Man refused Subway ticket after asking to pay by cash
Bosses to apologise to passenger over incident at Kelvinhall station
SUBWAY bosses are to apologise to a passenger who says he was refused a ticket and harassed by an attendant because he only had cash.
Billy Nicol says staff at Kelvinhall station turned him away despite there being no Covid-19related ban on cash payments on the underground.
Mr Nicol, who lives in Partick and doesn’t drive, said he explained to the attendant that he had paid in cash several times before at the same station but was still refused a ticket.
He said a couple behind him in the queue offered to pay his ticket by card in exchange for his coins.
However, when he was waiting for his train he claims the ticket attendant followed him to the platform and “confronted” him about his refusal to pay with a card.
In a statement, the Subway operator, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) said that while card payments are encouraged, passengers are entitled to use cash if preferred and said it will be contacting Mr Nicol to apologise.
He said: “The staff member refused to accept my cash payment, which was in correct money, so no change was required.
“I explained I have had no problems with cash payments on the occasions l have used the Subway this month but he still refused to sell me a ticket.
“A lady and gentlemen behind me in the queue actually paid for my return ticket using the lady’s mobile phone, and took the coins l had tried to use.
“This was a good gesture as they were being inconvenienced through no fault of their own or mine. I then went to board my train.
“After they had boarded their train (l was waiting for the opposite circle), the staff member then came down to the platform and confronted me about the cash issue which l thought was very unprofessional and quite intimidating.”
The pandemic has seen an acceleration away from cash payments towards contactless and mobile ticketing on public transport.
Earlier this year, the trade union representing bus workers called for the abolition of cash payments on all UK buses to reduce infection rates among drivers.
However, passenger groups say the migration from payments using physical money risks leaving more than a million UK citizens behind.
An SPT spokeswoman said: “SPT accepts both card and cash payments on the Subway.
“While we have been encouraging card payments where possible in the last few months in line with Government advice when travelling on public transport, there should be no issue with cash payments if that is the passenger’s preference.
“We are happy to speak to Mr Nicol directly to apologise for the inconvenience and distress caused.”