A Tale of Two Tickets
18 October 2025
ABOVE: Arriva North East 1508 (NK13 FJU, left), a VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2, is seen in Crook on route 1 from Darlington, on Wednesday 17 September 2025. Meanwhile, Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire 27142 (SN64 OGF, right), an ADL/TransBus Enviro300, is seen at Brampton on a short working of route 685 from there to Carlisle, on Tuesday 23 September 2025.
Hello, this is Stagecoach’s online presence. How can we help?
Well, I’m going to be using several of your buses today, so I’d like to buy a day ticket.
Certainly, sir. Sounds like you want a "Day Rider". You have indicated that you’re in Carlisle, and we have two tickets available. Are you staying local or going further afield?
I’ll be travelling quite widely.
OK, not the "Carlisle Day Rider", then – you need a "North West Explorer".
Where can I go with that?
Well, if you click on “Terms and Conditions,” we have clearly defined the extent of the ticket:
Oh yes, that's pretty clear and unambiguous, actually. You have defined the boundaries very precisely. I'll take the "North West Explorer", please.
A good choice, sir. Just click on “Buy Ticket”.
I’ve chosen my ticket and put it into the basket – now I want to check out.
Certainly. You can pay by Apple Pay, Google Pay or by card. You just need to download our App first.
ABOVE: Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire 27810 (SV62 BZB), an ADL/TransBus Enviro300, at Penrith Bus Station on route 104 to Carlisle, on Tuesday 23 September 2025.
OK, I’ve downloaded the App, and I’ve paid for the ticket by credit card.
Excellent. If you open the App, you’ll find your ticket.
Oh yes, there it is. Is that it?
Just one more step - you need to validate the ticket for today.
Yes, I’ve done that. How do I use it?
Just show it to the driver as you board each bus. Have a lovely day!
Marvellous - took less than five minutes...
ABOVE: A chaotic scene at Keswick Bus Station on Sunday 21 September 2025, as several buses converge at once! In the middle of all of this are two Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire ADL Enviro400 MMCs - 11123 (SK68 LUP, left), on route X5 and 10561 (SN16 OOF) on the 555.
LATER...
Hello again, Stagecoach!
Have you had a good day out?
A lovely day, thank you!
Any problems with the ticket?
None at all!
Glad to have been of service! See you again soon.
ABOVE: Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire 15920 (PX13 DME), a Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400, stands in Workington Bus Station on Sunday 21 September 2025
Hello, this is Arriva’s online presence here. How can we help?
Well, I’m going to be using several of your buses today, so I’d like to buy a day ticket.
Certainly, sir. Which ticket would you like?
There do seem to be quite a lot of options, and I’ve already narrowed down to the North East region.
Well, we have the "Coastliner Routesaver", the "Cramlington Routesaver", the "Darlington District", the "Darlington Town"…
Yes. I’ve seen all those. You have 36 different tickets listed – how can I work out which one is best for me?
Well, if you click on each one in turn, you’ll find a summary of what it covers, and even a map.
A route map?
Don’t be silly! No, there’s an area map showing the area a ticket covers. And we make the boundaries clear as well...
Ah yes, I was trying to decide whether the "Tees Valley" ticket covers what I need. Valid for “all Arriva North East services in Darlington, Teesside and East Cleveland”. But I’m from London. I don’t really know my Auckland from my Elton.
Well the boundaries are Scaling Dam and Runswick Bay (in East Cleveland) and Beaumont Hill, Faverdale Grange, Blackwell Lane End and Morton Park (in Darlington).
But I don’t know where any of those places are.
Well have a look at the map.
I have - none of those places seem to be on it.
Try the PDF version.
OK...
It's still a bit vague on actual boundaries. Can I use the ticket to Whitby?
Well, you do need to do your homework you know. We can’t make it too easy.
What’s the difference between the "Tees Valley" ticket and the "Tees Valley Smart Zone" ticket?
Well the "Tees Valley" ticket covers Darlington, Teesside and East Cleveland, whilst the "Tees Valley Smart Zone" covers Darlington, Teesside and ... erm ... East Cleveland.
Is the Smart Zone a special one for Smartcard users?
Erm...
Only it seems to cost more than the "Tees Valley" ticket and I can't think why...
Erm...
I’ve decided to go for the “North East Regionwide", which offers unlimited travel on all Arriva North East services, except Dalesbus, Moorsbus and Whitby Park & Ride” – that seems to be unambiguous at least.
A good choice, sir. Just click on “Buy Ticket”.
I’ve done that. It now offers me six variations – a single, a day ticket, a “Duo” day ticket, a Week, Four-Week or Annual ticket.
I’ve decided to go for the “North East Regionwide", which offers unlimited travel on all Arriva North East services, except Dalesbus, Moorsbus and Whitby Park & Ride” – that seems to be unambiguous at least.
A good choice, sir. Just click on “Buy Ticket”.
I’ve done that. It now offers me six variations – a single, a day ticket, a “Duo” day ticket, a Week, Four-Week or Annual ticket.
Incidentally, the Annual ticket, at £1450, only comes out at £3.96 / day, as you have quoted, if you divide the number by 366. If you divide by 364 (more realistic as I can’t use it on Christmas Day, and it isn't a leap year), it’s £3.98 / day. Just saying...
Erm...
Anyway, how do I complete the deal?
You can pay by Apple Pay or Google Pay.
I don’t have either of those.
Well those are the only choices we’re offering you. You have a poor phone signal so we’re not going to offer a PayPal option or a simple card payment. They take much longer to download.
So I need to add a payment card to my “Wallet” on my phone, and then I can pay with that through Google Pay?
Yes. I’ll wait…
ABOVE: Arriva North East 7523 (NK14 GFO), an ADL Enviro400, is in North Road, Durham, on Wednesday 17 September 2025
OK, I have added a card to my wallet. Now I want to pay for this ticket.
Great. You just need to set up an account with us first.
An account?
It only takes a moment.
OK, I have set up an account. Now I’d like to pay for my ticket, please.
You just need to verify the account. I’ve sent you an email.
There’s no email in my email account. Can you send me another one.
Of course.
That hasn’t come through either.
Have you checked your "Junk Mail" folder?
Oh yes, there it is – in fact, there they both are!
Good, we have now verified your account.
So now I can buy the ticket?
Yes – as soon as you have downloaded our App. That’s where we’ll store the ticket.
OK, I have downloaded the App.
Now you just need to log into the App…
OK, I’m in.
Now go and buy your ticket…
ABOVE: Arriva North East 1379 (MX59 AAU), passes Gisborough Priory in Guisborough, North Yorkshire, on the long route 5 from Easington to Middlesbrough, on Friday 19 September 2025
It says the payment didn’t go through.
I think you need to click on the "Google Pay" button again to make it work.
Nope... Oh wait, it’s gone through now.
Excellent. Now give it a few minutes and the ticket should appear on your App.
Nothing yet…
Any moment.
Still nothing...
Try closing the App and going in again.
OK, that's worked.
Now you just need to activate the ticket.
Oh yes, there’s a QR code on my phone.
You’re good to go.
How do I use the ticket?
Just scan the QR code on the ticket reader on each bus as you board.
Only took 20 minutes...
ABOVE: Arriva North East 4503 (BU25 ZDM), a Volvo B8RLE MCV Evora, represents an upgrade for route X4 (Middlesbrough to Whitby) when seen in Redcar on Friday 19 September 2025
LATER...
Hello, Arriva, it’s me again.
How have you been getting on?
I couldn’t scan the ticket on the first bus. The slot in the Driver’s anti-assault screen was so small, and in the wrong place, that I could barely get my hand through to touch the phone to the reader. It wouldn't read the ticket at all. The driver let me on, but I felt uncomfortable travelling without having proved to him that I had a valid ticket.
Erm...
And on some subsequent buses, when I presented the QR code, the machine has struggled to read it, and my phone jumped into Wallet mode.
Ah, that will be “card clash”. You should only present one payment method at a time.
But the QR code and my Wallet are both on my phone...
It’s unlikely to charge you twice.
Too right – after two unauthorised charges (including one of £2.50 – wonder what journey that was), I’ve removed the credit card from my Wallet. I never wanted a credit card on my phone anyway.
ABOVE: On Wednesday 17 September 2025, three Arriva North East buses are parked up in Middlesbrough Bus Station between journeys, accompanied by a Stagecoach ADL Enviro200 (second from left). Identifiable are 1557 (NK14 GGP, left), a Wright Streetlite DF, and 1432 (NK59 DNN, right), one of two VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2s.
But it’s still trying to find another method of payment whenever I put the QR Code under one of your readers. Why isn’t it just reading the QR code?
Possibly because we have “tap-on, tap-off” now, so the ticket machine looks for a card payment option.
Wait, you have “tap-on, tap-off”?
Yes, just tap on and you’ll always pay the best fare.
So I didn’t need to buy a Day Ticket – I could have just used TOTO?
Erm…
Why didn’t you tell me about this option?
Well it’s in a separate section of the website. Don’t go to “Buy Tickets”, go to “Ticket Types”. Scroll right down to the end of the list, after “Single tickets”, “Multi-journey Saver tickets”, “Routesaver” tickets, “Multi-operator” tickets, “ and the other six categories. At the end of the list is another section labelled “Using your ticket”, and it’s the fourth option there.
Oh yes, so it is. What a waste of time. So what have I achieved by interacting with you?
Well, you’ve made an article out of it. If we’d made it easy, you would have had to write about something else this week…
Well I could have written about the two Arriva buses that never turned up today, costing me half an hour or more in each case and completely ruining my plans for the latter part of the day due to a missed connection...
Wait, I've timed out. That story will have to keep...