Sunderland woman wins payout and apology over botched bus pass
The botched handling of a bus pass application has won a woman £50 compensation – and her travel card.
Mrs A, as she is referred to in a report on the incident by the Local Government Ombudsman, was refused a concessionary travel pass (CTP) by Sunderland City Council, despite meeting the criteria.
But after blaming the initial refusal on a ‘computer error’, council bosses now claim they have fixed the problem and ‘apologised and offered her £50 for the time and trouble she has incurred in pursuing her complaint’.
This was enough to satisfy the Ombudsman, which did not carry out a full investigation.
CTPs provide free off-peak bus travel for men and women when they reach the female state pension age.