I was speaking to a friend who is a bus driver regarding the frequent abuse that takes place of free passes at the expense of the taxpayer.

I learnt that not only are pensioners, the disabled and students allowed free bus travel but the system extends to the family of the disabled as well. One incident highlights the situation. A woman with a pass gets on a bus with a child and the child travels free as her companion, saving the child’s half fare. However, the same woman gets on the bus the next day with a man and the child. This time the man is the companion so that the full adult fare is saved and they pay for just the child’s half fare.

It seems to me that if two members of the family were travelling with her, they were not travelling as companions but were on a family outing.

I’m not sure this instance was a proper use of the free bus pass system but it seems that ratepayers are having to pay for it.

P Grant King’s Road, Brighton