Buses, the choice of transport for most of my life.

From day trips out with my mum and Nan neither of whom could drive, shopping bags in tow and with a treat from D&A toys in the Pentagon shopping centre if we’d been good .

Through to the school years and the legendary Chatham Grammar school for girls bundle for the 132 to Hempstead valley that occurred every day outside St Augustine’s church just after half 3.

At 16 I took up my first employment in a small stationery shop on Canterbury street , the 115 took me on my daily commute and my bus pass was paid for by the company because the £22.00 a week would’ve eaten considerably into the 87.5p I made an hour on the Youth Training scheme .

It wasn’t all work , work , work related travel though , double and single decker transport also loomed large in my leisure pursuits, many a fun trip into town with friends was supported both day and night by the services of Maidstone and District then later on Arriva .

And you may think now after having passed my driving test finally that using public transport would be the last port of call for me.

 However you’d be mistaken for upon finding that there was no onsite parking at my shop and doing the arithmetic it was duly noted that car park fees per day would be almost twice the cost of a bus ticket so the decision to let someone else drive me to and from home was a no brainer really.

The price of a Medway day ticket is reasonable I think considering it means I can get on any bus I like all day for one price and not have to buy separate tickets for each part of the journey.

I do have one gripe for the bus company that I think they should look into though and that is £5.50 for all day travel anywhere I want to go is brilliant so how come on the odd chance i only have to purchase a single ticket home it is at 4.20 only 1.30 cheaper .

For if even your driver is saying crikey at that price when it comes up on his ticket machine to go one way maybe it’s time to reassess the amount you’re charging, don’t you think, Arriva?