A RIDE on the controversial new ftr bus will cost three passengers a minimum of £135 each because they could not show a ticket to a bus inspector.

Bus company First took all three to court when they failed to reply to letters asking them to pay a £35 "standard fare" for their journey.

One of the three, Katya Alldis, of Chaucer Street, York, revealed that she was out of the city for a few weeks in the summer and only got the letters one day before First began the court case against her.

She told York magistrates she had offered to pay a single fare to the inspector who discovered she didn't have a ticket on the No 4 bus on August 9.

But Paul Kirkham, for First, told the court that inspectors had orders not to ask for money as that could involve them in confrontations with passengers. They had to take names and addresses and the company then wrote to the passenger asking for the £35 fare.

Katya Alldis pleaded guilty by letter to not having a ticket. She was ordered to pay £35 compensation to First and £100 court costs.

Linda Ben-Nwauzor, of Derwent College, York, and Daniel Bellis, of Tudor Court, the Street, Norton, Bury St Edmunds, did not appear at court or send a letter. York magistrates found the cases of fare dodging against them proved and fined them each £35 plus £35 compensation and £100 prosecution costs. The "standard fare" of £35 is only charged to passengers found on a bus without a ticket.

In her letter read to the court, Miss Alldis said she had bought a return ticket for her journey. But when the inspector asked to see her ticket, she had lost it. She then went to stay at her parents' in London.

She returned to York on September 11 to find three letters from the bus company waiting for her. She replied on September 13. But, magistrates heard, First started court proceedings against her on September 12.

Mr Kirkham said it sent her a letter on August 10 asking for her explanation, waited ten days for a reply, then sent one on August 21 asking her to pay £35, and a reminder on September 11.

Peter Edwards, operations director for First, said: "We introduced the £35 standard fine a year ago. At that time The Press asked people whether passengers who did not have a ticket should be fined and they agreed that they should. Our conductors do give people every opportunity to pay their fare and we know there have been problems with the machines."