After seeing a schoolgirl upset over being charged with an adult ticket rather than a children ticket, a lady has created a petition for bus fares in Lincolnshire to charge children for child ticket prices for all hours of the day.
Dawn Davidson, 35, felt the need to give money to the school girl after the girl had no money left to return home after paying the adult fare instead of a child fare.
Miss Davidson said the fare cost £3.40 because she was traveling before 9am on the number 3 bus. However after 9am the prices reduce to £1.70 for a child which she felt it was not fair as children are children all hours of the day. She also stated the girl had to change busses and was given £5 only which she believed her mother knew that would be enough for her travels.
The petition which started three weeks ago has already created more than 3,000 signatures and is aiming to reach 5,000 by the end of the month. Miss Davidson has also plans on writing to Lincolnshire MPs for support and is trying to get the community involved. She would like children all around Lincolnshire to travel without any worries.
Here is a short statement from Miss Davidson:
“If it happens to someone else then that is not good, I feel like the bus services are getting away with it. Then I thought lets see how many people are in the same wave length as me. There were hundreds and hundreds of people were backing me up and that’s why I said lets created a petition and take it as far as we can.
“I’m in the middle of writing an email to the local MPs, Stagecoach, local schools the bigger ones mainly. Just to see who I can get on my side and willing to come forward and talk about how this can help their children and the local. I just want children to have a better and cheaper travel and not be worried about money.”
The Petition states:
“I had the displeasure of witnessing a child being upset and worried on a school morning at 7.50, for being refused a child’s single ticket into the city centre, and having to pay an adults fare instead. Which resulted in the child having no money to travel further or purchase lunch from school. And me having to help her out with the small change in my pocket so she could at least get home safely!”
“I am here to apeal against this rule and get it changed so children have a right to a reduced price child ticket with no restricted hours. Children are children 24 hours a day – until the age of 18, not just after 9AM!!”
Stagecoach, which operates services in Lincolnshire, said child fares for single tickets are only available after 9am. It says by charging more for some single tickets means it can offer better discounted rates for regular users.
Lincolnshire County Council has put out a statement:
David Robinson, Children’s Services Commissioning Manager, said: “This is a commercial service and the decision on charges for fares is solely up to the operator. But we would support any decision that helps keep transport costs down – we subsidise school transport for children and young people throughout the county who are entitled to it.”
Here is a audio clip from Dawn Davidson
