It was just before 09:00, I’m running late because the traffic is awfull, and the young lady asks for a Megarider (a weekly Winchester city ticket costing �10). Great, these are quick and easy to deal with since it’s always a �10 note handed over, or just occasionally two fivers. At this point she tips the entire contents of her purse into the cash tray! Apart from three 50p coins everything else is 20p’s, 10p’s or 5p’s. “You are joking?” I say. “It’s OK, it’s all there, �10” she says. I’m late already and now I’m feeling really pissed off so to hell with it I’ll make ’em all even later and start to count the coins. It takes several minutes with the young lady watching and everyone else wondering why the bus hasn’t moved off. Finally I’m able to announce “That’s �9.20, may I have another 80p please?”. “I don’t have anymore” was the young lady’s reply. I told her that I couldn’t sell her a �10 ticket for �9.20, either she couldn’t use the bus or maybe she should buy a single into town. She agreed to buy the single which was �1.50. I immediately grabbed the 3 x 50p coins and left her to scoop up the tons of stuff left in the tray.

And on the next run I get a fit of the giggles! A rather large lady started to board at the Railway Station, she somehow got her walking stick between her legs, tripped, and fell onto the bus most unceremonially. She hit the floor pretty hard. I couldn’t get out of the cab to help since she was jamming the door shut. But she got up and proclaimed that she was fine. “Where are you going I asked?” finger poised over the ticket machine. “The Hospital, please” she said. I immediately thought to myself ‘Is that a revised destination or was that her original destination?’ :-)