Nigel Tarrant

@MartinSLewis @mmhpi It is time Council Tax was abolished and added to income tax where everyone pays.

NEWS! The govt has just announced its changing the Council Tax Debt Collection rules on the back of @mmhpi recommendations. Here's my official quote ----- Council Tax debt collection is so aggressive it’d make banks blush. It’s the most vicious and damaging form of legal debt collection out there - causing counterproductive misery for millions. We’ve spent the last 18 months campaigning hard to change this hideous system, and having seen so much pain caused by it, I’m genuinely moved by this huge first step towards making things better. Currently, in England, if you miss a monthly payment, many councils, within usually 3 weeks, demand payment for the entire year. How people who can’t find a month’s money are expected to find a year’s I don’t know. Yet if they can’t pay, within just three more weeks, they are often taken to court, have ‘admin costs’ added, and soon see bailiffs sent in. No commercial firm would be allowed to do anything close - constituents are treated worse than customers. The new rule from next April means councils must wait two months, not 3 weeks, to ask for a year’s money, and the ‘admin costs’ will be capped at £100. In a perfect world, it would be even longer and the lower cap would apply, but this is still a hugely welcome change to a 33-year-old process. For councils too, it is worth remembering that this grotesque system is often catastrophic for people’s finances and wellbeing, leaving many needing more help and support, and ultimately the same council having to pick up the pieces.

Unbelievable that you can’t use the app @Popeyes in the drive thru because apparently it slows down the drive thru. But this is the local manager taking the decision. Customer services seem to think this is acceptable 😂

TRAIN'S HERE

@hwallop A pub I occasionally ate in would charge an additional 50p if you wanted to change chips for potatoes and vice versa

👀 £2 to *remove* an ingredient from a burger??!! At a pub on the Isle of Wight. [spotted by colleague over on Instagram]

"Traffic Commissioners have set a target whereby 95% of (bus) services should depart from the Timing Points within the bracket of up to 1 minute early and up to 5 minutes late."

You may remember we raised money for charity throughout December with dress down days and raffles. We’re pleased to announce that the money raised was split between @CardiffFoodbank and @Cardiff_Mind, and both charities have now received their cheques. #cheersdrive 🧡

Like @GStevens01 and @Southdownman I’m today a raffle prize covering a shift for Christmas Eve- at least with better weather than yesterday!

@MarcReddy @DickSoper It’s more than a local service, more than a cheaper fare ............. Alder Valley give you so much more

@DickSoper Looks like a glass of “bubbly” may have been consumed in a public space ! 😂

Since you ask....Willy Whippet was a mascot for the AV Whippet brand - services where frequencies were increased using minibuses - a mixed blessing. Here's the artist's impression, and the reality of a rainy launch in Woking in October 1986. And yes, I'm the cool looking one...

@creatingdesire Spot on! And the human behaviours whilst I was in the middle of it all yesterday was just incredible. Beyond belief!

This is so simple & easy to use - how buying a weekly ticket should be.

Some of the residents of Crystal Glen have been using their time in lock down to get creative, showcasing their artistic talents in an unused bus stop timetable case. We think it's great and wanted to say a huge "well done" to all who took part!

This driver just got off his 95 bus (258), without skipping a beat, to help an elderly gentleman who couldn't use an access ramp because of lazy people who don't return trolleys. Such a simple gesture but so nice of him to do 😊 @Cardiffbus

Still surreal that on a weekday our main depot yard is this full, with our ancillary parking fully filled and locked up 😔

👏

Quarantine day 6.

@busboytom Sorry Tom, I think I know which should win ;)

I might be biased, but I know which one of the below I think should win! 😉

@HughJaeger @creatingdesire Exactly

@Southdownman @creatingdesire I realise some trains miss some stations. The announcement is for the next station at which that train will stop. Maybe that is how "station stop" arose. But railway staff had been saying "next station" for a century or more without confusing anyone. "Station stop" sounds weird!

Why do stations say “first class accommodation is located towards the front....” Why not just “first class is towards the front...” unnecessary extra verbiage

@HughJaeger @creatingdesire Agree, it is either a stop or a station

@Southdownman @creatingdesire "Call" does not annoy me. The tautological "station stop" very much does!

We visited Greenway Primary School in Rumney today to help year 1 pupils with their transport topic. We hope to see you on the bus again soon!