I HAD to nip into Morecambe the other day, so along with my two young children, I took the bus.

The driver with a face as long as a wet weekend, couldn't or wouldn't change my £10 note so I was forced to buy one and two half single fares with what change I had, which worked out more expensive than return tickets.

On the way back, being a double decker, we went upstairs and when we were approaching our stop I rang the bell in order to alert the driver that we wanted to get off. He failed to stop so I had to struggle down the stairs with two young children on a moving bus.

I asked the driver if he had heard the bell and he replied that he only stops if the person wanting off is standing near him! I couldn't believe it - what are the bells for?

And for this pleasure of public transport I paid the best part of £5 to nip into Morecambe, from Penryhn Road to Euston Road, with a six and seven year old child.

Dream on environmentally friendlies!

C Cruthers, Torrisholme Road.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.