To put a real world figure in play, in the Tees Valley the combined authority (5 councils) come together and each pass is reimbursed at a rate of 50% of the services’ average fare, though I know due to their size an annual figure is agreed for both Arriva & Stagecoach regardless of how many they accept. At Stagecarriage we were getting not far north of £1 per pass on the X8. NYCC is widely known to pay around 20-25% of the average fare, which I’m guessing on the 81 will be in the region of £2.50? Therefore they’re likely getting somewhere around 50-60p per pass scan on the 81 in North Yorkshire, so you can see that 6 or 7 concessions on the bus does not make money, the hour’s operating cost from Guisborough to Stokesley & back will be nowhere near being covered. Unfortunately that is the reality of operating in rural areas.