Bus drivers

Mint Sauce · 12-10-2007 11:25am #1

i know this rant is on london bus drivers, but experience could also apply here, and similar events i'm sure could haved also happened

now i know drivers are not obliged and instructed not to accpet or drop off apart from at desiganated stops, but surly common sence can also be used,

was heading out to heathrow airport wednesday morning, one of the buses i could have got was schuelded to leave a bus terminus every 20 minutes, as i came to the terminus, said bus was sitting at red traffic light, had not actually left terminus but was sitting two bus lengths from where passengers got on, driver refused to let me on, only one other person on bus, no other buses behind him

same thing happened last year, said bus was sitting in bus lane directly arcross from terminus, at a red light, no other buses behind him, in this case i was running (was behind scheulde due to wrong info given by local train station on train times re first train), suitcase trailing behind me, holdall over my shoulder, waving with free hand trying to get drivers attention, again refused to lift me.

as i said at the start, common sense

have other rants on bus drivers on uk and ireland bus drivers, but might leave for another time

Aquitaine · 12-10-2007 11:44am

its not that black and white - what if you tripped getting on the bus? a cyclist hit you or anything like that - ur not getting on at scheduled stop and so probably not covered for little accidents like that. i think the driver was right not to let you on

tbh · 12-10-2007 11:47am

exactly. It's like saying "it's ok to drink when you're 18, but not when it's a day before your 18th birthday -wtf?". You have to draw the line somewhere. It's easier for all concerned if drivers know what they are allowed and not allowed to do.

AlekSmart · 12-10-2007 11:49am

Sad though it may well be,the Busdriver in this scenario is merely ensuring that he/she gets through the day without having to fill out an Accident/Incident report.

In this London case,the Driver is also ensuring that he/she is not to subject of an "Observation" report submitted by a TfL (Transport for London) monitor.

In days of yore the general public were expected to take responsibility for their own actions in or about Public Transport thereby taking their own risk hopping on/off the open platform of a Routemaster in motion.

ALL Public Transport Operators now operate,whether notionally or otherwise,Health and Safety policies.
Most Busdrivers are now well aware that IF even the smallest Stumble,Trip or Fall occurs in a location other than an approved BusStop then their Ass is out the window.
The driver will be second guessed from here to eternity and most likely handed down a disciplinary penalty....(And YES,it is an occurrence in Dublin)

The other pertinent point from the drivers perspective is who or what was behind Irish-Stew as he attempted to secure entry at the traffic signals.

Very often the individual concerned is totally unaware of what the Busdriver can see BEHIND that person,ie: several other runners,perhaps laden with luggage or mobility aid`s.
This then turns a situation which is cut and dried in the OP`s eyes into something entirely different which entails that Bus now blocking the Traffic Signal or Junction while some more "runners" all appear out of nowhere to state-their-case.

Many years ago when I first dipped my toes into the Bus World,a very senior old "Shiny-Arse" driver told me "Never stop for a runner son,they`re only trouble !".

The odd thing is that almost every time I have disregarded this advice,I have had it`s accuracy doubly reinforced.

It never ceases to amaze me how when many of our Buses now carry more passengers than a short-haul aircraft neither the Operator nor the Customer appear to allocate the same respect for the operational requirements of the Busdriver as to the Pilot.

Thus we see the Busdriver has no glideslope,taxiway or airbridge to assist in embarkation and instead has to battle with Whitevanman,Taxi George,Cycling Cicely,Skateboarding Sid and every other non-compliant or beligerent individual that can be found.

Even the Lowest Budget Airline will DEMAND absolute compliance with their boarding requirements and the Travelling Public comply or DO NOT TRAVEL.

Welcome to Open Sky Land Irish-Stew.......at ground level

Mint Sauce · 12-10-2007 11:52am

Aquitaine wrote: »

its not that black and white - what if you tripped getting on the bus? a cyclist hit you or anything like that - ur not getting on at scheduled stop and so probably not covered for little accidents like that. i think the driver was right not to let you on

i fully accept that that arguement, but in the first case, it was only a mater of me steping from the pavement, he had not even left the terminus, i tought a little cooman sence or cortesy may have applied

the second incident, he had already left and was on a public highway, i can see from the drivers point of view there

Ham'nd'egger · 12-10-2007 11:55am

irish-stew wrote: »

i know this rant is on london bus drivers, but experience could also apply here, and similar events i'm sure could haved also happened

now i know drivers are not obliged and instructed not to accpet or drop off apart from at desiganated stops, but surly common sence can also be used,

was heading out to heathrow airport wednesday morning, one of the buses i could have got was schuelded to leave a bus terminus every 20 minutes, as i came to the terminus, said bus was sitting at red traffic light, had not actually left terminus but was sitting two bus lengths from where passengers got on, driver refused to let me on, only one other person on bus, no other buses behind him

same thing happened last year, said bus was sitting in bus lane directly arcross from terminus, at a red light, no other buses behind him, in this case i was running (was behind scheulde due to wrong info given by local train station on train times re first train), suitcase trailing behind me, holdall over my shoulder, waving with free hand trying to get drivers attention, again refused to lift me.

as i said at the start, common sense

have other rants on bus drivers on uk and ireland bus drivers, but might leave for another time

Common sense, you may say.... but let's look at it from the bus drivers point of view for more common sense.

You are standing on the road, dragging behind you bags and a case; that alone is unsafe and possibly illegal. You could fall or injure yourself getting on the bus and the driver will be responsible for you; the fact that it didn't occur at a stop will blur insurance. You are also distracting him from the road ahead. There may be cars or buses behind him; as you dig out tickets or change to pay your travel; they are being held up due to you (OK, I note it wasn't the case this time but it is normal to expect same). He may be under strict orders not to let people board between stops. If he stops for you, somebody else may well want to board a minute later, then another etc etc; the stop may as well not be used.

Not saying that any of these will happen but they need to be borne in mind. As an aside, I must say that bus drivers here are very good for letting people on between stops.

PS Alec, you beat me to it!

Mint Sauce · 12-10-2007 12:09pm

Hamndegger wrote: »

I must say that bus drivers here are very good for letting people on between stops.

in most cases, top marks to the driver who took me all the way from rathfarine to the airport, think it was the 16a, his route did not actully start untill nearer the city centre, he may have been coming from a bus yard to start his route, and i thought he was in service

although i did have the airlink driver who refused my fair when i sugested if i could get off at parnell square or oconnel street, even though he was picking up there, i was traveling from busaraus at the time had luggage, and a valid rambler ticket

Cookie_Monster · 12-10-2007 1:18pm

I agree that the driver was right.

But in Dublin what is the distance from the busstop itself that the company is covered, it happens often enough (particularly at UCD) where you are getting on/off the 4th or 5th bus back in a line, nowhere near the stop?

AlekSmart · 12-10-2007 1:45pm

For a text book example of the next big accident location try St Stephens Green North where the Tax Rank overspill now often extends all the way back to the top of Kildare St...even allowing for the nose to kerb LEGALLY parked Cars.

Busdrivers on many Bus Atha Cliath routes are now under serious pressure to compromise the Company`s own safety requirements in order to be able to satisfy the requirements of the passengers who wish to alight or board at stops which are now seriously compromised by Taxi drivers "Ranked Up".

I have the height of sympathy for the Taxi Drivers who are merely experiencing the reality of what a deregulated Public Transport system (Irish Style) really is.
In this case the Taxi Regulator continues to spend serious money on PR Puffery while totally ignoring the reality of 12,000 Taxi Cabs still attempting to fit into rank space for 2,000.....No sign of an Einstein or Newton around Dublins Civic Administration that`s for sure.

In the case of Stephens Green,the situation is now daily worsening and in my opinion a fatal accident is now imminent...however,NOBODY in Authority is even remotely concerned.
The City Council.
An Garda Siochana.
The Road Safety Authority.
Bus Atha Cliath.
Mortons Circle Line.
Dualway City Tour.
The Duck Tour.
Price Waterhouse Coopers Shuttle
The above list is not exhaustive....but It will be the one I will refer to if called to give evidence in the High Court,hopefully as a witness rather than a defendant....:eek:

MiniD · 12-10-2007 2:03pm

You can understand the frustration of a passenger just missing their bus by seconds, only to see it sitting a few feet away stopped at lights, but safety has to come first. Rules are in place for a reason.

I had a funny experience at Busaras last month, when I was approaching a 747 Airlink, the driver closed the doors. At this stage the engine of the bus was off. I tapped on the door hoping to get on, but the driver just ignored me. I spotted an inspector at the stop and asked him why I wasn't being let on. His response was that once the bus doors closed, that was it, the bus was in traffic. He was telling me this as the bus driver was starting his engine... :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, there are a lot of drivers who are quite happy to let passengers off at traffic lights and other places. This gives the passenger the impression that there is no procedure in place, and it's ok to expect buses to stop anywhere. I also believe if drivers really were so concerned about the hassle of filling out accident reports and such, they would refuse to stop at many city centre bus stops. As Alek mentioned, St.Stephens Green is a disaster. I would ask any official to stand there for an hour in the evening, while a 20B and the PWHC shuttle sits at the terminus, every xpresso route pulls into collect passengers, the 10 and 46A bunch of routes queue up to stop, a load of taxis wait to get to the rank (and seem bind to the empty taxi rank directly opposite), and just to round it off nicely, a tour bus and the viking boat might just be stopped there too.

John R · 12-10-2007 2:41pm

irish-stew wrote: »

although i did have the airlink driver who refused my fair when i sugested if i could get off at parnell square or oconnel street, even though he was picking up there, i was traveling from busaraus at the time had luggage, and a valid rambler ticket

You are looking like one of those people who agrees with the rules, except when it applies to yourself.

the Airlink is an EXPRESS service for travel to/from the Airport only, it doesn't pick-up at Busaras to drop off at OCS or Parnell square, why do you think you should be the exception to this rule?

You have had it explained to you why many drivers will not let people on once they have left the stop, it leaves them open to legal trouble that could cost them their job.

Before the H&S nazis, ambulance chasers and litigious scum took over the world 95% of bus drivers were happy enough to open the doors at lights or other unofficial locations to accomodate passengers. The rules have now changed and that simply is not the case anymore, the drivers are not the ones who changed the rules but they would be fools to risk their livelihoods by not sticking to them.

ressem · 12-10-2007 2:44pm

irish-stew wrote: »

i fully accept that that arguement, but in the first case, it was only a mater of me steping from the pavement, he had not even left the terminus, i tought a little cooman sence or cortesy may have applied

Just the other fortnight there was a fatality at Athlone's station where a woman running after a bus which was leaving the station was dragged underneath.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0927/athlone.html

You can understand why bus drivers would not want people approaching the bus to knock on the doors and window as they are preparing to move off.

Ham'nd'egger · 12-10-2007 2:54pm

AlekSmart wrote: »

For a text book example of the next big accident location try St Stephens Green North where the Tax Rank overspill now often extends all the way back to the top of Kildare St...even allowing for the nose to kerb LEGALLY parked Cars.

Busdrivers on many Bus Atha Cliath routes are now under serious pressure to compromise the Company`s own safety requirements in order to be able to satisfy the requirements of the passengers who wish to alight or board at stops which are now seriously compromised by Taxi drivers "Ranked Up".

I have the height of sympathy for the Taxi Drivers who are merely experiencing the reality of what a deregulated Public Transport system (Irish Style) really is.
In this case the Taxi Regulator continues to spend serious money on PR Puffery while totally ignoring the reality of 12,000 Taxi Cabs still attempting to fit into rank space for 2,000.....No sign of an Einstein or Newton around Dublins Civic Administration that`s for sure.

In the case of Stephens Green,the situation is now daily worsening and in my opinion a fatal accident is now imminent...however,NOBODY in Authority is even remotely concerned.
The City Council.
An Garda Siochana.
The Road Safety Authority.
Bus Atha Cliath.
Mortons Circle Line.
Dualway City Tour.
The Duck Tour.
Price Waterhouse Coopers Shuttle
The above list is not exhaustive....but It will be the one I will refer to if called to give evidence in the High Court,hopefully as a witness rather than a defendant....:eek:

Alex, surely you are not trying to say that they powers that be have something to do with that mess, are you? Lies, all lies, I tell's ya :rolleyes:

John R · 12-10-2007 3:06pm

MiniD wrote: »

I had a funny experience at Busaras last month, when I was approaching a 747 Airlink, the driver closed the doors. At this stage the engine of the bus was off. I tapped on the door hoping to get on, but the driver just ignored me. I spotted an inspector at the stop and asked him why I wasn't being let on. His response was that once the bus doors closed, that was it, the bus was in traffic. He was telling me this as the bus driver was starting his engine... :rolleyes:

Well that sort of behaviour is just uncalled for and is the very thing that has people completely disillusioned with public transport.

MiniD wrote: »

Unfortunately, there are a lot of drivers who are quite happy to let passengers off at traffic lights and other places. This gives the passenger the impression that there is no procedure in place, and it's ok to expect buses to stop anywhere.

That is a reasonable point but it should be noted that drivers are not just rule-following machines either, sometimes the illogic of forcing people to stand around like idiots while the bus is stationary only to drive 25 yards and stop again gets the better of them.

In the good old days you could just use your own brain to judge if it was safe or not to let people off at lights and as well as speeding up things for those people you would remove the need to pull-in at the next stop and save some time for everyone else on the bus as well. It is no co-incidence that the routemaster was so loved by passengers in London, even compared to multi-doored bendys it spent far less time stopped and gave a quicker and more convinent service to the vast majority of regular users.

MiniD wrote: »

I also believe if drivers really were so concerned about the hassle of filling out accident reports and such, they would refuse to stop at many city centre bus stops.

If drivers took a no-tolerance approach (as they have every right to do) then the bus service would be practically un-useable. There are so many stops throughout the city, both in the centre and in the suburbs that are never safe most buses would run non-stop for considerable lengths.

Take my local route, one particular stop is NEVER clear of parked cars, it has no road markings to keep it clear just a blue pole on the pavement. The standard procedure is for the driver to locate a gap in the parked cars big enough for people to squeeze past somewhere in the vacinity of the pole. Then he opens the doors and waits while a few elderly people (the stop is near a complex housing many elderly folk) struggle to lower themselves to the roadway and shuffle between the parked cars.

If the driver was to stick to the H&S rules he should refuse to stop, to hell with anyone wanting to board and take the alighting passengers to the next stop. Only problem is that the next stop is exactly the same so he would then have to go to the next stop which and drop off the old folk what would probably be a 20min walk for some of them.

MiniD wrote: »

As Alek mentioned, St.Stephens Green is a disaster. I would ask any official to stand there for an hour in the evening, while a 20B and the PWHC shuttle sits at the terminus, every xpresso route pulls into collect passengers, the 10 and 46A bunch of routes queue up to stop, a load of taxis wait to get to the rank (and seem bind to the empty taxi rank directly opposite), and just to round it off nicely, a tour bus and the viking boat might just be stopped there too.

That area is a particular disgrace and the only reason for it is so that DCC can get some extra on-street parking revenue.

Mint Sauce · 12-10-2007 3:21pm

John R wrote: »

You are looking like one of those people who agrees with the rules, except when it applies to yourself.

the Airlink is an EXPRESS service for travel to/from the Airport only, it doesn't pick-up at Busaras to drop off at OCS or Parnell square, why do you think you should be the exception to this rule?

You have had it explained to you why many drivers will not let people on once they have left the stop, it leaves them open to legal trouble that could cost them their job.

i'm not sugesting i'm an exception to the rule, i'm meraly making a comment on own experiences, and i have in places argred with the poster and their arguement

irish-stew wrote: »

the second incident, he had already left and was on a public highway, i can see from the drivers point of view there

as for my coments on the airlink driver not taking my fair, i was making a reply to

Hamndegger wrote: »

I must say that bus drivers here are very good for letting people on between stops.

in this reply i made made a comment to where a driver picked me up from a stop in rathfarham which was not part of the route, in my reply i awarded him top marks

as for the airlink driver not dropping me off on OCS or parnel square, i have got this service a few times to the airport, and on most occasions, people have got on and off at OCS and parnel square, and at a couple of other stops along the way, hence me asking did he stop there, on hindsite, i could have said nothing to him, swiped my rambler ticket, and just got off when he stoped at one of these places

in my defence, i'm not from dublin, nor have i lived there, so i would not be familar with the bus routes, ie, route numbers and wher they stop, hence my question to the airlink driver, had i known the 16a didnot stop in the part of rathfarham i was in, i would have not stuck my arm out to request him to stop

ressem wrote: »

Just the other fortnight there was a fatality at Athlone's station where a woman running after a bus which was leaving the station was dragged underneath.

a similar incident happened in london last week, where a passenger was actually getting off the bus, at a stop, it was a bendy bus in which he got caught under the wheels as it turned left

so i fully understand what everyone is saying, i am just merly listing my own experiences

Lizzykins · 12-10-2007 3:28pm

Just by chance this morning I was hurrying to the 15 bus and saw one just pulling away from the stop. I didn't bother running for it as I knew there would be another one along soon. However the driver who was stopped in traffic opened the doors and honked the horn. I dashed over and hopped on and thanked him. He said he couldn't leave a regular customer behind! Fair play to him!

John R · 12-10-2007 3:28pm

Hamndegger wrote: »

Alex, surely you are not trying to say that they powers that be have something to do with that mess, are you? Lies, all lies, I tell's ya :rolleyes:

Scurrilous lies indeed. How dare he suggest that our all-seeing overlords would do something unsafe...

On the subject of which, this is the new bus stop that has been situated for the pending 4A route terminus, as it has been installed one can only assume it has been approved by all those who have a say over bus stop location, namely DB management, DLRCC, AnGarda Siocana, DoT to name but a few.

You'll need to view the full-size image but yes, that is a bus stop (a terminus for extra-long bendy buses no less) inside a roundabout. Nothing unsafe there, hell no.

meanmachine3 · 12-10-2007 6:44pm

i'll make this short and sweet.
dublin bus now has bus spies on their buses. these are employees of dublin bus dressed in civilian clothes watching and taking notes of every move the driver makes and sends back a report. take for example the topic of this thread. the same spy couldn't give a rats arse if passengers knocked ten lumps of ****e out of each other.
if there are one of these bus spies on the bus and the driver not knowing he/she is there decides to let a passenger on/off in between stops that driver may very well be severely disciplined. this disciplinary action happens quite alot

Wishbone Ash · 12-10-2007 11:27pm

I would agree totally with the drivers in the above examples. One of the first things that I was told when driving a bus was was to never allow a passenger onto the bus at traffic lights.

As for those muppets, who run along side a bus banging on the door while it is pulling off - do they not realise how dangerous that is? The driver's attention is focused on the off-side as he tries to enter traffic. The last thing he needs on a dark wet night with poor visability and unlit cyclists is some suicidal maniac distracting him on the left.

Hamndegger wrote: »

If he stops for you, somebody else may well want to board a minute later, then another etc etc; the stop may as well not be used

The amount of times that I have regretted being that good Samaritan. You set off but then stop to let an elderly person on and then someone else runs up and then another and then their wife/husband/girlfriend etc. is coming but doesn't so the other passenger has to get off again and then more arrive aaaaagggghhhhhhh!

spareman · 13-10-2007 3:51am

Ah the runners!! where do I start?
you wait ages for one then two come together, well runners are to blame sometimes, The other day I had a few runners in o connell street, they just about made it to the door as I was about to close it, 1 min later they are still looking through the bag for change, then more arrive behind them, resulting in a few mins delay, then down to d'oiler street, where waiting for me is my passengers and half of the bus behind's passengers, now Im getting delayed at every stop by extra passengers, the bus behind is taking a light load at every stop and before long 2 of us are working out the road together.

I remember there not so long ago a young lady went under a bus at UCD when she tried to run after a bus and tripped and fell onto the road, she was lucky to have escaped with her life, and would you believe the driver was sent back to the training school. Generally I find everyone is in such a rush to get nowhere these days, I mean that stop at UCD inbound has got to be one of THE, if not THE best served bus stops in the country. no excuse for running there, I can understand if it was route 75 on a sunday or the last bus, but no excuse there, max wait would have been 5/6 mins there.

Anyway it's another example where the bus driver cant win, dammed if we do and dammed if we dont. Why must we always be wrong?

OK tread hijacking time... here are some things drivers dont like about passengers, compiled from drivers posts on another forum. On behalf of my colleague's I would like to apologize for any bad language/spelling, viewer discreation is advised, the views expressed below are not necessarily my views on bus passengers.

The Drivers Friend. What a c**t, always in the way, wrecking you head. Say hello and sit down you twat.

Passengers who have there radios/mp3 players/walkmen on too loud so that you can hear it through their earphones.

Passengers who only root out their fare when they board the bus.

Stinky Passengers. Have a shower you dirt bag!

Lying stinking scum that say they have been waiting 30mins, but you know its bull since you passed the previous bus heading out at Merrion square 15mins ahead of you - we seem to be an occupation that has to deal with whoppers.

Animal smugglers - people with dogs hidden down their dressess!

Anyone going to the RDS, they have never heard of it, know what bus goes there OR returns, the fare, how to get a bus, where the city bus goes to and what does the RDS look like. These are DUBS.

The old folk that feel they have to make talk about the quality of the day and the weather, then ask for the next lights BUD. If talking weather is all i have to look forward to at 65 i may stay driving.

Passengers who talk on their phone, not normally but really shout down their phone.

Passengers who bring a tonne of shopping onto the bus take up two seats with the shopping and then bump into everyone when getting off.

Scum at the back of the bus

Gits who think that just by looking at you and doing nothing else you'll telepathically know that they want to get on/off at the next stop.

Cyclists are a pet hate too.They are all law breaking suicidal death wish artists who'll stop at nothing to show how stupidly dangerous or amazing ignorant they are to other road users needs.

Passengers who ring the bell a stop before they're to get off and remain seated!

Passengers who ring for their stop just as the bus is to pass it

Ignorant F****rs who are talking on the phone while they root for cash in their minimum wage purses on the platform as they board ..

Dickheads who engage you in the following conversations .." What time are you finished at ? "

the weather is crap isn't it ..etc etc then you can see it coming .. Any chance of the lights ?? all seem to fall silent when you give the universal response ... NO

Passengers who don't undersand the concept of Xpresso, Minimum Fares or Limited Stops. These guys are muppets

While working into mountjoy square on a 46A today, It really pee'd me off that passengers refused to board the 46B AND 145 in front of me and instead ran behind them to put there hand out for me, We all go to the same place? Are these the same passengers who complain they have to wait so long for there bus? I wonder why?

someone boards with the greeting "you're early/late today driver".(delete as appropriate). My stock reply now is "what time am I supposed to be here?". 99 times out of 100 its "dunno". then then clincher..well,how on earth do you KNOW if I'm early(or late).

Poxy f**king foreigners blocking 16A, s by standing downstairs with their luggage. Lots of room upstairs yea muppets.

How about the skulls that think the bus is rubbish bin ie: used tickets on floor, empty bottles and sweet wrappers stuffed down beside seat and my own favorite chewing gum any where at all please. also do they realise exact fare speeds up journeys duh

The top 2 beefs on my list are (1) A potential passenger running for your Bus and you Stop then they stop running when they still have another 200 ft to reach your Bus. You start rolling ahead to give them the hint but that only gives them a short boost , Nature of the Beast every time you stop they stop running. (2) People that have these enormous Tote Bags or Back Packs only dig out their Fare after Boarding , their only mode of Travel is the Bus and they can't find their Bus Pass or any Loose Change is at the very bottom of the Bag. They take forever just moving their whole life history out of the way.

1 passengers who have been at stop a while, get on first and THEN decide to sort out there fare
2 passengers who let the world and there mom know there phone conversations on the bus
3 passengers who for god knows how long aint washed themselves and stink the bus out
4 passengers who tap there pocket and say i have the pass, when i know they haven,t
5 passengers who want off the bus at traffic lights, and bitch when i say nooooooo
6 passengers who bitch when you pass there stop even though they didn,t ring the bell
7 passengers who bitch at you because the driver in front went past them,
8 passengers who don,t put there hand out for the bus then bitch to the depot you didn,t stop
9 passengers who let there little darlings run riot up stairs swingin off the bars like monkeys
10 sad sacks who think they know the second every bus is due and leaves and where it goes

Passengers that only go 2 stops because they are to f***ing lazy to walk!

Old people that demand a certain seat even if someone else is already sitting there. And expect me to move them.

Passengers who don't have enough money and ask if they can pay you the rest tomorrow?!

another good one, (jogged my memory last night after someone did it)
Passengers who put their hand out for you to stop, only to ask you "what has happened to another bus and why hasn't it arrived yet?" and when you reply "I don't know, sorry" they demand you get on your phone or radio and find out for them. Which results in the doors closing!

Any one who starts that "What happened to the other bus" gets one response from me Don't know, don't care the only bus I'm worried about is the one I'm driving

AlekSmart · 13-10-2007 3:54am

Excellent thread in many ways as it shows that some people ARE listening when the great and the good spout nonsense to the media in the hope that NOBODY will remember.

In the immediate aftermath of the Wellington Quay disaster (in which the LOCATION of the Bus Terminus and how it came to be there was not fully explained in open court) we,the public,were assured that a FULL independent Safety Analysis would be performed on EVERY Bus Atha Cliath Stop.

That is indeed a major undertaking,but if those who gave that assurance were serious then we should now be seeing the initial draft of the report....Yes ?

I am assuming that the the Safety review was INDEPENDENT and without any bias whatsoever ?

Am I being disingenuous here in seeking to have sight of the report appertaining to St Stephens Green North ?
After all I feel confident that the Authorities would have immediately recognized the importance of this location,and thus it`s vulnerability as a MAJOR location of INCREASED risk....I defer at all times to the PROFESSIONAL nature of those carrying out this analysis and will at all times be guided by this professionalism.

May I then progress to Westmoreland St,particularly the manner in which the Bus Routes appear to have been allocated in relation to public preference rather than SAFETY,which is theoretically the overriding concern.

It is now high-time to cease playing games on this issue.
Either Safety IS paramount or it is NOT.
If Safety IS the overriding concern then the travelling public will simply have to get accquainted with being able to utilize Dublin City Councils many and varied Pedestrian friendly zones to WALK to safe Bus Stop locations rather than those which,until now,have been Convienient......

Yes it is decision time and thats a proposition which we as a culture do NOT like....!

Essentially we continue to play Russian Roulette in An Làr...it`s really down to how much longer BAC drivers can continue to remain fatality-free in a very hostile environment indeed....does anybody really care ?....Not really except for those on the front line,whose views are least regarded and most certainly last acted upon.

Lizzykins · 13-10-2007 10:06am

That's the funniest thing I've read in ages! I'm a regular bus user and I recognise ALL those passengers. All the bus drivers I encounter are very pleasant people and they must have the patience of saints! It's no joke dealing with the public.

Spreman's post I mean!

SickCert · 13-10-2007 10:11am

Now stop that now were not meant to be human! Thats how terrible rumours start......... Now i know where all them remarks were stolen from, slap Spareman!
But its all true, stand back and look at yourself the next time you board a bus while you place your coffee over the electric circuitboard of the dashboard, slide the phone around your neck and root for cents.

Victor · 13-10-2007 9:09pm

If you want to board a bus that isn't at a stop, the only way its likely to happen is if the bus is stopepd and at the kerb on a quiet footpath and you have you bus ticket in your hand and a smile on your face.

In profound situations (same set of traffic lights for 15 minutes), I may occasionally ask a driver "Can I get off here, if it is safe?". If he says no, then thats it.

spareman's list is mostly right, although the driver ahead and the controller are b*********.

meanmachine3 · 13-10-2007 10:24pm

hope you said PLEASEEE. makes a world of difference to bus drivers

Wishbone Ash · 13-10-2007 10:28pm

meanmachine3 wrote: »

hope you said PLEASEEE. makes a world of difference to bus drivers

....or just say "I'm Victor - I've 32,000 posts on boards.ie" - that should do it!

:D

dbnavan · 13-10-2007 10:41pm

On the subject of bus drivers, one thing that always gets my back up about some of them is their mannerisms and power trips, sometimes the bus driver can be the first person you actually speak to in the morning and a simple hello wouldnt go amiss, I am not talking about a busy city bus with people struggling to get on and off in droves, I am talking about a provincial bus that just stops at the side of the road, I have often got on in the morning and greeted the driver with "good morning", or "cold on one today" or whatever, some will respond others look at ye like "What you doing talking to me, do I know ye or something" Or then if I take out my bus pass(as I am disabled), they actually look at you like the price of the ticket as just come out of their pocket! Rant over sorry..

One not stopping at dedecated stops I understand both sides, the nice bus drivers that know ye will pull in if the see you legging it for the stop, but on the other side, if a driver stops were he shouldnt to let you on/off, and you slipped or something, he is the one that gets in trouble with insurance etc because the bus shouldnt have even stopped there.

Wishbone Ash · 14-10-2007 6:15am

dbnavan wrote: »

the bus driver can be the first person you actually speak to in the morning and a simple hello wouldnt go amiss

I find that drivers on the very early morning services tend to be more customer friendly. The first DB bus passes my way at about 5.15am and the drivers usually keep an eye out, especially for the regulars and will pull up for a few seconds to wait for anyone they see legging it towards the stop.

When I'm driving a bus I usually greet the passengers as they board but very few respond - they just look at me as if I've three heads.

Bus drivers

Comments