10 Cents

At the beginning of January most bus fares went up. Now the most common cash fares are $1.70 (unchanged), $2.90 (up from $2.80) and $3.90 ($3.80).

These fares have resulted in drivers using more 10 cent coins for change. During the day this isn’t usually a problem as most regular passengers either use prepaid tickets or have exact change. It can become a problem on Friday and Saturday nights as many of the passengers are not regular bus users and don’t know what the fare will be so simply offer, say, a $5 bill.

Whenever a passenger gives me some 10 cent coins in payment I thank them for the change and encourage them to do so again next time. One lady paid a $1.70 fare entirely with 10 cent coins (well, I assumed it was $1.70, I didn’t count it).