have change they will give you change once they get it later in the journey.

Though recently I was talking to my sister about this, she uses buses all the time and once when she only had a note and the driver didn't have any change he printed out a credit note for her on the ticket machine which she used on another journey to get the money back.

If thats the case there should never be a problem. I always used to hate the drivers attitude about it sometimes tho.

quote:

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Originally posted by cd.thomson
hi there, if you let me know which bus numbers you are catching I can tell you if they take notes/coins
.......
[Edited on 15/1/10 by cd.thomson]

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They should take notes, although I can see the driver being annoyed when you're the third person who's give them a £20 for a £1.50 journey!

Don't think it's right to have to pay more than everyone else though just because you only have pound coins and not £1.25 exactly. I rarely have change for the parking ticket, so I don't go to Asda in the day.