Found Deceased UK - Liam Smith, 16, Aberdeen, Scotland, 17 Nov 2018

[Ironside]

His mum has confirmed it was a one way bus ticket.

Missing Aberdeen lad Liam Smith, 16, bought one-way bus ticket before vanishing

 

[Coach]

From mem

His mum has confirmed it was a one way bus ticket.

Missing Aberdeen lad Liam Smith, 16, bought one-way bus ticket before vanishing

A child bus ticket with Stagecoach is only available for children 5-15years. A 16year old would have a Young Scot card and is entitled to a discounted adult fare on a single ticket. See link below.
Save money on travel using your Young Scot card | Young Scot

 

[Coach]

I think what she probably means is that he bought a discounted ticket using his YS card which would have had to be a single. He wouldn't have managed to get away with a child fare, even more so given his height. The YS card discount is only on single fares so it is quite normal for a 16yr old to buy a single ticket using the card.

 

[Coach]

I see the Scottish Sun newspaper says that his mum has confirmed he bought a single child ticket. I doubt he would have passed as a child given his height and his discount card (which all the kids get once they start secondary school) wouldn't have issued it as a child's ticket using the discount card.

 

[WiseOwl]

His mum has confirmed it was a one way bus ticket.

Missing Aberdeen lad Liam Smith, 16, bought one-way bus ticket before vanishing

Why would he pay for a single child's ticket when he's 16? Wouldn't the Stagecoach driver have queried his age if Liam had asked for a child's ticket? This all seems very strange.

 

[Elainera]

That's very confusing. Why a child's ticket?

 

[Coach]

Why would he pay for a single child's ticket when he's 16? Wouldn't the Stagecoach driver have queried his age if Liam had asked for a child's ticket? This all seems very strange.

Yes, I agree - with his height, I think that the driver or the person in the ticket office would have asked for proof of age because he is so tall. Even if he had tried to buy a child's ticket (if he had left his YS card at home or something) then I can't see he would have been able to buy a child's ticket. A child ticket is only for 5-15yrs. A 16yr old gets a good discount with their Young Scot fare when buying a single ticket, a 16yr old buys an adult ticket but gets money off with the YS card. I don't know where the SS newspaper got this information but maybe what he bought was a single ticket using his YS card which would have had to be a single (but it's and adult not a child ticket).

 

[WiseOwl]

It's possible the newspaper has misquoted his mum but child ticket or not the fact that Liam bought a single ticket indicates he didn't intend to return home, at least not on that Saturday. I hope that he did meet up and stay with someone and that they're still sheltering him now, but judging by the searches over the last few days it looks like the police think otherwise.

 

[AnnesCuthberts]

Why would he pay for a single child's ticket when he's 16? Wouldn't the Stagecoach driver have queried his age if Liam had asked for a child's ticket? This all seems very strange.

I can only speak for myself here but when I was 16 I would still pay for child's tickets when coming to/from college, and that was on weekdays during the day with no uniform in sight to justify why I wasn't in school! It was never queried, although I'm a good foot smaller than Liam.

Does anyone know what the fare is for the bus service he was on/the route he took? And how much of a difference there is between the child fare & with the young scot card? Although from my experience I do find most drivers tend to have just overlooked the age thing, and the ones I've seen who've queried peoples ages usually just asked for a date + year of birth and decided to keep them on/turn them off from that.

ETA: Okay, curiosity had me looking it up. Unsure if link works, but looking up bus route it's £5.30 for an adult single, £3.50 for a 16-18 concession (the young scot card) single and £2.70 for a child single. This was looking up the bus scheduled tomorrow. Link here.

 

[LadyNada]

It's possible the newspaper has misquoted his mum but child ticket or not the fact that Liam bought a single ticket indicates he didn't intend to return home, at least not on that Saturday. I hope that he did meet up and stay with someone and that they're still sheltering him now, but judging by the searches over the last few days it looks like the police think otherwise.

I, too hope and pray @WiseOwl, that Liam met up with a kind & responsible person and they are still sheltering him (perhaps this person doesn't have TV, internet & doesn't know of the search for Liam), there are folk out there who live off the grid.
Saying prayers daily for Liam, hoping to hear soon that Liam has been found safe and he is back with his family.

 

[Ironside]

I think it's most likely he used a young scot card (1/3rd off adult fare) rather than paying cash for a child ticket. The police seem certain about what ticket he bought to Banchory and I think they probably got this data from a YS card. Plus I really think there really is no way a boy that tall would get away with buying a child ticket.

 

[AnnesCuthberts]

I think it's most likely he used a young scot card (1/3rd off adult fare) rather than paying cash for a child ticket. The police seem certain about what ticket he bought to Banchory and I think they probably got this data from a YS card. Plus I really think there really is no way a boy that tall would get away with buying a child ticket.

Yeah, the certainty with the data links to the Young Scot logging the travel (I believe it essentially functions similar to the national entitlement/free bus card with how it's scanned and logged?) - which makes me wonder why her mum is quoted as stating it was a single childs ticket. I personally don't think whether it was a child or adult ticket matters either way. IMO I've seen plenty of people Liam's height take a punt on the bus and go for an under 16 ticket so if it were a child ticket, it's not entirely out of the realm of plausibility, but what we know as fact is he definitely bought a ticket and had the means on him to do so at the time.

 

[Ironside]

I, too hope and pray @WiseOwl, that Liam met up with a kind & responsible person and they are still sheltering him (perhaps this person doesn't have TV, internet & doesn't know of the search for Liam), there are folk out there who live off the grid.

So he just so happened to meet this person whilst walking about Crathes (can't have met them online if they're "off the grid") and they just invited him to stay and he said yes? This theory makes no sense.

 

[Coach]

Crathes estate is around 530 acres, possibly even more so it's an extensive area and conditions over the past two weeks haven't been good as we have had a lot of rain. It is also much colder now, this morning it was quite frosty - roads very icy and the temperature hardly increased all day. We are just under an hour from Crathes.

 

[LadyNada]

So he just so happened to meet this person whilst walking about Crathes (can't have met them online if they're "off the grid") and they just invited him to stay and he said yes? This theory makes no sense.

There are folk living in remote areas who, while driving along, sight a stranded person and offer shelter and assistance, especially in terrible weather conditions. Who is definately sure that Liam is still in the Crathes area, after this period of time........he could have hitchhiked to a station and be further south by now

 

[zencompass]

We can't say for sure one way or the other because we have few details.

All I have gathered is that Liam left without telling anyone his intended destination, went to McDonalds, bought Jaffa cakes and chocolate then he purchased a bus ticket and was sighted at Crathes.

 

[earthspirit]

There are folk living in remote areas who, while driving along, sight a stranded person and offer shelter and assistance, especially in terrible weather conditions. Who is definately sure that Liam is still in the Crathes area, after this period of time........he could have hitchhiked to a station and be further south by now

nothing to back this up - but - why would he remain in the same area where there is no reason for him to be there? im sure he will have visited the castle in the past - there is a goape adventure centre - now that is a possibility - but he would have been seen on cctv if he went in there. there arent a lot of houses - there is no pub cafe or shop in crathes - so the chances are he left the area - either on foot in direction of banchory durris or stonehaven. all easy to get to even tho stonehaven is a futher walk - but a busy road - the slug road - where hitching a lift would have been easy.

I am from the area - if i was running away and didnt want to be found - well i might go to crathes and get on the slug road heading for stonehaven -- a possible pick up by someone there and off you go into the big wide world. lots of cctv there but obviously takes time to look at and clearly nothing at the moment saying he would be there.

 

[sundaaaay]

q

 

[Coach]

Reconstruction of Liam's last movements on the day he went missing

VIDEO: P&J recreates last confirmed movements of missing Liam Smith | Press and Journal

 

[HayLouise]

The Press & Journal‏ @pressjournal

It has now been almost three weeks since Aberdeen teenager Liam Smith disappeared without a trace. The Press and Journal has recreated the final confirmed movements of the missing 16-year-old to help jog the public’s memory.

The Press & Journal on Twitter

(Video at link)