Any bus drivers on here?
Discussion
I mean service bus drivers in particular with many years service?
I was wondering if timetables have became harder to stick to over the years?
I havent used service buses on a regular basis for 20+ years,but last night i used 3 seperate buses in my local area and although each bus arrived more or less on time or maybe only a couple of minutes late,it felt like i was being driven by Lewis Hamilton on each occasion,it seemed like a mad dash from one stop to the next,one driver even pulled out of the local bus station straight into the path of a couple of taxis which he was supposed to give way to,it would have probably been his last run of the night and was hurrying to get back to the depot.
I have looked at some of the timetables on the bus company website and many of the times that drivers are allocated to get from one location to the next do seem very optomistic,even without stopping to pick up/drop off passengers.
Any thoughts?
I was wondering if timetables have became harder to stick to over the years?
I havent used service buses on a regular basis for 20+ years,but last night i used 3 seperate buses in my local area and although each bus arrived more or less on time or maybe only a couple of minutes late,it felt like i was being driven by Lewis Hamilton on each occasion,it seemed like a mad dash from one stop to the next,one driver even pulled out of the local bus station straight into the path of a couple of taxis which he was supposed to give way to,it would have probably been his last run of the night and was hurrying to get back to the depot.
I have looked at some of the timetables on the bus company website and many of the times that drivers are allocated to get from one location to the next do seem very optomistic,even without stopping to pick up/drop off passengers.
Any thoughts?
Buses always seem to be late where I am at the moment, but to be fair, after having to change buses yesterday I was grateful for the bus driver stopping to allow me to run across the road and then get on her bus when she pulled up! So I guess there is fairly just cause.
Although the bus driver today needed to do something about the fact some poor teenage girl got slapped by some mental old woman as the girl wanted the window open and she wanted them closed. Bus Driver was told but just did sod all - it was up to other passengers to tell the woman and her husband to calm down, or, as one guy put it, to just "shut the f
k up!"
Although the bus driver today needed to do something about the fact some poor teenage girl got slapped by some mental old woman as the girl wanted the window open and she wanted them closed. Bus Driver was told but just did sod all - it was up to other passengers to tell the woman and her husband to calm down, or, as one guy put it, to just "shut the f
k up!"You called? I'm not a driver in the capital but do drive into Leeds regularly and around West Yorkshire. I've have been driving for 12 years.
Yes timings have got tighter but this isn't mainly due to time being taken off journeys.
The main cause is restructuring of times I.E a journey from Leeds to Huddersfield still takes 90 minutes, but the time from say Leeds to White rose centre used to have around 15 min but now has 20 (We need 25).
The problem there is that's 5 min you'll need for the next part of your trip that you don't have.
Next problem is the volume of traffic. It's increased dramatically in the last decade, which means that your losing time sat at junctions, RaBs etc.
And finally we have got the technological "advancements".
We now have a ECO drive system fitted to our busses that records our driving style using the acc pedal info. We are encouraged to drive with the enviroment in mind etc. "And if that means being late on journeys then so be it" (driving instructor). That doesn't help someone having to be at work at 9 or wants to get home after work.
Another factor in this is the speed camera.
We used to get some discretion from BiB if they were doing speed checks etc. Yet now the static/van cameras make us warey to try "Catch up" on timings as it's a disaplinary if your caught speeding.
P.S. Oh and there's always the pissed up tt that wants to take exactly the same journey as the bloke that's just paid £1.50 yet will try to get on for 50p hence the resulting one way discussion ends in the pisshead leaving the bus and you and I being 15 minutes late.
Sorry for the long post but I hope it gives you an idea of why we're late.
Yes timings have got tighter but this isn't mainly due to time being taken off journeys.
The main cause is restructuring of times I.E a journey from Leeds to Huddersfield still takes 90 minutes, but the time from say Leeds to White rose centre used to have around 15 min but now has 20 (We need 25).
The problem there is that's 5 min you'll need for the next part of your trip that you don't have.
Next problem is the volume of traffic. It's increased dramatically in the last decade, which means that your losing time sat at junctions, RaBs etc.
And finally we have got the technological "advancements".
We now have a ECO drive system fitted to our busses that records our driving style using the acc pedal info. We are encouraged to drive with the enviroment in mind etc. "And if that means being late on journeys then so be it" (driving instructor). That doesn't help someone having to be at work at 9 or wants to get home after work.
Another factor in this is the speed camera.
We used to get some discretion from BiB if they were doing speed checks etc. Yet now the static/van cameras make us warey to try "Catch up" on timings as it's a disaplinary if your caught speeding.
P.S. Oh and there's always the pissed up t
t that wants to take exactly the same journey as the bloke that's just paid £1.50 yet will try to get on for 50p hence the resulting one way discussion ends in the pisshead leaving the bus and you and I being 15 minutes late.Sorry for the long post but I hope it gives you an idea of why we're late.
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