More bendy bus trouble...

[Oracle]

Yep! sorry! RING...stop; RING-RING...go; RING-RING-RING...don't stop, bus full; RING-RING-RING-RING...emergency, or get out and threaten to "clock" the kids messing about upstairs.

Memories!

[The Major]

rayb said:

As a voter and fare-paying passanger I get fed up with bus drivers having to non-stop people waiting in the mornings because the bus is full of non-fare paying, bell abusing kids. How do others feel?

Indeed I agree. So much for Britains fight with obesity, the amount of times kids only travel on a bus for one stop amazes me. It encourages laziness.

[Tomcakes]

Ahem. Up until I was 18, yes sometimes I did only pay child fare. However equally I shelled out £7 a day to get to school and back, which is far more than what should have been charged, especially given the service provided. Contributed plenty to the profits of large companies.

Please don't generalise. Not all kids are fare dodgers.

As for the problem with drivers not wanting to get out their cabs, I find that the drivers here in Edinburgh are more willing to do this if someone is smoking or messing around - whereas in Doncaster they don't want to. Is this anything to do with the fact that Lothian drivers don't carry cash to leave unattended, and have a safety screen to hide behind, as well as radio contact with base - rather than a mobile phone?

[pacific]

Assaulted for cash...

Time to bring in secure, fareboxes which accept only exact fare - would reduce dwell times as well!

or the second, more expensive option is, get a machine which actually gives change - standard equipment in Japanese busses!

[Chris M]

Alternatively, and I admit even more expensive, but what about employing a second member of staff to deal with the cash and passengers. With two members of staff one can be a backup for the other in the event of any trouble, and in the majority of cases one can deal with minor disturbances without delaying the bus. Oh, and as a bonus, you get more fare revenue (without putting up fares), less pissed off passengers, service to commuters and tourists and better behaviour. With all of these you might just find that your ridership increases, leading to more fare revenue (without putting up fares). It is not inconceivable also that when the driver is driving and the conductor is dealing with tickets and passengers that the service becomes more reliable - which will itself attract more passengers and therefore more fare revenue (without putting up the fares). When all this is happening, you might find it becomes economic to run more routes and/or journeys and so provide a better service, leading to more passengers, leading to more fare revenue.

Sorry to sound like a stuck record, but conductors would solve the majority of the problems (certainly in terms of number) with bus travel today.

[pacific]

Have to say it's quite a shame there is a relatively high proportion of scum in this country necessitating the need for conductors to enable smooth bus operations.

(I've lived in two other countries/cities with a lower proportion of scum, mostly cashless bus drivers and efficient bus operations. I've never seen a yelling match, ever.)

[Tomcakes]

Indeed - that is what happens up here. People are educated in the system, either they have their pass ready or the £1 coin (or £2.50 for a dayticket), they dump it in the farebox and take the ticket as they're walking away. Very efficient - you can load an 85 seat double decker in a couple of minutes compared to the ages it'd take if the driver was faffing with change.

Also, it increases revenue as it's not possible to defraud the company. Like it or not, quite a few drivers do, it contributed to the demise of a local bus company recently.

[railtechnician]

pacific said:

Assaulted for cash...

Time to bring in secure, fareboxes which accept only exact fare - would reduce dwell times as well!

or the second, more expensive option is, get a machine which actually gives change - standard equipment in Japanese busses!

I completely disagree!

What we need is a government with backbone to lock up the villains for proper terms and make the inmates work for their keep.

Brian

[Oracle]

and make the inmates work for their keep.

Actually, they do! Wekll, except if they are over 60/65 as trhe case may be. Or disabled. Or sick. Inmates are require to work or do education for which they are paid a small amount, or more depending on the jobs. No work, no pay, and extra "time" added on. Sentences under 4 years mean automatic release at half-way, with generally release even over that threshold at 2/3rds sentence completed. Parole was once upon a time able to be considered at 1/3rd sentence, but where it applies is now 1/2.

[Tomcakes]

I think the pay is capped at £20 per week.

Certainly as far as I know they do do various types of work, I think the classic example is post bags.

The other problem with drivers handling cash is how much of it goes missing. An awful lot of "ticket machines broken mate" goes on.

[Tubeboy]

I really want all buses to be two person operated. Let the conductor deal with the passengers, and the driver the road.

However, TFL [and its predecessors] got rid of them in a cost cutting measure. I dont know anyone who would be against the conductors coming back, except fare dodgers.

[Dstock7080]

pacific said:

That's two bendies (albeit temporarily for the 2nd one) out of action from the 25 within a month. I wonder how the service on the 25 will be affected, given the relatively limited number of bendies available.

Well in the short term not much can be done for the 25. We 'look forward!' to MORE new bendies coming for the re-tender to London General of the 453 on 16 Feb, thus releasing 22 older bendies back to TfL - quite what they will do with them, is anybody's guess at the moment!

[tubeoperator92]

One good use for them could be Target Practice on Hackney Marshes... not just footballs either...

[Chris M]

Has anyone tried racing them yet? I can imagine having lots of fun with a bendy-bus on a motorracing circuit or rally course!

[pacific]

Last I heard, the jails in this country's sadly full.