Bus STOP
Posted by noizyboy on Thursday, 11 Jun 2009
Hey, Mr Bus Driver, that person running down the footpath, waving at you, just ten metres or so from the bus stop? They probably want to get on the bus.
And the guy who's just got on and tells you to "wait, there's someone just coming" - he's probably wanting you to wait, 'cos there's someone coming.
I understand you're the 'Express' - but, really, no-one is going to be put out if you wait an extra 5 seconds to let a straggler catch up (especially if you spend a minute haranguing a passenger for daring to try and pay their fare with a $20 note.)
And the annoying thing is, I think they get some satisfaction out of it. Grrr.
I think I know which bus driver you mean. He's in a foul mood whenever I see him. Pay with a $20 bill and get your change all but thrown in your face. See him yell at anyone looking younger than 30 about "kids go on the bus last!". What a sad character.
Fortunately most bus drivers I see are not that bad, and some are pretty cool even.
I recently got attitude from a bus driver when I dared to pay for a $3 fare with a $5 note. He gave a big heaving sigh, as if lifting up the cash tray to tuck the note under it was the heaviest burden he could possible be expected to endure.
$20 is the smallest obtainable note. It's only worth a handful of return trips anyway. I absolutely refuse to make useless purchases merely so I can break a $20 and avoid the driver's wrath.
Most of the drivers at our usual stop will in fact wait for flailing stragglers though, to give them credit.
Is the offender short and squat with a moustache?
heh, no, but I think I know who you mean.
And yes, exactly right.
it aways amazes me that there are some bus drivers who are just awesome and everyone loves. and theren there are those who make you feel guilty for catching the bus
Grumpy bus-drivers should be cherished!
They're actually rational economic utility-maximising agents. Bus travel is subsidised by local government, so the bad attitude helps patrons to realise the 'true cost' of their travel.
I had a bus driver on Tuesday night who was in a completely different category. The bus was slowly moving down Willis Street, and he started yelling out "If you think this is bad, wait till they open up Manners Mall!"
The problem, he reckoned, was that the new long-axel buses wouldn't be able to smoothly make a left-hand turn from Willis Street into Manners Street.
But it turns out that this corner has been considered and that it will be OK.
Well, let's hope so.
And, as if to balance the bus driver karma of the day, I had a very pleasant driver on the way home: greeted everyone with a cheery 'welcome aboard', and gave everyone a toot and a wave after dropping them off.
I say hell no. If you are late, you wait. The fact is you are late, and if the bus waited for everyone that was late the service would be so unreliable no one would catch it.
On several occasions I've waited at bus stops for over 30 minutes, only to watch in vain as buses go by without drivers bothering to check whether there are passengers ready to board. I'm not suggesting that drivers need wait for all latecomers, simply that they could (and - excepting instances of excessive traffic disruption or passenger risk - should) use their discretion and pick up bus-thudders, briefcase-wavers and spurting gesticulators. Especially at the Cambridge Tce bus stop beside KFC during a southerly gale, bearing in mind the shelter there tends to obscure the view of approaching buses.
That's an absurd extreme. If the bus waited for everyone who was running and waving, I doubt it would make much difference at all -- it's quite rare, just uber-annoying when you're the victim.
Incidentally, this ties in with benefits of those electronic signs that tell you when the next buses are actually coming. I wouldn't feel so hard done by if I knew reliably when the next one was. As it is, at my regular stop (Waitoa & Hapua St) the buses are basically random. There might be another one in a couple of minutes, or 20...
@stephenjudd
Yeah wgtn is must be the only city left that doesn't have signs telling you when the next bus is coming. Blame infratil's giant monopoly :)
I've had both extremes of bus drivers within a week. One day, I had one that took it as his duty to be a sort of a tour guide, pointing out lovley parts of our city we were driving through. He then cherrily wished us all a good day of learning as most of us exited to go to Uni. Every single person thanked this guy at the same time, it was great. On the other hand, I also had this grumpy old man who flew past this bus stop even though people were waiting there, one even madly flailing her arms around like an electrocuted octopus.
The point is - complain. Complain early, complain often,
Get the rego numbers of these sadistic men and women who give public transport a bad name. This however is in part due to the ridiculous timetables they have, which means they have to drive with intent-to-kill to make it on time.
Complain about the $20's (which is due to the company limiting the change they have).
Both of these are company problems. They're contracted to the council, and the council has the ability to kick them into shape.
It also helps to complain to the city council rather than directly to the bus company. The company has to answer to the city council about all complaints received. (At least this was the case when I worked for Stagecoach.)
Ensure you have the following:
Get the reference number for the complaint and follow it up!
It would be more effective to complain to Greater Wellington Regional Council, as they contract out the bus services, not the City Council.
I got on the bus the other day with a $20 note, being the only cash I had. I usually use plastic but keep a $20 spare for "emergencies".
I got a glared at, was very loudly told that "we're not a bank you know" and after much tsk-tsking, sighing and head-shaking finally got my ticket and slunk, red-faced, to the least conspicuous seat.
Patronising and self-important bus drivers are partly why I'd given up on public transport and car-pool to work.
Well, that and the fact that the bus timetable isn't so much a timetable as a series of broken promises...
And to follow that up...last week I took my parents on a bus ride home after they dropped their hire car off.
I now carry a bag of $1 and $2 coins (to avoid the embarrassment mentioned above) and I filled the bus driver's little tray until his cup runneth over with what I hoped was the correct change. He heaved a great sigh and just started shoving it in his coin tray. I said "let me know if I haven't got it right".
The response? A very surly "Well I'm going to have to trust you. I'm not counting all that."
I believe the lesson is that you just can't win.
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