Bastid Bus Driver

Zapp Brannigan

So I get off the train from Maynooth today and see that the 39 is pulling in at the bus stop. I leg it to the bus stop and see the bus begin to pull away, fortunately for me there's traffic so the bus has to stop around 2 feet from the bus stop. So I get up to the bus and gesture to the driver to ask if he'll let me on, the feckin bastid ignores me, so I tap on the door and he just points back to the bus stop! I mean the bus is stuck in traffic and he's not going anywhere until the train from town comes in anyways, so why the fuck wouldn't he let me on!?

So now I'm running to the next bus stop, which fortunately I reach before the bus gets there (it's a close call though). I get on and proceed to give the driver my best harsh/cold stare.

Seriously, how miserable of a person must he be, to not let me on 2 feet away from the bus stop?

humbert

Getting to be a wanker to you probably made his day.

MagicMarker

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

So I get off the train from Maynooth today and see that the 39 is pulling in at the bus stop. I leg it to the bus stop and see the bus begin to pull away, fortunately for me there's traffic so the bus has to stop around 2 feet from the bus stop. So I get up to the bus and gesture to the driver to ask if he'll let me on, the feckin bastid ignores me, so I tap on the door and he just points back to the bus stop! I mean the bus is stuck in traffic and he's not going anywhere until the train from town comes in anyways, so why the fuck wouldn't he let me on!?

So now I'm running to the next bus stop, which fortunately I reach before the bus gets there (it's a close call though). I get on and proceed to give the driver my best harsh/cold stare.

Seriously, how miserable of a person must he be, to not let me on 2 feet away from the bus stop?

Why didn't you say anything to him when you got on the bus instead of telling us?

mikemac

The only muppet here was you

If he let you on and you got injured and it turned out that it was not at an offical busstop, the driver would have been sacked.
And I doubt you'd have been slow to sue the bus company if some compo culture solicitor showed how much you could get.

Busstops are there for a reason and drivers are under instruction not to let on or let off passengers.
For many reasons but one of them is many cyclists and motorbike couriers undertake buses.
If you hop on or off and get knocked down then you get compo and the driver gets sacked!

So tell me OP, are you willing to pay the wages of an unemployed "miserable" bus driver?
Btw, feel free to ring your local depot and ask an inspector any of this.

Sure some drivers let people on or off but they are taking a risk doing it

Zapp Brannigan

Cos I didn't wanna get kicked off the bus for mouthing off to the bus driver.

micmlo: There was nothing coming either way on the road. So there wasn't a chance of me getting injured.

kittenkiller

There are but a few perks to driving a bus for a living.
And I guess that'd be one!

Harsh though!

OPENROAD

I really really really hate that Dublin bus advert.

Rhyme

Same thing happens with the 17a from Howth Junction station, driver just makes some vague hand gesture perhaps to tell me "What can i do, i'm just the driver."

Pretty annoying.

(I take the back entrance from the station now and haven't missed a bus yet.)

Karoma

It discourages people running for the bus in future and running in front of traffic. They may be in bigger trouble if you get injured boarding the bus when not at a stop -why should the driver risk his job because you didn't run fast enough?



"There are no exceptions to the rule that everyone thinks they're an exception to the rules." - Banksy

OPENROAD

ah you couldn't beat the old Routemaster in London, hop on and hop off.

Wishbone Ash

I see the OP didn't place this in Commuting and Transport!

Afraid of being ripped to shreds?

TheVan

Eh I ran from O'Connell Bridge onto D'Olier St to catch a 46A one time, he pulled out and wouldn't let me on.......

...so i RAN to the next stop.....on NASSAU ST!!!!! (traffic was terrible)

....and he didn't let me on! The cnut ignored me and drove past the stop!!!!



I hates them

Huggles

Happened to me too.

They seem to have a new policy since the Bus crash last year

Wishbone Ash

TheVan wrote: »

Eh I ran from O'Connell Bridge onto D'Olier St to catch a 46A one time, he pulled out and wouldn't let me on.......

...so i RAN to the next stop.....on NASSAU ST!!!!! (traffic was terrible)

....and he didn't let me on! The cnut ignored me and drove past the stop!!!!



I hates them

Perhaps he was thinking of that old bus driver's motto - "Never stop for a runner, they're always trouble"


PS - I don't think the 46A stops on D'Olier Street. You should have went to Fleet street!

thebman

Its not a new policy. Its been like this for years! A lot of drivers just do it anyway because they are sounder than people think.

The fact that you got someone that is doing his job to the letter does not make him a bastid.

Victor

Buses run for those that wait. They don't wait for those that run.

Wishbone Ash

brim4brim wrote: »

A lot of drivers just do it anyway because they are sounder than people think

.....and if the runner gets killed the sound driver will suddenly be deemed to be very unsound!

flogen

It's easy to vent your anger at the driver but he's not obliged to let anyone on at anywhere other than an official stop - in fact he's ordered not to do so.

So in future, rather than give out about the driver that only does what he's supposed to be thankful for the driver that does the nice thing and lets you on (something that could cost him his job).

After all, you could have been working for Dublin Bus undercover - in that case it wouldn't matter if he'd compromised anyone's safety, no more than it would if he was caught speeding or breaking the lights.

cazzy

I was at a Dublin Bus focus group once and apparently the drivers have been told to be strict to only let people on at official bus stops when bus is at a full stop. Driver prob had no chioce. He could be in trouble if he was reported.

If anything did happen - like u slipped getting on - he would be in big trouble as he would have to do out a full incident report. They take those things pretty serious especially after that big accident on the Quays a few years ago when 4 or 5 people died. Something simple can turn into something big so easily so Dubin Bus want to make sure they are 100% covered by following their rules and charter.

It is very annoying though when you miss the bus like that !

GhostInTheRuins

Fun fact of the day: Bus drivers get off by watching people run for buses and by leaving them behind. Especially if it's raining.

Reku

Sorry to hear it Zapp, not so much that you had a bad experience but rather that no-one ever bothered to tell you that unless you're a moderately (or better) attractive young lady you're wasting your time even looking at a bus that's about to pull off or has pulled off but halted again no distance from the actual stop. Oh well... you know now.;)

DonJose

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I see the OP didn't place this in Commuting and Transport!

Afraid of being ripped to shreds?

Is that where all the scummy bus drivers hang out?

Danbo!

2 feet from the stop is a bit harsh, but if he's pulled away from the kerb enough to allow a bike thru theres no chance. the road might look clear bothways but a cyclist or motorbike could undertake to avoid something on the outside... also if he opens the door, i know, i know, youll be careful and hop on quick, but how does he know?

commuting and transport forum me thinks. and if your brave stick it in the cycling forum too

MizzLolly

farohar wrote: »

Sorry to hear it Zapp, not so much that you had a bad experience but rather that no-one ever bothered to tell you that unless you're a moderately (or better) attractive young lady you're wasting your time even looking at a bus that's about to pull off

Uh oh.... when they pull away from a young lady does that mean you're ugly??? :eek:

Hehehe... Ah no Zapp, I agree, I've seen it happen before. Of course if it's a dangerous situation then they are perfectly entitled to keep driving but I've seen them literally shut the doors and just drive away despite the fact there were ppl tapping the windows. Luckily, it's never happened to me.. touch wood!

TheVan

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Perhaps he was thinking of that old bus driver's motto - "Never stop for a runner, they're always trouble"


PS - I don't think the 46A stops on D'Olier Street. You should have went to Fleet street!

Hmmm...good point....must have been a 10 then....or some such bus out that direction! It was 3 years ago! I can't remember these insignificant yet crucial details!

congo_90

micmclo wrote: »

The only muppet here was you

If he let you on and you got injured and it turned out that it was not at an offical busstop, the driver would have been sacked.
And I doubt you'd have been slow to sue the bus company if some compo culture solicitor showed how much you could get.

Busstops are there for a reason and drivers are under instruction not to let on or let off passengers.
For many reasons but one of them is many cyclists and motorbike couriers undertake buses.
If you hop on or off and get knocked down then you get compo and the driver gets sacked!

So tell me OP, are you willing to pay the wages of an unemployed "miserable" bus driver?
Btw, feel free to ring your local depot and ask an inspector any of this.

Sure some drivers let people on or off but they are taking a risk doing it

Ah come on now if he was only two feet or so from the stop then the bus (at least part of it) would be at the stop. So technically the driver could allow him on. Dont go saying the because the door of the bus isn't at the stop he couldn't be allowed on. If this is the case then getting off would be hard work from how many times the bus would be half its length in front of the stop. What about the 39/70 bus stop outside Ulster bank opposite trinity? I think its college green or something.

I was at this stop after running from Henry st. The stop is right in front of the lights and the bus had jus pulled out. Maybe 5 feet from the doors to the stop. He wouldn't let me on. It was the last 70 so I and the gf had to run all the way up to the stop near christ church. The driver had an awful smirk on his face.

Binomate

The bus diver can't let people on or off unless it's at a bus stop. That's policy. If he had have let you on he may have been fired. But your convenience is a lot more important than that man's job security because you're so great and important. In fact, I really don't know why they don't have an express bus service just for you...



Edit: someone said it before me

TJJP

noblestee wrote: »

2 feet from the stop is a bit harsh, but if he's pulled away from the kerb enough to allow a bike thru theres no chance. the road might look clear bothways but a cyclist or motorbike could undertake to avoid something on the outside... also if he opens the door, i know, i know, youll be careful and hop on quick, but how does he know?

Fair point there, I guess. Hop-on hop-off used to be the case ten years ago, you could pretty much get dropped off anywhere on the route. Since the ambulance chaser brigade got involved that has all came to an end.

Most days I'd be happy enough if my bus stopped within two feet of the stop. There is still a bit of flexibility in the system, but it one rule for them and one for you it seems. )-:

I agree that they shouldn't do it all the time, however there's one stop on Abbey St. beside the Irish life mall (for the 41's and the 33's) where the route starts and there's a specific little kind of in-let that isn't part of the main road (i'm terrible at describing this) for the busses to pull in so that they are not blocking traffic coming from O'Connell st and heading towards Busáras.

On a number of occasions I've walked up to a bus that is still 100% in this area, not having moved from the stop (save to turn the wheel to the right and put the indicator on) with the doors closed and traffic backed up from the lights there to almost the Abbey theatre and been refused entry. There is absolutely no way a cyclist is gonna come up Abbey St., swerve into the left between the bus & path and then swerve back out to the right and into traffic.

Once, a driver of a 33 had to back up the bus so that he could exit the terminus properly, after he wouldn't let me and a few others on.

When I've complained before, I was told that 'twas the drivers' word against mine and that next time I should get everybody else who was at the stop to complain and they'd do something about it.

Naos

A bus drive told me the other week: "There are two things we can get fired for, the first is letting people on/off at unofficial pickup/dropoff points. And the second is for accepting money from the public".

Two feet is annoying, but as mentioned, undertaking & possible accident would mean this bus driver is out of a job, why should he put his family in that predicament?

Tha Gopher

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

Cos I didn't wanna get kicked off the bus for mouthing off to the bus driver.

micmlo: There was nothing coming either way on the road. So there wasn't a chance of me getting injured.

If you tripped over your lace and fell on your head at a bus stop, its your fault. If it happened at an unofficial pick up/drop off the driver is in sh1te if you make a claim. Traffic is irrelevant. The oul one works in insurance, and believe me the t and c are VERY precise in terms of conditions of cover (she only works at the low level, but all the times sees claims denied for reasons like "your bedroom was unlocked when the burglary happened". Which, if the claimant would know had he read page 14 section II part vi of the t and c entirely, is pat of the agreement. Always read the conditions properly). The fact the burglary victim has paid £300 a year to the firm over the last decade doesnt hold much sawy when he tries to claim £200 worth of stolen goods back. And if the bus company has to pay out of its own pocket after an injury that happened because the driver didnt stick to the insurance rues. he is out the door.

Spook_ie

Binomate wrote: »

The bus diver can't let people on or off unless it's at a bus stop. That's policy. If he had have let you on he may have been fired. But your convenience is a lot more important than that man's job security because you're so great and important. In fact, I really don't know why they don't have an express bus service just for you...



Edit: someone said it before me

They do, it's called a Taxi

Spook_ie

from Dublin Bus Points of Law

ENTERING AND LEAVING THE BUS

An intending passenger should always signal clearly and in good time with his/her hand to the driver to stop the bus.


Passengers must only board and alight at a bus stop.


A passenger alighting may signal to the driver to stop the bus by ringing once the bell provided in the saloon of the bus.


Passengers shall exit through the centre doors unless otherwise instructed by an authorised person.


A passenger is forbidden to give any signal which might be interpreted by the driver as a signal from the conductor to start the bus.


Passengers shall not obstruct the driver’s view through windows or mirrors.


Passengers shall stand behind the white line at the driver’s seat.


Please do not distract the driver while the bus is in motion.


It is an offence to use any emergency exit except in the case of an emergency.

Hagar

Has the practice of drivers allowing other drivers ( off duty etc) to board in between official stops been eradicated? I've often seen buses pull away from stops full and leaving people behind only to open doors a few metres past the stop to allow a fellow employee board.
I can only imagine the risks and insurance liability to be very similar.

Reku

MizzLolly wrote: »

Uh oh.... when they pull away from a young lady does that mean you're ugly??? :eek:

Sorry but the drivers have spoken.:p


And as for all those pointing out the rules for where they can let on passangers I urge you to take note of the buses during traffic and you will regularly see them overlook that rule if it's for a young girl* (I've even actually seen women drivers do it so go figure what the motivation is) or for another CIE staff member (if they are not driving then they are legally a passanger). I'll have to remember to do the bitter old fart thing and note the licence plate of the bus and complain, get the driver sacked.:D



*Once I saw them do it for a guy on crutches, which I'm all for, poor lad could barely walk/hobble his way along.

Zapp Brannigan

farohar wrote: »

Sorry but the drivers have spoken.:p


And as for all those pointing out the rules for where they can let on passangers I urge you to take note of the buses during traffic and you will regularly see them overlook that rule if it's for a young girl* (I've even actually seen women drivers do it so go figure what the motivation is) or for another CIE staff member (if they are not driving then they are legally a passanger). I'll have to remember to do the bitter old fart thing and note the licence plate of the bus and complain, get the driver sacked.:D



*Once I saw them do it for a guy on crutches, which I'm all for, poor lad could barely walk/hobble his way along.

That's a great idea. Time to put that plan into action from now on! Feels good to be bitter!

Smellyirishman

Hagar wrote: »

Has the practice of drivers allowing other drivers ( off duty etc) to board in between official stops been eradicated? I've often seen buses pull away from stops full and leaving people behind only to open doors a few metres past the stop to allow a fellow employee board.
I can only imagine the risks and insurance liability to be very similar.

Exactly, this is one of the things I was coming in to say. I've often seen bus drivers ignore runners/elderly/people 2 ft past the bus stop only to lash on the brakes in the middle of the road to let one of their comrades in.

I was getting the bus on Westmorland st once and the bus pulled away from the stop into rush hour traffic only he was blocked in by all the cars stacked up. Once he did this, a couple of people came knocking on the door asking to be let in (keep in mind, the bus had not even cleared the bus stop at this stage and was going nowhere.) but of course he wouldn't open the doors.
Anyway we were stuck there for a couple minutes, enough time for me contemplate my move, get up off my seat upstairs and go down to the driver and ask him why he wouldn't just let the people in (they seemed very eager to get this particular bus) and he gave me crap about not being at a bus stop and to go away. I've seen buses let in people much further away from the designated stop; such as when a couple show up at once, or one of the guys comes along as said earlier.

That said, I've had bus drivers who wait for me, bus drivers that wait for old people, bus drivers that stop short of the stop to save a runner the run and more so they're not all that bad.

Reku

Come to think of it how often do buses actually stop at the bus stop, as opposed to behind another bus which is actually at the bus stop, surely 2ft ahead of the bus stop is just as valid as 10ft behind the thing?

Sizzler

I think the golden rule once the bus closes the door and moves away from the stop then thats it...however harsh that seems! Some drivers seem to get more fun than others though in exercising the directive :rolleyes:

ruprect

I had the weirdest bus man last week. I went to the bus stop and just missed the 7 bus. I was going to a concert at the RDS. Next thing a bus comes along with no number on it, but it said "RDS Ballsbridge" on it. So I think great, and stop it. The only bus I know going that way should have been another 7. As I got on I wanted to make sure it was going to the RDS as there was no number. So this was the conversation...

Me: Is this a 7?
Busman: No (I stared blankly expecting another number or answer but got nothing)
Me: Oh, your sign says it is going to the RDS, is it going there?
Busman: Well I dont particularly want to go to the RDS.
Me: So is it going there?
Busman: Is it town you want to go to?
Me: Well actually I do just want to go as far as the RDS. Are you going to go there?
Busman: Well I suppose I am going to have to now, seeing as I am after letting you on.


Very bizarre. I was not speaking with any "tone", and neither was he really. At the end he was talking as though he was doing me a really big favour, like a driver would if you asked to get off the bus at a place that wasnt a stop, sort of a "GO ON, just this once", tone.

Mr Magnolia

Nice post Victor.

I was getting a bus into an unfarmiliar part of town towards the end of the route one night. I sat at the front and asked the driver to give me a shout when he was close to where I was going. After a while, I suspected we'd past where I was going, I asked the driver. He said "fcuk, I forgot about ya. Hold on there and I'll drop these last few off and take you back round". He did.

How sound was that!

spareman

The exact rule is once ours doors are closed and our indicator on we have left the stop. Personally Im sick to death of people asking to be let on/off at unoffical stops, Take last night for example, Traffic was absolutely brutal, took me 50mins to get from Donnybrook to Lesson street, traffic was crawling at best, Nobody gets off and walks to town, my bus is Jam packed leaving lesson street, 20 mins later Im in the right lane on stephens green with traffic on my inside and getting all sorts of abuse for not opening the doors and letting people out. I work the 46A route which has a wait time of 6 mins if you miss a bus, you waiting 6 mins seems better to me than waiting 3 hours at the A&E after ya get hit by a cyclist or something.

Zapp Brannigan

The 39 is not a 6 minute wait though. It's supposed to be but in reailty you get a bus coming along every 15-25 minutes.

cance

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

So I get off the train from Maynooth today and see that the 39 is pulling in at the bus stop. I leg it to the bus stop and see the bus begin to pull away, fortunately for me there's traffic so the bus has to stop around 2 feet from the bus stop. So I get up to the bus and gesture to the driver to ask if he'll let me on, the feckin bastid ignores me, so I tap on the door and he just points back to the bus stop! I mean the bus is stuck in traffic and he's not going anywhere until the train from town comes in anyways, so why the fuck wouldn't he let me on!?

So now I'm running to the next bus stop, which fortunately I reach before the bus gets there (it's a close call though). I get on and proceed to give the driver my best harsh/cold stare.

Seriously, how miserable of a person must he be, to not let me on 2 feet away from the bus stop?

this happened to me recently too, i got kinda pissed off too, then i remembered that he drives a bus and felt sorry for him.

missmatty

Don't get me started about the 39 (happy memories ), I assume it hasn't improved in any way.

What does it mean when a bus driver shuts the door ON you then? Like physically caught me between the two closing doors. One did once, I'm small and he didn't see me, well he didn't even apologize so I et him :mad:

humbert

I was once cycling along the stillorgan duel carriageway, I know I was meant to be on the cycle path but it was almost dark(did have lights of the bike) and the path goes through some trees, there are leaves on it and you can't see a thing so fuck that.

Anyway a bus driver beeps, fair enough, then drives terrifyingly close(and I'm not easily shaken but the curb is too high to mount and there a wall of metal closing in on me) then the lunatic opens the bus doors still about 6 inches from me pressed against the curb and starts shouting crap(he's African so I can't make a word he's saying out) . I politely suggest his mother was a lady of ill repute while breaking furiously.

So the fact the bus drivers often go past the bus stop(if it's obstructed) to pick up passengers and could easily have picked up the OP is the smallest example of how they are willing to bend the law.

emeraldstar

TheVan wrote: »

Eh I ran from O'Connell Bridge onto D'Olier St to catch a 46A one time, he pulled out and wouldn't let me on.......

...so i RAN to the next stop.....

46A? Could ya not just have waited 2 minutes for the next one?

Zapp Brannigan

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

So I get off the train from Maynooth today and see that the 39 is pulling in at the bus stop. I leg it to the bus stop and see the bus begin to pull away, fortunately for me there's traffic so the bus has to stop around 2 feet from the bus stop. So I get up to the bus and gesture to the driver to ask if he'll let me on, the feckin bastid ignores me, so I tap on the door and he just points back to the bus stop! I mean the bus is stuck in traffic and he's not going anywhere until the train from town comes in anyways, so why the fuck wouldn't he let me on!?

So now I'm running to the next bus stop, which fortunately I reach before the bus gets there (it's a close call though). I get on and proceed to give the driver my best harsh/cold stare.

Seriously, how miserable of a person must he be, to not let me on 2 feet away from the bus stop?

happened to me a few times
sometimes they turn their head out the other window away from you and pretend you're not there

some do let you on though thankfully

Zapp Brannigan

Awesome bus driver this morning, he was pulling away from the stop as I came round the corner of my road in the lashing rain. He stopped for me halfway between my road and the bus-stop! Sound guy!

Ballerina

op that has happened to me loads of times, and so has the story about the doors closing ON you but what annoys me about it is not that they dont stop(i understand, as many people have stated, it can be really dangerous) but its the WAY the treat you(as you may see from my previous posts..) pretending like they dont see you when they clearly can, just making you angry, is just unnecessary.they could at least look at you and shrug their shoulders and mouth sorry, so that people dont keep knocking on the door as if their lives depended on it, making idiots out of themselves.

but then again....they do have a pretty awful job....

SprostonGreen

Bus drivers are thick, too thick even to pass the leaving cert. That is why they spend their lives driving around in a bus, they wouldn't be able to do a proper job. Its best not to let them annoy you, its probably they're only thrilling aspect of the job.