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BREAKING NEWS: Businesses step in to deliver bus pass justice
Thursday, 10.10am - GRANTHAM Business Club co-chairmen Wade Rowlett and Alastair Hawken have stepped in to help pensioners excluded from free bus travel by pledging to refund their fares.
Thursday, 10.10am - GRANTHAM Business Club co-chairmen Wade Rowlett and Alastair Hawken have stepped in to help pensioners excluded from free bus travel by pledging to refund their fares.The pair decided to take action after they were told about villagers in Ancaster who miss out on free morning travel into Grantham by just six minutes as their only morning bus leaves before 9.30am when the restrictions are lifted.
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.22477.UNDEFINED)Villagers have campaigned for months to get the rules relaxed with no success, forcing them to pay 2.60 to travel into Grantham before lunchtime.
%%Could not get body element policy for VersionedContentId(1.22476.UNDEFINED)Mr Rowlett, of Fairway Fixings, and Mr Hawken, owner of Panini, in Westgate, have told villagers they will refund their fare if they produce a valid ticket 9.24am ticket while buying a coffee at Panini.
Mr Rowlett said: "It's an outrageous situation.
"We fully support the villagers and feel the local authority should be embarrassed by this.
"We will continue to refund fares until they get their act together - I don't care how much it costs.
"The bottom line is we need as many people as we can get coming into Grantham."
Jeannie Tibbs, who has led the villagers' campaign for bus pass justice, said: "We absolutely delighted.
"While it's very good of the businesses to do this, it shouldn't be them that have to subsidise free bus travel when passengers in every other district in the county are getting it."
The Journal's Bus Pass Justice campagin has seen a 500-signature petition from readers and a 400-signature petition from Ancaster demanding free 24 hour travel for pass holders handed in to South Kesteven District Council.
Councillors and officials have so far refused to reconsider and have stuck to their original promise to review the situation at the end of the year.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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