AFTER shopping in town, I made my way to the bus station in order to take the weight off my feet and travel home.

My young son was overjoyed as it is not often that we use the bus. How wonderful the new station is; clean, smoke free, easy to understand.

Not once did I consider that something was missing from this metropolis, not until I tried to pay our fares with a five pound note.

What is missing from the bus station is the 15-foot neon, flashing sign that warns you to have the correct fare in change or face a rather condescending and embarrassing rebuke from the driver.

After cartoon head shake and a tut the driver said to me, not in a nice way, you should have the right change'.

My reply was, well there are a lot of things I should have', which is true.

I should not have to accept such a patronising and rude reception from a person whose job is to deal with the general public.

What a sorry sign of the times. His reply was to launch into a detailed announcement of the fact that many people had paid with notes' that day.

Quite honestly, is that my problem?

If there is a problem with providing change to customers, then it is up to him and his bosses to sort it out, not mine to suffer such rudeness.

I used to work in a shop, so have massive sympathy with such problems. I actually thought at one point he was going to tell me to get off the bus, even though I could pay the fare.

As I walked to my seat he said, well aren't you lucky you can travel on it, it's an hour to the next one'.

As we came to my stop the driver was talking to a passenger, who was standing next to him. Signs on the bus say this is not allowed, but that did not seem to bother him.

He was complaining about the amount of cars on the road and the pollution it causes.

Well, all I can say is that it is no wonder people use their cars if this is how bus passengers are treated.

I certainly will not be going out of my way to take the bus in the near future after such treatment.

A HOWLETT Appleton