Dullitch76

Ooooh, who shit in your breakfast cereal? Ok, Arriva then. And no, I don't blame the driver if I'm late. And my "research" was based off (a) my friend who used to drive a bus and (b) a conversation I overheard between two bus drivers. The gist of both bits of "research" was that drivers have alot of pressure put on them NOT to be LATE and NOT to let people on without paying, and presumably NOT to let people on with bikes. MY POINT was that maybe if they didn't have so much PRESSURE on them, then perhaps the WHOLE SYSTEM would run far more smoothly for all of us. And if you think calling someone a "prick" is petty, fair enough, but I think you're PETTY and probably not very PRETTY, either. Na na.

In future, DON'T USE HOMECRAFT!!! They are over priced, hugely. They are rude. They are unhelpful. When I first moved to the UK in 1987 we lived in East Dulwich which was a VERY different place I can assure you. Yet even THEN that place was a joke. I really don't know HOW they have stayed in business, the only thing I can think of is it's close proximity to Dulwich Village and the wealthy, naive (when it comes to "budgeting" at least)) people who live there. You NEVER see trades people in there. In the future, use the DIY shop further down Lordship Lane, opposite the Bishop. They are not the cheapest, but they are CHEAPER (not difficult) and they are FRIENDLY, and I've seen them dealing with people who don't know much about DIY and they don't condescend them or try to sell them crap they don't need. Take it from me, BOYCOTT HOMECRAFT!!!!

In future, DON'T USE HOMECRAFT!!! They are over priced, hugely. They are rude. They are unhelpful. When I first moved to the UK in 1987 we lived in East Dulwich which was a VERY different place I can assure you. Yet even THEN that place was a joke. I really don't know HOW they have stayed in business, the only thing I can think of is it's close proximity to Dulwich Village and the wealthy, naive (when it comes to "budgeting" at least)) people who live there. You NEVER see trades people in there. In the future, use the DIY shop further down Lordship Lane, opposite the Bishop. They are not the cheapest, but they are CHEAPER (not difficult) and they are FRIENDLY, and I've seen them dealing with people who don't know much about DIY and they don't condescend them or try to sell them crap they don't need. Take it from me, BOYCOTT HOMECRAFT!!!!

That is outrageous. But I must say that that driver has probably been told that if he breaks the "no bike" rule then he will be punished, either by a disciplinary or even losing his job. Not saying he wasn't being an asshole, but I know a bit about the situation, I'll explain. Bus drivers seemed to me to be getting more crazy by the minute. But when I overheard two drivers on the bus talking it started to make sense. TFL started clamping down on time keeping, and you may have noticed that buses either stop for ages when they are running early, or drive like absolute fucking maniacs when they are late. I mean REALLY fast, and what happens if there is an accident? Do TFL take any responsibility and pay out compensation? Of course they don't. Drivers who are consistently late or early get disciplined and can lose their jobs. This clampdown puts added stress on the drivers and it clearly shows- I always make a point of saying 'hello' and thanking them when I get off, which is corny but I know they appreciate it. At least they used to- these days I usually get a dirty look. Another classic situation is when someone tries to pass off an old travel card or whatever and the driver clocks it- there is no rule or system for this situation, and often the bus sits there for ages while the driver argues with the person. I've seen these situations get ugly too- especially when passengers get involved. The driver is relatively safe but if someone gets aggressive it's the passengers who are at risk. I find it outrageous that ONE person can makes dozens late simply because they don't want to pay. The reason the drivers don't simply let them on is because they get in trouble if they get caught. This is STUPID- I had a friend who was a bus driver and he said he NEVER argued with anyone about not paying in 3 years. The result? He was never late, never got threatened or assaulted and everyone was happy. Ok, TFL might have lost out on a few quid each day, but if he'd been caught he could have lost his job. Is that fair? It seems to me that if TFL gave the drivers a bit more freedom and let them use their discretion, they would do their jobs more efficiently and most likely, with a smile. When you impose loads of excessive rules on people who have it bad already, of course the outcome is going to be negative. And the ones who get the worst of it are US, the customer, the very people TFL are trying to please. So like I say, maybe the driver was just a prick, but more than likely he was a prick who was worried about his job and wanted an easy life. It's shitty, but it seems that is just the way it is. And THAT is why I'm moving abroad. Good luck!