Bus drivers

[emmerson2]

My little Lady is in hospital this week for a pre-planned operation on her ankle.Nothing desperately serious, but uncomfortable, so she will be in for a wee while longer.Our nearest hospital, like all hospital has very little parking, so, although I live 18 miles away, I decided to try the bus.As I have a free pass,something for nothing was appealling!There is a bus every 10 mins which stops 400 yards from home, and drops me a brisk 10 mins walk from the hospital.So, free travel, no parking problems, and a keep-fit walk both ways. Good eh? Well yes, actually, it has worked out very well so far. The point of this long saga,however, is to heap praise on one of British motorists pet hates, the bus driver.

How they cope with traffic problems, awkwardly parked cars, stupid passengers and inconsiderate car drivers without thumping someone, I just do not know. And they do all this while keeping to a very strict time-table!Yes, I know there are a few bad bus drivers too, but when you consider the number of passenger/miles per year, their accident rate is very good, so next you get held up by a bus, don't curse the driver. He's doing his best.

The horrific event on the M4 is the exception which proves the rule. My sympathy and condolences go to the families concerned.

Next time you get a chance, take a ride on an urban bus.You'll have your eyes opened

 

[sparkes]

emmerson

My brother was a bus driver for years and was subjected to attacks with knives, hammers and needles of all kind.

I would rather walk 18 miles with no pain killers than ride on those dirty, dangerous peices of .....

Steve

 

[emmerson2]

emmerson

My brother was a bus driver for years and was subjected to attacks with knives, hammers and needles of all kind.

I would rather walk 18 miles with no pain killers than ride on those dirty, dangerous peices of .....

Steve

Your comment is probably true of night-time journies, but I do it in the afternoon and have not encounterd any problems. Besides which, my comments were on the driver's skills, not the state of the buses, although the Stagecoach operated ones here are very clean and tidy.

 

[Guest]

I am with Emmerson on this one. I live in Edinburgh which has probably the best bus service in the UK. The fleet is modern, has CCTV for safety and a frequent and cheap service. I pay

 

[LMH]

Hi emmerson

Hope your wife is doing ok. Pity you can't take her any flowers in though!! LOL

Unfortunately, I'm not impressed with our bus service. Just before Christmas Emma and I went shopping in the city centre which, as the crow flies is only about four miles away.

The service which runs past my house is very poor indeed, buses often very late or they don't turn up at all. Therefore, I now either walk or get someone to drop me off near the city centre. However, the car parking fees have gone up by a huge amount.

Getting back to the pre-Christmas trip, when we arrived at the bus stop to come home, we looked at the time table and there should have been one due in about 25 minutes so we watied, and waited. After an hour, no bus so we caught another one which dropped us off about two miles from our house. As we were loaded down with shopping, we had to ring home to get Phil to pick us up.

My mum goes by bus everywhere and she says her service is fine.

Lisa

 

[RichardS1]

Hope your wife is on the mend emmerson.

The bus service up here is diabolical. Our main hospital is 15 mile away and the journey would mean two buses and over an hour to get there. Its no wonder every time I see a bus there is nobody on it.

 

[Marc1]

Living in rural Lincolnshire I virtually never see a bus outside the City boundaries.

Marc

 

[emmerson2]

I guess I just struck lucky. Perhaps it's different at peak times. As it is, though, using the bus is saving me at least

 

[cris_408518]

Hope your wife makes a speedy recovery Emmerson. Where we are living now I can't say that we ever see a bus.

At our old home the Berkshire and Surrey bus's were in general a menace on the road to most road users. In the past I twice walked two miles to Guildford train station got a train and then walked six miles from the train to home in less time than the bus would have done even if it had turned up!

I'll keep to the car.

 

[Oldfogey]

The M4 accident may not be entirely the driver's fault. Apparently the double decker busses are tested to a smaller angle of tilt than a single decker. Surprise - they fall over more easily.

One can also question why the passengers were not wearing their seatbelts.

In rural wales the buses are useless - very few and far between, unreliable, and almost always empty. Last bus anywhere in the county is, I gather, now about 6pm - and they tried to cancel that.

 

[Steve L]

First of all I do hope Mrs E makes a full recovery.

Bus drivers in my oppinion deserve a knighthood far more than any politician or king pin of industry, because who else on a day to day basis has to put up with a vehicle full of shouting arrogant, violent, abusive people and there realy is no age group particularly at fault. Of coarse there are the 10% who welcome the bus for it's true purpose.

Then there's the transport manager ready with the verbal dioarea and warning letters for you not covering a specific route on time.

Then of coarse there's us car drivers who see a buss trying to pull out and immeadiately do the "charge of the light brigade" to fill the gap.

Even the situation of the M4 crash is frustrating from a bus drivers view, especially if the training consisted of just take it steady on corners mate!!

Even as a lorry driver my HGV test was conducted in an empty lorry which is a pussy cat compared to a 38 tonner loaded, the coach test is done exactly the same, empty and in a quiet coach.

I'm sure part of the bus drivers uniform is to have the first two fingers of the right hand taped together and a permanently locked seat belt to prevent them from remonstrating withinconsiderate motorist's of all types. Believe me how some bus drivers don't have a wobbly and lamp some folk is beyond me, they must have an A+ in self control!!

Steve.

 

[emmerson2]

First of all I do hope Mrs E makes a full recovery.

Bus drivers in my oppinion deserve a knighthood far more than any politician or king pin of industry, because who else on a day to day basis has to put up with a vehicle full of shouting arrogant, violent, abusive people and there realy is no age group particularly at fault. Of coarse there are the 10% who welcome the bus for it's true purpose.

Then there's the transport manager ready with the verbal dioarea and warning letters for you not covering a specific route on time.

Then of coarse there's us car drivers who see a buss trying to pull out and immeadiately do the "charge of the light brigade" to fill the gap.

Even the situation of the M4 crash is frustrating from a bus drivers view, especially if the training consisted of just take it steady on corners mate!!

Even as a lorry driver my HGV test was conducted in an empty lorry which is a pussy cat compared to a 38 tonner loaded, the coach test is done exactly the same, empty and in a quiet coach.

I'm sure part of the bus drivers uniform is to have the first two fingers of the right hand taped together and a permanently locked seat belt to prevent them from remonstrating withinconsiderate motorist's of all types. Believe me how some bus drivers don't have a wobbly and lamp some folk is beyond me, they must have an A+ in self control!!

Steve.

Hear, hear ( for ours, anyway)