Horrendous behaviour by 176 bus driver

[boswell]

I'm afraid I have no-one else to rant at as it's gone 2am so I'm using the forum to vent my anger. I've just got off the 176 from Charing Cross where at one point (at about 1.40am) we stopped at a bus stop where there was a late teens/early 20s girl in floods of tears - the chain on her bike had broken, she had no lock so couldn't leave it and she had no money or anyway to get home to Forest Hill. She'd been stranded for an hour and had spoken to a police officer who had said to explain the situation to a bus driver and that it would be OK to take it on a bus.

Everyone at the front of the bus offered to pay her fare and to hold the bike out of the way on the luggage storage area but the bus driver point blank refused, closing the doors on her, and shouting in my face that it was 'against the rules' when I had an argument with him. I understand why the bus companies would have a general rule disallowing bikes and that this guy was worried about getting in trouble but what amazed me most was, not only did he not seem to realise this was extenuating circumstances, he also showed no compassion whatsoever - not even a 'sorry but I can't'. He simply drove off leaving a young girl stranded in the middle of the night. There was someone trying to help her at the bus stop but I really wish I'd got off the bus to help her, it was all over so quickly and he drove off before I really thought through what was happening. Feel quite a bit of guilt now and wish I knew what happened to her.

So just in case she reads this forum - hope you got home safely, and I've written down his number to make a complaint (from the small blonde in the blue coat).

[SeanMacGabhann]

On the plus side it sounds like people on the bus were all good citizens and tried to help I guess?

Not good at all from the bus driver tho and as you say here's hoping she got home ok

[jumpinjackflash]

what a tosspot. How can you leave a young woman stranded at that time of night.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I've seen a bus driver try to do that to a couple of young girls who didn't have the money to pay her fare. He relented under pressure from the passengers - but I think it's disgusting and if I were a bus driver I wouldn't be able to sleep after doing somthing like that - I'd be too worried about what had happened to them.

What an ar$shole.

[ratty]

Rules is Rules - perhaps he was training to be a traffic warden!

[jimmy two times]

Yet another round of bus driver bashing.

[kford]

Health & safety innit

[PeckhamRose]

It's not another round of bus driver bashing. It's a post against a human being in a responsible job where he could have helped another human being. He didn't. And I hope you post the result / reply to your complaint to the bus company.

[bon3yard]

What a despicable individual. I'm so angry about this I can hardly think straight. Wheres the humanity. Prick.

[Brendan]

Well they are all bastards.

Well mostly. There's that one lady who drives the 185 who is nice and the guy with dreds who drives either the 176 or the 40.

[microbite]

Well, lets just hope that the bus driver's daughter/niece never finds herself in that position, and I hope that she got home safely, tw@t!!

[jimmy two times]

No lock for her bike, no money and cycling around at 2am at night.......silly cow.

[KalamityKel]

Tut tut at the bus driver who quite clearly has not understood his training.

late night travelling more consideration is supposed to b taken especially when lone young ppl are out and about.

Maybe the driver had been pulled up over something of a similar nature in the past and has since taken it upon himself to be "mean". Not making excuses but on this occasion it's unfair to blame all drivers just the individual will do!

If it was/is a case of fare... now pay attention all... it is for the revenue (ticket inspectors and such) to sort out not the driver. ;-)

[aliceb]

That's horrible and plain silly on the part of the driver, especially as a Police officer had suggested it!

I'm often scared of getting stranded with my bike in town and not being able to get it home because of that flat no bikes on public transport rule. I figure I'd just have to shell out for a cab. Defiantly complain - if only to make the point to the bus company as a whole, so all their drivers know that's unacceptable.

(though still, no lock... kind of silly on her part too. I guess these things happen)

[Keef]

Not being funny, but why has no one mentioned the police officer who just washed his hands of the situation and told her "get a bus, it'll be alright". For me, he had more of a responsibility to her than the bus driver did!

Not sticking up for the driver, it was very tight of him, but wouldn't square all the blame at hime. Also have to agree that leaving yourself with absolutely no money and having no bike lock is a bit on the silly side!

[Al&Em]

Good point Keef - Even if the policeman wasn't going to give her a lift home (maybe beyond the call of duty), he could have hung around and smoother her passage onto the bus.

[ianr]

In her position I think I'd have walked home, wheeling the bike. Would that be seen as out of the question or an unrealistic possibility?

[PeckhamRose]

Could have been dangerous, specially if she was a little drunk.

Or tired, or prone to asthma unable to walk that far. Or something.

Ultimately the bus driver was out of order.

[phillyboy]

Now I wonder how long it will take for the bus company to reply to the complaint... I'd say mroe than 3 months

[Moos]

I'm a bit startled by how quickly people are starting to play blame the victim. God forbid any of us get seriously hurt by the consequences every time we do something silly.

[jimmy two times]

Victim ! Victim of what?

[Keef]

  Quote

Even if the policeman wasn't going to give her a lift home (maybe beyond the call of duty), he could have hung around and smoother her passage onto the bus.

Exactly!

[HonaloochieB]

jimmy two times Wrote:

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

> Victim ! Victim of what?

The victim of an arse-headed uncompassionate jobsworth and her own lack of foresight.

[Jeremy]

If the other passengers offered to pay, I really can't see why the driver wouldn't let her on.

I don't have so much sympathy in CWALD's example though. The rest of us have to pay to use buses, I don't think drivers should let people on just because they don't have the fare. Sorry... just my opinion.

[Ladygooner]

Jeremy - I think the problem was not the fare, but putting the bike on the bus?