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SONG CHALLENGE WINNER!
He May Be Small, But He Ain't No Two-Bit Hamster! -- (Northampton, England, Thursday 22nd August 2002) A schoolboy who took his hamster on a bus journey to visit his grandmother was charged a 10p fare for the pet. Jordan Underwood, 10, from King's Heath, Northampton, was stunned when after paying his own 55p fare, the bus driver demanded an extra 10p to allow Nibbles on board. Bus company First Northampton has reportedly launched an investigation into the incident. The animal was a gift from his 83-year-old grandmother to keep him company during the school holidays. Jordan said: "I got on the bus and the man was saying what a lovely hamster it was. He said (the fare) was 55p and then looked at Nibbles and told me it was another 10p for him. I don't think it was fair because you don't have to pay for dog or babies and their 10 times bigger. He didn't even use a seat because I put him on the floor and he was in a cage so he wasn't going to chew anything." Jordan added Nibbles was "shocked" by the ordeal and they would both continue to use the buses but hoped that they didn't meet the same driver again. His father, Todd, said: "There is a serious side to this, because he is only a little boy, and he might not have had enough money to get the bus back."
Buddy Can You Spare 10p by Boromir
(Tune: Buddy Can You Spare A Dime)
Once I had a hamster in a cage
My grannie gave him to me.
Nibbles was my hamster, in a cage
Buddy can you spare 10p.
Once I tried to board a public bus
Cost me 55p.
Thought I'd take my hamster
With no fuss but
Nibbles couldn't ride for free.