Blunderbus

[lupestripe]

I have written about the buses in this city many times but I thought I would share with you an incident which happened on my way to work yesterday. Those of you who follow me on twitter got the story in teal time.

I left the house at 9.15am to make the five mile journey to work. The scheduled 9.22am bus didn't turn up so I had the choice between two buses at 9.32am. Clearly the bus company makes up its timetable as it goes along.

So I got on one of the buses which trundles along. After 9.30am fares switch to off-peak so a lot of the elderly wait until then to catch the bus into town. Now halfway through my journey there was (assumedly) a scheduled driver change but the replacement driver failed to turn up. Instead of waiting, the initial driver just dumped his bus on a lay-by and buggered off without a word of explanation.

Many people were confused, and the old folk particularly. I tried to explain what I thought had happened but ultimately we were dumped in the middle of nowhere and left to fend for ourselves. If you dumped old people in a lay by on any other occasion you would be arrested. Seems to be company policy with the bus company.

Other buses did eventually come but didn't wait for the old folk who were still stoically sat on their initial bus. They also didn't wait for an elderly man who was clearly trying to hail the bus but who was partly obscured by the first bus which was still sat there. I still don't know whether the replacement driver showed up.

I am now sat on the bus this morning sandwiched between two chavs having the most tedious and assinine conversations EVA INNIT. I think it's rude and discourteous - I think I am in a minority of one.

In other news, Rebecca Black has received a lot of coverage for her song 'Friday'. The 13-year-old's cut has been described as the 'worst song ever'. Now, it is laughable and truly awful but she doesn't deserve the mean and spiteful comments she has received. The chorus is quite catchy for a start, suggesting that it isn't the worst song ever. If you take it as a piece of bubblegum pop written by a teenager, what were people expecting? I guess I find some people's jealousy and hatred quite disturbing and to turn on a 13-year-old girl with some of the comments I have read is nothing short of disgusting.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Comments

[enteirah]

Have you made sure to actually write to First about this one? For all they may have poor service and aren't likely to do much about that one, the drivers abandoning vehicles is unlikely to be company policy and is actually something they probably take quite seriously (unfortunately less out of concern for the public mind, and more out of concern for the vehicle).

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

You know MY opinions on this whole matter. I'll just leave it there.

[rustyfox.livejournal.com]

Dumping a bus full of people is pretty awful but makes me wonder how First treat their own staff. Perhaps drivers are working to rule - shift ends, go home, "not my problem if another driver isn't on time, warned them a hundred times, not being paid now" etc. He's obviously got his reasons for storming off but it's still hugely irresponsible.

Or maybe he just decided to quit Reginald Perrin style!

[alexf0x.livejournal.com]

You need a license and a car so you can join us in the world of sky high maintenance, but zero public transport BS. I have to deal with crap from a lot of bad drivers but it's preferable to the stinking mess that are bus companies.

Oh and Rebecca Black who is she? *looks up wikipedia - and notes the words utterly horrible and excessive autotune*. Oh man I know it cruel but I have to check that out now for a laugh.

[keeganfox.livejournal.com]

The first time I heard the song "Friday" I didn't think it was particularly awful. Just more teen pop. The "worst song ever" title, amazes me. Sure the lyrics are hokey and she's not a professional, but there's no pretense of that either. I guess everyone's forgotten Roseanne Barr's mutilation of the US national anthem. (hint: it's on YouTube)

[hytiger.livejournal.com]

Was the bus left running?