Well, okay, maybe I'm exaggerating the "excitement" bit - nothing exciting has ever happened at 6.30am on a Sunday morning in the pissing rain on Gorgie Road.
But there was a distinct frisson in the air on the bus - faces were pressed up against windows, deep breaths were being taken and an electrified silence hung above all the passengers.
Okay, again I'm exaggerating. But it's not every day that you get to "ride the bus" along Princes Street.
So you can imagine the disappointment felt by all when we got to the West End of Princes Street...and turned onto George Street. The rain meant that the Tarmac hadn't set yet, so the great Princes Street Opening was delayed a couple of hours. I was forced to hand back my souvenir t-shirt.
But actually, Princes Street is besides the point - there was a much greater revelation to my bus journey on Sunday morning, and it's this:
My heart immediately sank when I saw it, and not because an annoying BEEP fills the bus every time a ticket is issued.
The new tickets use thermal paper, whereas the old tickets were just plain paper and ink.
Thermal paper contains, amongst other chemicals, extremely high concentrations of Bisphenol A.
On the trains, I see on a daily basis what people actually do with tickets. I've got to the point where I refuse to touch a ticket which has been in someone's mouth. Parents give them to kids to do with as they please, with babies commonly chewing on them. I imagine the same happens on the buses. In fact, I know it does - how often do you see someone stick their ticket between their lips?
So well done Lothian Buses - instead of using recycled paper and a wee smidgen of ink, you're introducing a new source of poison to contaminate the environment and population with!
2 comments:
I was on a bus along Princes Street today and it was very exciting!
Thermal treated paer can't be composted either can it, I'd got into the habit of composting my old style bus tickets....
Lothian is not to blame for this paper/ink problem.
The new ticket machines are provided FREE from Transport Scotland under their new Concession System for 2010/2011.
The New machines inform the driver of the expiry or Validity Status of all Ridacards (or bus passes as of Summer 2010) when elderly/disabled passengers WILL have to place their cards on the system's Card Reader.
The paper is provided as a trial on the new systems and very soon Lothian will be provided with a Recycled Type that is similar.
The systems use less ink than you think (apparently).
Don't blame lothian, After all their money is going to the trams and they are doing something for you.
Taking you to School/Work/Play in all weathers..
Don't blame Lothian for Delays, or Paper/ink type?
Its nothing to do with them but T.S and the ...... Council!
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