(14 Dec 2024, 3:43 pm)R852 PRG wrote How did they do the job beforehand? With respect, while I know you do a hard job, what you're excusing is a skill issue.
Before the price cap singles were nowhere near as common as they are now. For the majority of people a day/weekly/monthly ticket either bought on bus or via an app was significantly more common, and they don't require the driver to change fare stage.
Particularly with Ticketer machines, changing fare stage between each customer can be a very time consuming process. In the North East the only operator who have done anything about this is Arriva, as Tap On Tap Off allows for the purchasing of single tickets with accurate end points without the need for the driver input.
Issuing a bus full of 80+ people accurate £2 singles would likely delay it by around 10 minutes if they were all boarding at the same stop (for example, a busy evening trip from Eldon Square), and that's assuming you'd get some duplication of destination.