More 40 woes

[Nero]

I complained, at the end of the journey, to the driver of a 40 heading to the library that the heating bar was on upstairs. He said it wasn't and it was hot because of the weather, in a really couldn't-be-arsed way. I said he was lying probably because he couldn't care less. His attitude was infuriating, so I obv. got infuriated. Another very unpleasant experience on E Dulwich public transport. Nero

[lozzyloz]

I must say I do feel sorry for bus drivers. Given the number of people they come into contact with each day who are not always pleasant and the mind numbing job they do it's not surprising they may not always be in the best of moods. Nero you might've been the umpteenth person to give him grief that day. Unfortunately they're not trained to respond in a programmed customer care call center tone (thankfully). Give it a few more years and Honda will give us robot bus drivers.

[JoeChuff]

yeah no sympathy for you this time, you accused the man of being a liar - a bit of an overreaction i think. everyone knows that the drivers don't control the heating on the buses anyway.

[Brendan]

Don't they?

[Jeremy]

On the 176 last night, on the way home from the west end (way later than my usual bed time) - a guy who eventually got off in ED was giving the driver all sorts of hassle, holding the bus up for all the other customers. I really can't blame the drivers for being in a bad mood, given all the grief they have to put up with.

I was also sitting next to a little old lady, who drunkenly told me how most people think she looks 20 years younger, and that guys my age still check her out. I was very relieved when we got to my stop.

[lozzyloz]

Jeremy when you say "relieved" I hope that wasn't on the bus therefore upsetting the driver more!

[Muttley]

The newer buses are a bit like greenhouses. Nice to have big windows at the front, but not so nice getting fried on a sunny day. For some reason, the designers of the No.40 felt it necessary to have that automated voice telling us every 30 seconds 'Bus stopping at next bus stop, please stand well clear of doors' (not 'the doors', which would be a bit more human). We all seem to have succeeded in not getting crushed by doors on every other bus in London, so what's so special about the 40 that it requires this annoying bit of nannying. End of rant. I quite like the No.40 really.

(Postscript: Until about 10 years ago, the No.40 used to go to Herne Hill, and there was a doubledecker called the 184 that went to Goose Green. 184 got replaced by the less useful [for some of us] 484, but the No.40 diverted to Lordship Lane, which was a bonus. So I've always had a soft spot for it.)

[Ladygooner]

Jeremy - perhaps only 10 years younger! luckily I am used to dealing with rejection!

[Nero]

Well, I think you can turn off the heating bar. I've seen other bus drivers do it. Nero

[Jockey1]

Bus drivers always seem to be in a rush when it comes to letting people on/off (if i'm the last person off at a stop, the doors seem to close as im going through the doors... :S). However, when your making your way home, and you suddenly stop in Camberwell and have to wait for the bus driver to finish his conversation and big mac before you're off and away.

[Al&Em]

I've suffered the heating on in summer thing too - on the few occasions I've complained I've been told they can only adjust it at the depot - quite why I've never understood - it can hardly need computer programming? I can just see the depot engineers face on a hot morning - chuckle chuckle - full heat today for those passengers methinks....

[Louisa]

I now know why I dont use public transport in London.

1)Rude and arrogant bus drivers

2)Outspoken and annoying passengers

3)Overcrowding

4)Heat exhaustion

5)Kids screaming

6)Slow and prolonged journey

Putting life at risk (especially after dark)...

God bless the car is all I can say. I can jump in at my front door, lock the car doors, and know I can control the temperature, listen to decent music or radio, shout and scream at my hearts content without worrying about the weirdos around me watching. And most importantly... it's actually cheaper to pump petrol into my car than to jump on some horrible bus or train. Improve public transport or get stuffed, my car remains!

(end of outburst) :)

[James]

I have no sympathy with the drivers, sorry! If I was constantly rude to people in my job I wouldn't expect everyone to feel sorry for me. I've worked in customer-facing jobs before and if I'd behaved like this I'd have been sacked!

If you can't do your job without being abusive you shouldn't be doing it at all.

[Louisa]

Ian Paisley did ok for himself James

[James]

Did he work in Boots?

[Jeremy]

Loz> I can assure you I was in no mood for "relief"!

[Brendan]

I think that the large number of disrespectful, antisocial bastards that bus drivers have to put up with is a major contributing factor to their surly, disgruntled nature.

Since the last threads on this I have taken to saying good morning to the driver when I get on the bus in the mornings on LL hoping that this may make some small difference. Most of the time I just get a hostile look but I have got 1 or 2 smiles. No actual good morning back yet though.

I do believe though that there is absolutely no excuse for dangerous driving.

[Alan Dale]

Louisa Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I now know why I dont use public transport in

> London.

I think the reason is because given the luxurious nature of the driving experience as compared to cramming in on public transport then driving costs are relatively low and are not the extortionate stealth tax they are made out to be.

I think that road and fuel taxes should be cranked up to encourage people into more responsible travel options.

Out of interest you say you don't use it in London but where do you use public transport?

[SeanMacGabhann]

Louisa your list of reasons paints a one sided picture - those things CAN happen but as often as not I have had unexpected and random encounters of a positive nature - something that has never happened when I drive anywhere

It's a living soap opera every journey, and sometimes I don't need the aggro, but mostly it makes for an interesting 30 mins

[Jeremy]

Surely the government should be improving the public transport to tempt people into taking it, rather than cranking up taxes on motorists.

I really don't like the preachy attitude some people have, branding motorists as "irresponsible" when our public transport network is so unreliable, and already seems to be full to capacity.

[SeanMacGabhann]

The arguments seem to shift sometimes. I often hear drivers complain about the amount of empty buses clogging up the roads but when it comes to tempting them on the argument becomes "they are overcrowded"

If it sounds preachy to you then maybe there is truth in that - I just don't necessarily see what's inherently wrong with preaching something once in a while. Driving a car is pleasurable and convenient (sometimes) but is inescabably bad for the environment (not just petrol - but the roadbuilding etc)

It also makes us more reliant on a fast disappearing fuel

oh you know the rest you don't need me to tell you. But you would have to be in serious denial to think there was no problems with driving surely?

[Bleep]

The public bus network right now is a vast improvement on what it was 10 years ago. I remember when you were lucky to get on a Night Bus in the West End, and even then it would be the equivalent of a journey through hell with drunks for about 2 hours. Now they're every 15 minutes and throughout the night.

Adapting to the needs of an ever-expanding and more mobile populace places great strain on Transport Planning. People want to go further, quicker and more regularly than ever before to all sorts of places. And this with an ever-increasing number of cars on the road despite the Congestion Charge.

[Louisa]

I am sick of people taking it out on the motorist. Dont blame us for Global Warming - blame the Industrial Revolution, blame people who jump on planes when they could holiday at home, blame the large corporations who waste energy. The excuses I have to put up with from people who love to preach how awful it is using a car, when in fact I have made the effort to use Public Transport in London and always been disappointed and left feeling angry and exhausted. I do use public transport abroad in France and Germany, and I have used it in some northern cities like Liverpool and Manchester, where it is much more comfortable, cheaper and not overcrowded and dangerous. I am not painting a one sided picture either Sean, I can only go by my experiences, and most times they are negative and heavy on the pocket.

[Jeremy]

I appreciate that driving is harmful to the environment, as well as being a relatively unsafe form of transport. And don't get me wrong, I'm a great believer in public transport generally, and do use it *most* of the time. But as a general rule of thumb, if a journey is going to take me double the time on public transport, then I consider getting in the car instead. Call me selfish if you like, but I believe that I am in the majority here.

I just think that the emphasis should be on improving public transport, rather than taxation on motorists. That way, driving becomes the priviledge of the wealthy, which is surely not right.

[Doodles]

It is interesting to see how much the two threads about the number 40 have generated. Getting about London is clearly one of the issues that really impacts on how happy or grumpy we feel as Londoners.

I work a couple of days of most weeks in Manchester. People there seem relatively cheerful about their trams / busses/ trains. Maybe because they have the rain to distract them. Maybe because it is all a lot smaller and there are fewer people trying to get anywhere.

When I catch the 40 I usually get on at the starting point at the top of Barry Rd. That means I get a chance to chat to the driver if he (usually seems to be ?he?) is catching some fresh air / having a fag. This morning the driver was explaining the pressure they are under to keep to timecards. Apparently, being early or late both result in a bollocking. London traffic isn?t acceptable as an excuse.

That said, as someone wisely said elsewhere on this forum. Some people are just cocks. Some aren?t.

And that also applies to some of the stupid, macho, dangerous driving I?ve seen lately.