Will rising fares mean route cuts?

THIS year I am so fed up with everything going up in price - gas, electricity, water, telephone line rental and, of course, council tax.

Low and behold, us pensioners have just received another smack in the face - bus fares.

As you are aware, Royston is in North Herts right on the Cambridgeshire border, and let's face it Cambridge is the only decent place in which to have a day out and do a bit of shopping.

On the No 26 Stagecoach bus that travels between Royston and Cambridge every hour, us pensioners were able to buy our return ticket at half-fare.

Then in came the Day Rider Plus ticket where a pensioner could buy one of these for £2.10 and could travel anywhere in Cambridgeshire for one day.

Last Monday, I boarded the No 26 bus just after 9.10am and was told that as from April 1 the ticket had been discontinued.

I could buy one for £4.20, but not until after 9.30am because of the rush hour.

There was never more than 12 people travelling at one time.

So then I asked for the original half-price concession for pensioners and was told that had been discontinued as well.

So as I had arranged to meet someone in Cambridge I had to pay £4.50 return fare.

Like some friends of mine, we have to attend Addenbrooke's Hospital for various reasons and that means it is going to be an expensive trip.

I suppose the next thing will be that this service is being cut due to lack of customers.

And we are always being told to use public transport.

I expect the next thing will be for us all to wear some kind of meter whereby how much air we breathe can be calculated and then we can be charged for that.

I always thought being a pensioner was a time to relax and enjoy life, but if you have to live on a fixed income, life is getting difficult and it's not easy trying to make ends meet.

JENNIFER WATSON

Poplar Close

Royston