over 60s bus cards Stagecoach

Over 60 ? If only..Now we have to wait till State Pension age, in England OUTSIDE Gtr, London, I believe..66 just now! I have mates in Scotland, who rub it in, when telling me they have had their card since aged 60. Sticks in my throat too that Londoners get that over 60's Oyster. We pay tax too in the "provinces"..

Just perhaps people in England might change their voting habits some and away from a party that's been reducing societal mobility and liberties for the last 10 years including near eradication of the concept of a reasonable period (for the majority) of retirement and going in the opposite direction to other similar economies you think ?

dggar said:

I have been in Chichester with my partner for a few days. Our Manchester issued passes flash up Red on the Stagecoach buses in Chichester. Could this be caused by having the Manchester cards loaded with the £10 charge for Tram and Train travel in greater Manchester

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dggar said:

Thanks, I'll be back home in a couple of days, so hardly worth the bother. would the same apply for any Stagecoach operation outside Greater Manchester?

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I have been in Cambridge over the weekend and and our bus passes showed Red on the Stagecoah buses there.
When I was last in Chichester I made a point of enquiring about the Manchester issued passes not working.
I was told that is is a known problem. The passes worked OK with a non Stagecoach service in Brighton.

dggar said:

I have been in Cambridge over the weekend and and our bus passes showed Red on the Stagecoah buses there.
When I was last in Chichester I made a point of enquiring about the Manchester issued passes not working.
I was told that is is a known problem. The passes worked OK with a non Stagecoach service in Brighton.

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When first issued mine would not work, ie showed up red, on "First Manchester" buses. I queried this at the travelshop at Shudehill bus station and the lady there scanned the pass and told me it was showing on her system as issued in Cardiff. Unlikely since it bore the TfGM logo etc. After being told to either pay the fare or get off the bus by a number 17 service driver at Rochdale I took the matter up with TfGM at their head office. It transpired that the software in use by "First" was not compatrible with the TfGM system and their ticket machines were, subsequently, replaced. It sounds like your problem might be related to a similar issue.

Several years ago I had this problem on buses in Bournemouth - can't remember whether it was More Bus (Go Ahead) or Yellow Buses (locally owned). Neither are Stagecoach.

When the pass was rejected, the driver had a look at the pass and said there was a known problem with their scanners and GM passes. I was allowed to travel.

17.5.2022

After being told to either pay the fare or get off the bus by a number 17 service driver at Rochdale I took the matter up with TfGM at their head office.

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Which option did you take, bogblaster?

# Same problem happened to me in Torquay a couple of years back, but I was allowed to travel.

dggar said:

Can anyone tell me what information is displayed to the Bus Driver when I touch the ticket machine on Stagecoach buses

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Depends on the ticket. Eg Manchester senior displays GM 60 S and the date of expiry on the card. If the holder is from a different area the same card would show ENCTS S and the expiry date.

For disabled it shows GM DIS and the expiry date. If it's a GM disabled before 0930 it requests half fare. If it's a GM C+ before 0930 it asks the driver to confirm the card for free travel. At other times both cards display GM DIS and the expiry date.

From out of the area before 0930 the disabled card is rejected and is not valid. Other areas with a C+ is the same as GM, but the C+ gives no other free travel for companions, carers etc...only in their own areas. After 0930 other areas show ENCTS DIS and the expiry date.

Johnny de Rivative said:

17.5.2022

Which option did you take, bogblaster?

# Same problem happened to me in Torquay a couple of years back, but I was allowed to travel.

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I paid but reclaimed the fare after complaining to TfGM. I assume they then recovered from "First."

bogblaster said:

I paid but reclaimed the fare after complaining to TfGM. I assume they then recovered from "First."

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They would have just written it off. There can be some problems with cards from other areas, at first it was mainly "Now" cards, then Merseytravel ones. Some Torquay ones have also in the past been refused.

I went to Newcastle with friends last November, and one wanted to go back. His card is a Cheshire East card. He had just received his pass and I found an add on ticket for £26 which allowed Metro and Ferry travel for the year, but the Metro card readers couldn't even read his card and that's where you buy it. The guy at the gates read it with his hand held device and said it was valid but their machines didn't recognise it. He just handed him a POP card free of charge which had to have cash added to it. A few days later we were on the Go-Ahead Coastliner and the bus machine didn't recognise it. When we got back we had to catch the 67 or 100 bus back from Victoria and it read it with no problems. He's also used the 42C Stagecoach many times and it always works.

The bus drivers shouldn't be charging passengers for passes that don't read, only for out of date ones, ones that don't read...ie are broken or bent (to encourage them to be replaced) or hotlisted or the usual ie stolen, borrowed etc. In the case of hotlisted, the driver should confiscate the card.

Motortownman said:

Depends on the ticket. Eg Manchester senior displays GM 60 S and the date of expiry on the card. If the holder is from a different area the same card would show ENCTS S and the expiry date.

For disabled it shows GM DIS and the expiry date. If it's a GM disabled before 0930 it requests half fare. If it's a GM C+ before 0930 it asks the driver to confirm the card for free travel. At other times both cards display GM DIS and the expiry date.

From out of the area before 0930 the disabled card is rejected and is not valid. Other areas with a C+ is the same as GM, but the C+ gives no other free travel for companions, carers etc...only in their own areas. After 0930 other areas show ENCTS DIS and the expiry date.

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Thanks for this useful information.
If the card triggers a Red response do you know what is displayed to the diver?
I'm wondering what Stagecoach drivers in Chichester and Cambridge see on their displays.

dggar said:

Thanks for this useful information.
If the card triggers a Red response do you know what is displayed to the diver?
I'm wondering what Stagecoach drivers in Chichester and Cambridge see on their displays.

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I can't speak for other areas as I don't know how their machines are programmed.

Now,,,red response can be either it hasn't been read properly due to being waved, scanned, moved etc, so needs to be re-presented. If the red response message shows, it will either say "Expired" or "No valid product to show" That could mean in Manchester someone buying a MagicRider and trying to use it on the 216 etc. So the passenger has to pay. Or show a receipt, again in the event of no receipt, has to pay. It can also show "HOTLISTED" which means the passenger has to pay or leave the bus. (because they already know why it's hotlisted and are trying it on). In GM the drivers can confiscate all Hotlisted TfGM cards. That's because there's a reason in the first place. If it's a Stagecoach card, then the drivers should still charge the passenger but not remove the card, as if the passenger rings up, the block can be removed. ie passenger loses the card. In some cases they may replace the card depending on how many days left there are on it. So Stagecoach hotlist it. Then the passenger finds the card, and tries to use it. Stagecoach can after a call, unblock the card or tell them to bin it if replaced, but that takes an overnight for the unblock to happen.