Angry Passenger Demands

[wazztie16]

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No idea why the passenger was so inconvenienced anyway, as once he got off he started walking in the direction the bus was going, so he was nearer to where he wanted to be anyway!

The most unbelievably stupid kind of human being.

 

[RustySpoons]

The most unbelievably stupid kind of human being.

Unfortunately they tend to be the ones that shout the loudest.

 

[Eyersey468]

I once had someone complaining that I wouldn't stop to let them off in the middle of light controlled roadworks

 

[Eyersey468]

One of my favourite complaints was the time a school child played truant, I was told to make my way to Wilberfoss and someone from the school would meet me there, when we got to York someone had a right go saying she had missed her train, the company has to pay for another train ticket etc etc. She then rang the depot and the supervisor basically told her to go away.

 

[Geordie driver]

Arriva Northeast seem to have a policy of asking you to remain seated until the bus stops, presumably to cover themselves should you fall. I never had a problem with early pressing, just means stop next stop. I hated it when people pressed then didn't want off and didn't tell you, how long are you meant to sit waiting for them?

 

[CN04NRJ]

I once had someone complaining that I wouldn't stop to let them off in the middle of light controlled roadworks

Or when they ignore a temporary bus stop at either end of them and stand in the middle surrounded by workmen/dug up road/cones etc etc!!

 

[L401CJF]

I had one a while ago, I was driving along when a woman pressed the bell AFTER the stop, I carried on driving. She came down saying she wanted the stop and she rang the bell etc, I said I can't stop at a stop if you press the bell after it, she wasn't happy and told me I was driving far too fast (25mph on a straight road with no traffic in a 30zone) and took her to the next stop about 700yds away. She then got off with a huff, going to complain etc etc, and started walking in the same direction that I was heading anyway??

Never heard anything of it in the end.

 

[Geordie driver]

I had one a while ago, I was driving along when a woman pressed the bell AFTER the stop, I carried on driving. She came down saying she wanted the stop and she rang the bell etc, I said I can't stop at a stop if you press the bell after it, she wasn't happy and told me I was driving far too fast (25mph on a straight road with no traffic in a 30zone) and took her to the next stop about 700yds away. She then got off with a huff, going to complain etc etc, and started walking in the same direction that I was heading anyway??

Never heard anything of it in the end.

One good thing about the plethora of CCTV is in the event of a complaint the driver will be covered should the passenger choose to complain unjustly.

I was once pulling away from a stop and I heard a knocking on the door, so I pulled back in and let the lady on. She then began shouting at me for leaving her. I queried how she could be on the bus if I had left her? She then banged a tenner down for a 50p fare ( it was some time ago!) and said that's all I have got you better have change. Put the tenner away ( I was taught to do this to stop the punter walking off with it) gave her change and off we went. When I got back to the depot it was 2 tenners stuck together. Result!

Naturally I paid the extra tenner in surplus. Possibly.

 

[Simon75]

As a passenger today got on a First Potteries bus , and a few people started to get up and leave the bus, after I boarded.

Arriva Northeast seem to have a policy of asking you to remain seated until the bus stops, presumably to cover themselves should you fall. I never had a problem with early pressing, just means stop next stop. I hated it when people pressed then didn't want off and didn't tell you, how long are you meant to sit waiting for them?

 

[robk23oxf]

Never heard anything of it in the end.

My guess is 9 out of 10 times people threaten to report drivers over trivial stuff, go home and realise they overreacted and don't take it any further.

 

[Darklord8899]

.....I have seen a passenger get irate at a driver for not stopping at a bus stop which was clearly marked as closed.....
The road in front of said bus stop was not only dug up, but the whole lane was closed off and there was temporary lights controlling two way traffic on one lane, yet the driver was still meant to have stopped for said passenger and the driver was "very rude and unprofessional for not stopping at the stop"

 

[Siemens Trains]

.....I have seen a passenger get irate at a driver for not stopping at a bus stop which was clearly marked as closed.....
The road in front of said bus stop was not only dug up, but the whole lane was closed off and there was temporary lights controlling two way traffic on one lane, yet the driver was still meant to have stopped for said passenger and the driver was "very rude and unprofessional for not stopping at the stop"

Common problems we have in Edinburgh nowadays are stops in such locations either don't get marked as being closed or the sign stays in place after the roadworks are gone, sometimes leading to passengers being unclear on arrangements or expecting a bus to stop where the driver knows they shouldn't do so. The bus companies just shrug, claiming that it's up to the local council to sort out the stops and the council in turn blames the contractors who are working on the road. I'm not sure where the responsibility should lie but if the main bus company in our area (Lothian Buses) trains drivers about where stopping is allowed, I think they should take a more proactive approach in liaising with the roadworks guys.

 

[philthetube]

I had one a while ago, I was driving along when a woman pressed the bell AFTER the stop, I carried on driving. She came down saying she wanted the stop and she rang the bell etc, I said I can't stop at a stop if you press the bell after it, she wasn't happy and told me I was driving far too fast (25mph on a straight road with no traffic in a 30zone) and took her to the next stop about 700yds away. She then got off with a huff, going to complain etc etc, and started walking in the same direction that I was heading anyway??

Never heard anything of it in the end.

It is not unheard of for passengers to ring the bell late in order to get closer to their destination, they seem to forget that drivers have memories and it doesn't work twice.

 

[anthony263]

It I common for passengers to be day dreaming, press the button just as the bus reaches the stop then ask why the driver didn't stop, you can't safely stop from 30 mph in 2 yards.

As said ,the company will reply to nonsense complaints with a " this will be dealt with under our disciplinary procedure" meaning as it's obvious nonsense it will go in the bin.

Had a passenger tonight at a bus stop look up from his phone as the bus approached then we t back to playing with his phone and waited till I just started passing him before shouting at me to stop.

As I said to him put his hand out if he wanted me to stop luckily I had slowed down just in case something like this happened.

Gentleman tried to have a go st me then had a shock when he was told to leave the bus luckily for me I know I have the support from my boss

 

[Eyersey468]

My guess is 9 out of 10 times people threaten to report drivers over trivial stuff, go home and realise they overreacted and don't take it any further.

In my experience those that say they are going to report you never do. I was talking to our CCTV guy a while back and he said a lot of the complaints we get are about things that as soon as the CCTV is downloaded it shows never happened. One incident I heard about was one of the buses had a bump with a car, we admitted liability, car repaired etc. 3 YEARS later a compo claim for whiplash goes in, from someone who it turned out wasn't even in the car at the time!

 

[robk23oxf]

Had a passenger tonight at a bus stop look up from his phone as the bus approached then we t back to playing with his phone and waited till I just started passing him before shouting at me to stop.

As I said to him put his hand out if he wanted me to stop luckily I had slowed down just in case something like this happened.

I always stop at populated bus stops. A couple of times I've had someone at a bus stop wave me past, I stopped and then they got on the bus! I'm assuming they wanted the bus to go past without stopping so they could then file a complaint in the hope of receiving a voucher.

 

[Darklord8899]

Common problems we have in Edinburgh nowadays are stops in such locations either don't get marked as being closed or the sign stays in place after the roadworks are gone, sometimes leading to passengers being unclear on arrangements or expecting a bus to stop where the driver knows they shouldn't do so. The bus companies just shrug, claiming that it's up to the local council to sort out the stops and the council in turn blames the contractors who are working on the road. I'm not sure where the responsibility should lie but if the main bus company in our area (Lothian Buses) trains drivers about where stopping is allowed, I think they should take a more proactive approach in liaising with the roadworks guys.

Aye, true, if the council is responsible for the bus stops then it should be up to the council to make sure any closures and temporary stops are correctly done.... but who am I kidding?? This is Edinburgh council we are talking about.... they blame the contractors, contractors blame the council, bus drivers take the flack for the cock ups and lack of communication between contractors, council and the bus operators...

 

[Busaholic]

In my experience those that say they are going to report you never do. I was talking to our CCTV guy a while back and he said a lot of the complaints we get are about things that as soon as the CCTV is downloaded it shows never happened. One incident I heard about was one of the buses had a bump with a car, we admitted liability, car repaired etc. 3 YEARS later a compo claim for whiplash goes in, from someone who it turned out wasn't even in the car at the time!

Interesting that your company admitted liability. London Transport had a policy of never admitting liability, as I found to my (initial) cost when a bus went into the back of my car. They DID pay out eventually without admitting liability!

 

[paddington]

I was on a London bus a few years ago where it quickly became clear that something was going wrong.

After I got on someone pressed the bell, which lit up the Bus Stopping sign and I would have thought the bell dinged quite loudly (I guess you may not always hear it in the cab). The driver zoomed past the next stop, which resulted in lots of pressing of the bell, enough that other drivers would start shouting through the microphone.

The driver zoomed past the second stop as nobody was waiting outside, which finally prompted one of the ten or so passengers who wanted to get off to shout HELLO??? STOP PLEASE. The driver shrugged his shoulders and said something like nobody pressed the bell, and just continued to the third stop.

Where this got bizarre is that after all the passengers wanting off finally alighted, the same scenario happened again over the next three stops. I would have thought the driver would realise that his indicator wasn't working and then slow down at every stop for the rest of the route... I got off at the sixth stop so don't know if he finally got the picture after that.

A wheelchair passenger had wanted the fourth stop, and pressed the blue bell. After her stop was missed she said wasn't too bothered, she'd just ride to the end and come back! It would avoid having to cross the road as her home was on the other side...