Request stops: Stop the train; I want to get ON!

[nw1]

Never mind request stops, on the buses I've had more than one incident where the driver has failed to stop at a compulsory stop after either myself or some other passenger has got up and stood by the exit door on the approach to said stop. When challenged as to why they didn't stop the usual response is "You should have rung the bell". They don't like it when I've replied that "I don't have to because it's a compulsory stop and you have to stop there".

Couple of weeks ago myself and a couple of other people clearly put our hand out to stop a bus that was due to stop at a particular stop. Bizarrely the driver just made some gesture and continued driving. The bus was not full - this was about 1pm midweek - and it was definitely the correct (urban) stop for that service. And the following bus on the route did stop. No idea what that was about...

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

On the Salzburger Lokalbahn, request stops have buttons, which intending passengers press to signal the driver to stop. See this image:

[Image attribution: Dohdoh, Pinzgauer lokalbahn neue haeuschen, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons]

 

[Bromley boy]

Couple of weeks ago myself and a couple of other people clearly put our hand out to stop a bus that was due to stop at a particular stop. Bizarrely the driver just made some gesture and continued driving. The bus was not full - this was about 1pm midweek - and it was definitely the correct (urban) stop for that service. And the following bus on the route did stop. No idea what that was about...

Perhaps the driver had been told to “run fast” in order to regulate the service? I know London buses are subject to very strict control via iBus (or is it centrecom, or both?).*

I’ve certainly been on buses where the driver has been instructed to pull over because he was catching up with the one in front.

*I’m assuming you’re London based.

 

[Busaholic]

acTime was when you could get told off by an opo driver or a conductor on a London bus if you rang to get off at a 'compulsory' stop! Mind you, ring three times in succession and the driver felt justified to speed by the stop = the 'bus full' signal from conductor to driver.

I have an old red request London bus stop somewhere in my house, legally acquired I might add.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Perhaps the driver had been told to “run fast” in order to regulate the service? I know London buses are subject to very strict control via iBus (or is it centrecom, or both?).*

I’ve certainly been on buses where the driver has been instructed to pull over because he was catching up with the one in front.

*I’m assuming you’re London based.

iBus is the electronic system, Centrecomm is the control room.

 

[Hartington]

On the South Shore running from Chicago to Michigan City and South Bend there'r a request stop at Beverley Shores. There's a button you press that sets off a strobe which flashes for 10 minutes then switches off automatically.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@41.6...4!1sHv7HndfL9u_2myy3MGGn4g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[Bromley boy]

iBus is the electronic system, Centrecomm is the control room.

Thinking about this a bit more, there was a BBC documentary (The Routemasters: Running London's Roads) which, IIRC, showed a separate iBus and Centrecomm control rooms. From memory, iBus was concerned with service regulation whereas Centrecomm dealt with emergencies etc.

It was broadcast a few years ago now so things may have changed.

 

[berneyarms]

Just read that article, and the author does come across as a bit of a pillock: "TfL want to simplify the current system because it's a bit confusing for customers (especially tourists and those with an IQ below 70)."

He's actually one of the best bloggers around on the subject of all things TfL (and London in general). Can you not grasp that he was being a tad sarcastic?

 

[Requeststop]

They turned my local station into a request stop and cut right back on the services. I've been resentful ever since as the station was just down the hill from home. If I want to catch a train I'd have to walk all the way to the Saltings, a dump of a platform, and not the easiest walk to and from my part of the village where most folk live.

Anyway, I've never had a problem with stopping a service at Lelant when I have visited home again. I stick my hand out and I get a toot from the driver, and lots of looks from other passengers when I get on as if to say, "How dare you stop the train and lengthen our journey by 90 seconds."
When covering lines around the country and a train is approaching a request stop most operators give a blast of the horn just before arrival to warn any requesters to signal for a stop. Not done in Cornwall: We seem to prefer the silent approach.

By the way - To you all who take the trouble to read my occasional postings here and especially to those who reply (not always favourably). Merry Christmas and Safe Journeys for 2018 from PNG.

 

[6Gman]

They turned my local station into a request stop and cut right back on the services. I've been resentful ever since as the station was just down the hill from home. If I want to catch a train I'd have to walk all the way to the Saltings, a dump of a platform, and not the easiest walk to and from my part of the village where most folk live.

Anyway, I've never had a problem with stopping a service at Lelant when I have visited home again. I stick my hand out and I get a toot from the driver, and lots of looks from other passengers when I get on as if to say, "How dare you stop the train and lengthen our journey by 90 seconds."
When covering lines around the country and a train is approaching a request stop most operators give a blast of the horn just before arrival to warn any requesters to signal for a stop. Not done in Cornwall: We seem to prefer the silent approach.

By the way - To you all who take the trouble to read my occasional postings here and especially to those who reply (not always favourably). Merry Christmas and Safe Journeys for 2018 from PNG.

Invest in a pair of binoculars and take up ornithology!

 

[Requeststop]

I have, why do you think I'm here in Papua New Guinea. Still looking for my First Bird of Paradise though.

 

[GatwickDepress]

He's actually one of the best bloggers around on the subject of all things TfL (and London in general). Can you not grasp that he was being a tad sarcastic?

Not particularly, no. Sarcasm does not show up very well in text, especially online, so I did not get that feeling at all. There was nothing to grasp.

I read through some of the other entries and yes, he comes across a lot more personable and definitely knowledgeable. I will certainly be bookmarking that blog for breakfast perusal, but unfortunately the tone in that just comes across as insulting and "Disgusted from Tunbridge Wells" rather than sarcastic.

 

[berneyarms]

Not particularly, no. Sarcasm does not show up very well in text, especially online, so I did not get that feeling at all. There was nothing to grasp.

I read through some of the other entries and yes, he comes across a lot more personable and definitely knowledgeable. I will certainly be bookmarking that blog for breakfast perusal, but unfortunately the tone in that just comes across as insulting and "Disgusted from Tunbridge Wells" rather than sarcastic.

He was making the point that (along with many things in life) some people think that change is good for the sake of it, rather than actually for a good reason.

If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

 

[itsadamreynold]

They tried to introduce it on the Midland Metro when the new stock came in, however that idea fell completely fell flat once they started service. The stop buttons are essentially redundant now.
Sam

I think that it was just a model design by CAF. But that system is now used for people who're disabled like my dad... if he pushes the button it alerts the driver and the door automatically opens for him when he exits the tram