Toughest place to be a Bus Driver

[GodAtum]

Watched this show on BBC and found it fascinating, you dont appriciate how nice the buses are in London until you see buses in manila!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00z08wd/Toughest_place_to_be_a..._Bus_Driver/

 

[Dennis]

Yes, saw it yesterday; what an awful place Manila looks. 20 million people, most living in poverty with some eating secondhand food :cry:

As for the 'buses'; 70 year old Jeep conversions, amazing - the London bus driver didn't really cope too well with having to change gear.

 

[route101]

Yes, saw it yesterday; what an awful place Manila looks. 20 million people, most living in poverty with some eating secondhand food :cry:

As for the 'buses'; 70 year old Jeep conversions, amazing - the London bus driver didn't really cope too well with having to change gear.

Yeah was an eye opener
London has really modern buses and look at all his checks he had to do esp with the bells . I dont believe he done the same route all the time.
Dont think i could cope with them jeepneys and crazy traffic.

 

[notadriver]

I think it was a non-synchromesh gearbox too!

 

[flymo]

I've been to Manila twice and what you see on TV can never prepare you for the reality that greets you. The jeepneys however are a masterpiece of engineering and the sound of them when the driver 'gives it some welly' is truly awesome. the more lights and 'bling' they have the better.

We drove from Manila Airport up to a place called Pangasinan in the jeepney (about 200km) and it took about 7 hours - 4 of which was getting out of Manila. The traffic in Manila is awful with jams everywhere and even though the road may have markings on it indicating 4 lanes each way you will get at least 7 lanes of traffic either side.

There are some modern air-conditioned buses on the longer distance routes, on the way back from Pangasinan to Manila we took the bus and it cost about 180 Philippine Pesos (about £2.50) for the wife and I. This took about 3½ hours for the 200 km.

Having said all that, there is a buzz about Manila but it's still not the sort of place for me. Other parts of the Philippines are much better.

The attached pic is of the jeepney we had.

Incidentally, I came across a jeepney in Kent a while back. The was a Philippine craft centre at Brooklands near Rye on the A259. Not sure if it still there though.

 

[GodAtum]

I'm sure I've seen him on his bus around London, if I do I will have to say hi. In sure he's semi famous now!

 

[route101]

I'm sure I've seen him on his bus around London, if I do I will have to say hi. In sure he's semi famous now!

Haha im sure he said he drives the same route , surely not.

 

[westcoaster]

An interesting program, which I watched with interest, not so sure about "PAG PAG" though. Now only if they did a train driver version.

 

[90019]

I think it was a non-synchromesh gearbox too!

It sounded like it was, especially with the instructions from the driving instructor.

 

[emilyhero]

Hi,

I'm one of the producers on the programme- working on series 2. It's really good to hear your views about it.

We're developing the ideas and thinking about doing a train driver version.

Where would you suggest is the toughest place to go?!

Emily

 

[jontylol]

Hi,

I'm one of the producers on the programme- working on series 2. It's really good to hear your views about it.

We're developing the ideas and thinking about doing a train driver version.

Where would you suggest is the toughest place to go?!

Emily

Going to say India?...

 

[Yew]

Hi,

I'm one of the producers on the programme- working on series 2. It's really good to hear your views about it.

We're developing the ideas and thinking about doing a train driver version.

Where would you suggest is the toughest place to go?!

Emily

Somwhere with steam? That would probably have a mass appeal

 

[stut]

I'm one of the producers on the programme- working on series 2. It's really good to hear your views about it.

We're developing the ideas and thinking about doing a train driver version.

Where would you suggest is the toughest place to go?!

Wow - well congratulations on a thoroughly excellent series. Can't wait for the second!

A few I can think of would be:

South Africa - trains are used to repatriate refugees from Zimbabwe, who do everything possible to escape from the train before the border. Trains going the other way attract stowaways...

Algeria - although now heavily militarised and safe, the railways have a bloody history throughout the civil conflict in the country.

Pakistan - the Samjhauta Express links Attari in India with Lahore in Pakistan, and was set up as part of the peace accords in 1972. It's one of very few connections (by any means) between the two countries, and subject to high security.

 

[emilyhero]

Thanks for kind words and for all your suggestions. Please keep them coming!

I don't think we'll go to India as there have been many BBC productions about Indian Railways.

Pakistan I think would be fascinating but a problem safety-wise.

Does anyone have any views about Peru?

 

[GodAtum]

I loved the shows, maybe you could do one featuring police officers as that would be a natural follow-up to the paramedic?

Train wise, maybe the Trans-Siberian Railway or the Silk Route?

 

[stut]

Does anyone have any views about Peru?

Which line were you thinking of?

I've been on the Aguas Calientes to Cusco train - the switchbacks approaching Cusco are unbelievable. We were delayed due to being derailed on one of them - whereupon several people in nearby houses appeared and helped the driver use an iron bar to lever us back onto the tracks...

The Cusco-Puno train is rather impressive, too. Ridiculously high altitude (there are oxygen cannisters on board), but the real fun is going through Juliaca. It's one of the less scenic towns in the area, but the railway goes right through the market. And I mean right through the market - stallholders hurriedly move their produce out of the way of oncoming trains, and waste no time putting it back out agan.

 

[emilyhero]

Police officers also a good possibility that we're thinking a little about the locations for.

Re. Peru- those were lines that I was thinking of going on- both of them. Thanks for the advice there.

When you were there, did you talk to the drivers at all? Did you get any insight into their lives at all and lifestyle etc.? I am trying to find this out.

Bearing in mind techinical issues, work hours and environment, passenger and station stress- do you think Peru could be one of the toughest places in the world for a train driver?

Does anyone have any views about Thailand?