Cardiff Bus profits from loose change

Cardiff Bus made up to £1 million profit last year with part of this money coming from the extra cash passengers hand over when they don’t have the correct fare, it has been claimed.

Karl–James Langford, chairman of the Liberal Party in Wales, was told about the profit by a Cardiff Bus driver he queried the company’s exact fares policy after boarding a Cardiff Bus just two weeks ago. It was then he also found out about the voucher system to reclaim excess fares. The bus driver said he did not know where the excess fares of the past 30 years had gone, but the drivers never saw a penny of it.

Concerned Cardiff Bus passengers were amazed to here about the size of the profit made by the company and there was a way to claim their money back when told by the Cardiff Evening News.

Cardiff Bus operates a no-change policy meaning if a person does not have the right change they either have to pay too much or get off the bus.

Mr Langford said: “Every day people lose money. Where’s the money going?

“I have been on the bus a number of times. I either haven’t had enough money or I have had too much.”

Victoria Rees of Cardiff Bus said: “We do not have precise information available on excess fares though previously we have tried to estimate the amount of additional revenue collected as a result of our exact fares policy.”

Ms Rees said: “All money raised through excess fares and which is not reclaimed by our voucher system, is reinvested in improving the quantity and quality of public transport provided by this company to the citizens of Cardiff.”

But when pushed to provide figures for the previous estimate Cardiff Bus failed to respond and no one was available to comment on exactly how the money was spent on improving the service.

Despite using Cardiff Bus for a year Mr Langford only discovered the voucher system three weeks ago after paying £1.50 over the fare price. He was told about the system by two other passengers on the bus.

The voucher system enables a passenger to be reimbursed by asking the bus driver for a voucher stating the amount extra paid. The passenger can then take the voucher to Cardiff Bus information services on Wood Street and reclaim the amount they overpaid.

But Mr Langford was not only unaware of the voucher system but has never seen it publicised either.

He said: “Why aren’t the drivers telling people they can have a voucher? It’s an issue for Cardiff residents. It is fraudulent that they don’t tell us we can get the money back.”

He conceded Cardiff Bus should tell people not to make a habit of not having the right change and asking for vouchers and drivers should be able to say “enough is enough”, but if you do have too much money you should be able to get your money back.

Ronnie Barker, aged 64 from Llanrumney said: “It’s a disgrace to be perfectly honest. Not many people know about the vouchers and no one has the time to chase refunds anyway. Change should be given automatically when you get on the bus.”

Ben Brayley, 20, currently on a labouring course said he usually pays about 50 pence more than the actual fare but had “no idea” where the extra money goes.

Julie Warmeanc, a 48-year-old mature student from Culverhouse Cross said: “I have only known about the voucher scheme for the last seven or eight months. I found out from a friend of mine that works for the bus company.”

But Stephanie Morgans, 34, an events manager said: “I think it’s fair enough. People know it’s an exact change system but they still try to get on with £10 or £20 notes, which takes up people’s time. What’s more annoying is when the buses don’t stop when you put your hand up.”

When asked why so few people know about the voucher system, Ms Rees said: “In many cases where the change due is a small amount, passengers do not tend to claim their vouchers.

“We do recognise our exact change policy does occasionally cause inconvenience and we have developed a ticketing programme aimed at minimising this inconvenience with our on-board day-to-go and week-to-go travel tickets.”

Cardiff Bus have also announced the launch of a new Smartcard system. This is a form of stored value where change can be credited to the card for use on the next journey.

Ms Rees said: “This has proved extremely popular and successful in other cities in the UK and again will further minimise inconvenience.”

She said: “The exact fare policy has arisen due to a number of different factors including the additional cost of cash handling, coupled with delays in boarding times would have to be passed on in the form of either higher fares or a reduced level of service.

“Over two-thirds of our customers either travel on pre-paid tickets or under the free concessionary fares scheme and would be particularly inconvenienced by the delays created by cash handling.”

She said: “A decision had been reached on health and safety grounds that the widespread use of cash handling by our drivers would create an unacceptable health and safety risk for the workforce that already has to face considerable difficulties in terms of assault and other unacceptable behaviour.”

(Published: Friday 1 February 2008, Cardiff Evening News)

UK drinkers face sobering Budget

Cardiff will see a hike in alcohol prices above the rate of inflation when the Chancellor announces the Budget on Wednesday.

Tax on alcohol will be above the rate of inflation, currently at 2.2 per cent, and is expected to rise again as the Government attempts to tackle wide-spread alcohol abuse, but support for such a move is hard to find in the Welsh capital.

Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer, will be delivering the news just two weeks after The British Medical Association called for a rise in the price of alcohol.

But Dr Gareth Hayes, a GP at Whitchurch Village Practice on Park Road, Whitchurch, said: “It may decrease some of the drinking by youngsters which will be good for long-term health but overall it will have limited impact.”

Steve James, director of The Fitzhamon Alcohol Advice Centre on Fitzhamon Embankment, Cardiff, said: “We have to find ways to reduce the amount of alcohol people use because it is a dangerous drug. However, increasing the tax hits the poorest sections much harder than the richer and does not necessarily lead to a reduction in their intake. For example, smokers are predominately lower class.

“I’m not certain raising the price does the job it’s supposed to do. It will only have health benefits for those who cut down their drinking. For those people who earn enough it is not going to cut down their drinking and for many of those at the bottom, socialising in this way is one of the few pleasures they have.”

But the Conservatives have accused the Prime Minister of leading a “war against the middle classes” by pushing up duty, and campaigners have predicted the majority will resent having to pay for the alcohol abuses of the minority.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) have warned a duty increase would have little effect on cheap supermarket deals as they would be able to absorb the price increases.

They have also warned any rise in duty would see more pubs shut. The BBPA has claimed four pubs a day were closing and Camra has said 57 a month are closing.

Debra Richards, 45, owner of The Borough Arms on St Mary Street, agrees.

She said: “The price rise won’t have an effect on binge drinking because of supermarkets.”

She added: “The increase is a dread because the majority of my customers are older. I really dread it. We are just a little family business. It’s going to hit us. I’m not sure if [Darling] wants us to stay in business. We won’t be able to go the full price increase.”

Chris Warlow, 21, a second-year student studying French and Cultural Criticism, who lives on Manor Street, said: “The price increase is not going to do anything to reduce binge drinking.”

Sammy Lane, 22, a third-year student studying French, living on Rhymney Street, said: “As a student it doesn’t really feel fair. You have to have a break from your studies. I don’t think it would be so much of a problem if education wasn’t so expensive. Just like smoking, a raise doesn’t prevent people from doing something.”

Mr Darling’s first budget will see an increase in the price of spirits for the first time since Labour came to power in 1997, while beer will increase by one to two pence and the price of wine will be raised by 16p to 27p.

(Published: Tuesday 11 March 2008, Cardiff Evening News Budget Special)

Credit crunch threatens retailers

Cardiff retailers are feeling the credit crunch as figures out today show shoppers have cut back on spending again.

Consumers who were tempted by the January sales stayed away in February, with sales rising by only 1.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the British Retail Consortium figures. The current inflation rate is 2.2 per cent.

This confirmed January’s better-than-expected 2.6 per cent sales were short-lived, with Mother’s Day and St David’s Day only providing a brief respite.

Cardiff’s arcades in particular are being battered by the economic weather, with sales plummeting for some retailers.

Ally Perks, manager of Shared Earth in the Royal Arcade, Cardiff, said: “Sales dropped by about 50 per cent all the way through January and most of February compared to last year. It picked up for Mother’s Day but it’s dropped again now.”

She also pointed out most of the shops in the arcade do not open until 9.30am or 10am because it’s not worth it.

“I don’t usually make a sale until about 11am,” she said.

Clothing has declined for the fifth consecutive month, despite continued discounts and promotions.

Kathryn Price, manager of Phase Eight in the Capitol Shopping Centre, Queen Street, said: “There has been a considerable drop in sales compared to January and last February. I just think it’s the economic climate at the moment. People aren’t spending like they used to. January and February are hard months anyway without the credit crunch, so you just have to ride the storm.”

Helen Fidoe, assistant manager at Jones Bootmaker in St David’s Centre, said: “According to our figures sales are slower this year and on the whole, February was down compared to January. It’s just because of the credit crunch, which they weren’t talking about last year.”

Furniture stores have also been hit hard, with sales falling back sharply after the January clearances largely due to fears over the housing market.

Martin Ford, manager of Trade Furniture on Trade Street, Cardiff, said: “I would say we have seen a sales slump. The upshot is smaller retailers are having to work a lot harder.

“A lot of it is a consequence of negative media hype: people believe they will have a hard time, so they will. Furniture is a significant purchase, which can be put off so people do put it off.”

He said: “Our performance generally has been the same but we would expect it to increase by 10 to 15 per cent. Our margins are down because we have to be more competitive.”

Stephen Robertson, BRC director general, said: “Belt-tightening began in earnest in February when the Christmas and New Year credit card bills came home to roost.”

Mr Robertson is now calling for urgent action from chancellor Alistair Darling in tomorrow’s budget.

(Published: Tuesday 11 March 2008, Cardiff Evening News)

Deal or neigh deal: Mum names new horse after TV veteran

When cancer patient and fundraiser Bridget McNally won £50,000 on TV show Deal or No Deal she promised to buy her daughter a horse and name it after the veteran TV host.

Now the mother-of-three from Blackwood, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, has kept her word by finding the perfect horse for Laura, 17.

Bridget, 47, said: “We saw this chestnut and it was in his eyes. He just had a lovely kind look and it sounds silly but it was the same kind look Noel Edmonds had when I was on the show.”

Edmonds, the 59-year-old presenter who used to be president of the British Horse Society, said yesterday: “I hope she’s got a good deal.

“I’m delighted that she’s now got a horse and I hope it will be stabled in a big red box.”

Bridget appeared on the Christmas Special of Deal or No Deal after being nominated by family and friends.

“The whole experience was fantastic. I had such a great time, it’s something I’ll never forget,” she said.

But her quest to find Laura a horse almost fell at the last hurdle.

She explained:”Laura’s been riding a friend’s cob and her saddle wasn’t quite right. We went to buy her a new one but when we came back the chestnut was gone. I was actually really upset. We then went to an auction two weeks later, four weeks ago, in Brecon. There were hardly any horses there but there was the chestnut again!”

The man who had bought him at the first auction had just been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Bridget, who bought Noel for £1,300, said: “After I told him about my cancer I think he wanted me to have the horse because he sold it for nearly half what it was worth. I was crying thinking ‘Oh I’ve got him. I’ve got him.’”

She is hoping to train Noel up to compete, but due to her illness she will only compete in novice events. She’s confident Laura, who is studying for her A-Levels, will also compete once she has gained more experience on horseback.

Bridget, also mum to Daniel, 19, and Jack, 16, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 and had to have a double mastectomy.

In 2005 she discovered the cancer had spread to her bones and liver. She was originally given four years to live and is still considered to have terminal cancer but her bones are getting stronger.

She has raised thousands of pounds for Cancer Research and set up her own fundraising committee, which organises the 24-hour Relay for Life event in Bargoed. She hopes this year’s event on July 5 and 6 will smash last year’s total of £68,809 to raise £100,000.

A new Relay for Life is also due to take place in Cardiff this year on August 30 and 31.

For more information on Relay for Life call 01495 225106. 

(Published: Wednesday 23 April 2008, South Wales Echo)

1927 cartoon uncovered in antique shop

An original print of a cartoon published the day before the 1927 FA Cup final has been uncovered.

“Our Next Visitor” was drawn by famous Echo cartoonist JC Walker and printed on April 22, 1927, the day before the final and the day after King George V visited Cardiff.

Ernest Godwin, 79, of Widecombe Drive, Rumney, Cardiff, came across the cartoon in a book of a collection of JC Walker prints, published in 1933. He found the book, containing 60 cartoons, in an antiques shop in Cardiff about 18 years ago.

Mr Godwin said: “I remember all JC Walker’s cartoons in the newspaper. He was the famous Echo cartoonist of the period.

King George V visited Cardiff on the Thursday. On Saturday King George V presented the FA Cup to Cardiff City.”

At 79 years old, Mr Godwin wasn’t born until 17 months after Cardiff City’s momentous win but his father, Charles Godwin, who lived in Splott, Cardiff, often spoke to him about that weekend.

He was 26 in 1927 and listened to the match on a radio in his neighbourhood.

Mr Godwin said: “The Depression of that time and the 1926 strike having a dire effect in Wales, meant hardship was rife and unforgiving. But the day City qualified for the FA Cup final against the mighty Arsenal, the spirits of Cardiff and Welsh people were engulfed in a mighty wave of optimism.

“The big day came and any house or shop with a radio was surrounded by people willing City on.”

(Published: Wednesday 16 April 2008, South Wales Echo)

‘I watched City win… then I got plastered’

A great grandmother watched the entire Bluebirds semi-final with a broken wrist – after falling and breaking it just minutes before kick-off!

Margaret Bines, 73, of Sudcroft Street, Leckwith, was walking down the stadium steps to her seat when she tripped and fell, fracturing her left wrist and cutting her finger.

But even the pain couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.

She said: “I really enjoyed the match. It was fabulous.

“I wouldn’t have missed that. If I’m going to fall anywhere it’s nice to fall up there.”

Margaret was walking down from the top of the stand when she tripped. She put her hand out to break the fall, cutting her finger and temporarily losing her glasses as she did so.

Lynne Bines, 42, Margaret’s daughter, said: “A family friend who we met up with at the stadium went up to first aid to get a plaster for her finger and brought her a cup of tea.”

It wasn’t until they were back in her nephew’s house where they were staying in London that Margaret began to really feel the pain.

“It didn’t bother me during the match. It wasn’t until that night at my nephew’s that it really started to hurt and the bruise came out.”

Margaret admitted she was quieter than usual during the match than she might have been, but she still stood up and cheered when Joe Ledley scored the winning goal.

There wasn’t too much waving of her arms though.

Margaret finally went to the University of Wales Hospital, Heath, when she arrived back in Cardiff the following afternoon and she will now be in plaster from her finger to her elbow for the next eight weeks.

The incident has left Margaret shaken though, and she has said she won’t be going to the final on May 17. But she admits it could have been a lot worse.

“There were so many people in front of me. I fell into Lynne but she was holding onto the rail. I dread to think what would have happened if she hadn’t been.”

A season ticket holder who goes to every home game and can even see Ninian Park from her house, Margaret has three children, Lynne, Paul, 50, and Mark, 32, six grandchildren and one great granddaughter and has lived in the city all her life. Although she has started going to games in only the last seven years, she has always listened to the match commentary on the radio.

(Published: Thursday 10 April 2008, South Wales Echo)

Anger after only Welsh schools get launch call

Eisteddfod organisers have come under fire after only Welsh-medium schools were invited to a launch ceremony in the capital.

While there were plenty of children from Welsh primaries, not one English-medium school was invited to the Urdd Gobaith Cymru Proclamation Festival.

The event was held at the Wales Millennium Centre ahead of the Urdd Eisteddfod being held in Cardiff Bay in May next year.

With only one in every four primary schools in Cardiff being Welsh-medium schools Councillor Ralph Cook, who represents Trowbridge, said he felt no Welsh-medium schools should have been invited.

“In these days of inclusivity it would have been a good idea to invite an English-speaking school. I think something like this should be representative of the city,” he said.

“I’m glad people are speaking Welsh but it could improve its image by including non-Welsh speakers.”

Dai Lloyd, Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South West Wales, who went to Cardiff University, said: “I’m disappointed English-speaking schools are not represented here because many are involved in Urdd. Lots of the events in the Eisteddfod aren’t in Welsh.”

But Efa Gruffudd Jones, Chief Executive of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, said that no snub had been intended.

She said: “This was on the basis of needing 10 schools. I don’t think you can read too much into that choice of schools. It’s probably because it’s the schools who attend the regional committees of teachers who organise local Eisteddfods.”

Urdd Gobaith Cymru is the biggest youth organisation in Europe with 51,000 members between eight and 25 years old and has 4,300 members in Cardiff.

Dr Lloyd AM called it “the jewel in the crown of youth movements.”

Ms Gruffudd Jones said: “There will be massive benefits for Cardiff in terms of economy, in terms of being in the capital and in terms of building relationships with other parts of Wales.

“I strongly believe it is very important to have a connection with the capital city and the Eisteddfod can do that.”

The schools who took part in the festival were Ysgol Pencae, Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Coch, Ysgol Gymraeg Treganna, Ysgol Y Wern, Ysgol Bro Eirwg, Ysgol Gymraeg Coed Y Gof, Ysgol Gynradd Cregiau, Gwaelod Y Garth, Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffudd and Ysgol Mynydd Bychan. Dancing was provided by Ysgol Y Berllan Deg.

(Published: Saturday 12 April 2008, South Wales Echo)