How not to get people to use busses
Discussion
Had to go to Guildford hospital yesterday. Their car park is always full up, so I decided to park in Guildford town centre and catch a bus to the hospital. There's one that goes from town to the hospital via the university.
So I stand at the bus stop not knowing when the bus will turn up as the timetable doesn't mention the stop I'm at.
Bus arrives after 10 minutes.
Me "Does this go to the hospital"
Driver "Yes, single or return"
Me "return"
Driver "mumble"
Me "sorry, how much?"
Driver "£1.60"
I get out a £10 note.
Driver gives me a strange sort of shrug with his arm out
Me "What does" strange shrug "mean?"
Driver "I can't change that"
Me "Why not?"
Driver "I don't have any change"
Me looking over at the 10 people on the bus "Then how did these people pay if they didn't give you change?"
Driver "I can't change that"
So I gave up and caught a taxi (bit more expensive, but with comfort and convenience).
I then (foolishly) tried to get the bus back as I didn't know the local taxi number.
Once again I stood at a stop with no timetable. A bus turned up with "Town Centre" on the front in large letters.
Me "Single to town please"
Driver "This bus doesn't go to the town centre"
Me "Why does it have Town Centre written on the front?"
Driver "Well it gets there eventually, but via loads of villages and takes ages"
Same on the next bus
Eventually the third bus deigns to charge me £1 for a trip to town on the worlds most uncomfortable seats.
So, oh great and wise transport minister, how do you intend to get us onto busses and utilise the bus lanes that you're filling our once free-flowing lanes with, if:
The f
ckers won't take your money unless you have the exact amount, yet there's no way to find out the exact amount till you try to pay.
The fcking busses don't have the correct destination on them.
No wonder my doctor moaned about my blood pressure...
So I stand at the bus stop not knowing when the bus will turn up as the timetable doesn't mention the stop I'm at.
Bus arrives after 10 minutes.
Me "Does this go to the hospital"
Driver "Yes, single or return"
Me "return"
Driver "mumble"
Me "sorry, how much?"
Driver "£1.60"
I get out a £10 note.
Driver gives me a strange sort of shrug with his arm out
Me "What does" strange shrug "mean?"
Driver "I can't change that"
Me "Why not?"
Driver "I don't have any change"
Me looking over at the 10 people on the bus "Then how did these people pay if they didn't give you change?"
Driver "I can't change that"
So I gave up and caught a taxi (bit more expensive, but with comfort and convenience).
I then (foolishly) tried to get the bus back as I didn't know the local taxi number.
Once again I stood at a stop with no timetable. A bus turned up with "Town Centre" on the front in large letters.
Me "Single to town please"
Driver "This bus doesn't go to the town centre"
Me "Why does it have Town Centre written on the front?"
Driver "Well it gets there eventually, but via loads of villages and takes ages"
Same on the next bus
Eventually the third bus deigns to charge me £1 for a trip to town on the worlds most uncomfortable seats.
So, oh great and wise transport minister, how do you intend to get us onto busses and utilise the bus lanes that you're filling our once free-flowing lanes with, if:
The f
ckers won't take your money unless you have the exact amount, yet there's no way to find out the exact amount till you try to pay. The f
cking busses don't have the correct destination on them. No wonder my doctor moaned about my blood pressure...
Maybe in the future we'll have chip and pin busses 
We have a new system in Preston now where there's a little digital "bus stop" which has the number, destination and time of the next busses. Still doesn't mean they'll be on time though and it's cheaper to drive and park in town then get the bus.
We have a new system in Preston now where there's a little digital "bus stop" which has the number, destination and time of the next busses. Still doesn't mean they'll be on time though and it's cheaper to drive and park in town then get the bus.
jimothy said:
I get out a £10 note......Driver "I can't change that"
This is starting to become the norm, from what I gather, from the few times I've taken the bus in Reading.
Bit annoying if you're not used to the busses and don't know the fare, but I'd imagine it's for security reasons. Bus drivers can make easy targets for the scum looking to nab some quick cash.
Wait and see what Red Ken has in store for London...
Busses will become cash free (even in the outer edges), so you'll only be able to board a bus with a travelcard or Oyster. Prepaid ticket machines will be availble in the central areas such as the West End.
So what do you do if you're in the sticks and want to catch a bus when the shops are shut? Walk!!!
Busses will become cash free (even in the outer edges), so you'll only be able to board a bus with a travelcard or Oyster. Prepaid ticket machines will be availble in the central areas such as the West End.
So what do you do if you're in the sticks and want to catch a bus when the shops are shut? Walk!!!
T5-R said:
I get out a £10 note......Driver "I can't change that"
This is starting to become the norm, from what I gather, from the few times I've taken the bus in Reading.
Bit annoying if you're not used to the busses and don't know the fare, but I'd imagine it's for security reasons. Bus drivers can make easy targets for the scum looking to nab some quick cash.
Car hating Reading has introduced 'exact fare' only on all busses. Fine, I'll drive
T5-R said:
I get out a £10 note......Driver "I can't change that"
This is starting to become the norm, from what I gather, from the few times I've taken the bus in Reading.
Bit annoying if you're not used to the busses and don't know the fare, but I'd imagine it's for security reasons. Bus drivers can make easy targets for the scum looking to nab some quick cash.
nottingham city transport buses haven't given change for at least 15 years...not that it bothers me as I haven't been on one for....oh I forget...
I do know though that the fare to town from where I used to live went up from £1 to £1.20, and some lentilists of my acquaintance utterly failed to see the outrage of a 20% increase in price, and the fact that the type of transport often used by people who can least afford it has now been raised even further..by a socialist council!
jimothy said:
.
I get out a £10 note.
Driver gives me a strange sort of shrug with his arm out
Me "What does" strange shrug "mean?"
Driver "I can't change that"
Me "Why not?"
Driver "I don't have any change"
Me looking over at the 10 people on the bus "Then how did these people pay if they didn't give you change?"
Driver "I can't change that"
Been there SO many times before.
Work used to be a 5 min bus ride, so never bothered with the car.
Trick I learnt was, "I've offered to pay you, so I'm going to go and sit down over there, and when you get change from however many people get on the bus en route, then give me a shout and I'll come and pay." Its a tenner for christ sake, the fare is £1.20, its not that much of a hardship.
Seem to work most of the time, plus while you're sitting down, you can usually change it with someone else anyway.
T5-R said:
Bit annoying if you're not used to the busses and don't know the fare
It's just another reason why buses only work if you make your journey in the company of someone who has made the same journey before. Otherwise, not only do you not know the fare, you also don't know which bus to catch, and having caught it there's no way of finding out where to get off. At least with trains you can find out the fare in advance, you can get change, there are announcements and screens to tell you where the train's going, there are name boards at the stops so you know which stop is which, and you can find the stops on a map so you know which one is closest to your destination. Buses are just piss awkward as well as being shit to ride on.
And while we're on the subject of buses, what dick thinks up these Park and Ride schemes? Do they really think people are going to get out of their nice warm comfortable car, so they can sit in the traffic jams in a smelly uncomfortable bus instead? And how are you supposed to get back to the car with the shopping? It's a daft idea.
The government are forever spouting about getting people to get into their cars, and yet, ata time when Liverpool is asking for a tram system, finance is refused. Instead people who live on the otyher side of the water on the Wirral will be paying, as it will be getting raised via the tunnel toll (tax). The silly thing is that it's the people in their cars who would be paying who will probably just drive straightwhere they are going, and not even use the bloody thing.
play "revenge on bus drivers", anytime you walk anywhere, make sure you wait till a bus is coming before crossing on a zebra crossing, and do it very, very, very, slowly. When parallel parking, ensure that if there is a bus behind you, it takes you 20 attempts, and really slow attempts at that.
Petty: Yes
Childish: Yes
Satisfying: Very.
As for the buses around Guilford - bloody joke they are.
Petty: Yes
Childish: Yes
Satisfying: Very.
As for the buses around Guilford - bloody joke they are.
Einion Yrth said:
I get out a £10 note......Driver "I can't change that"
Get on with a pocket full of change, I might be the poor bastard waiting behind the bus 'cause I can't get past owing to heavy traffic, and you in my way while the driver makes change, selfish b'stard.
Funny you should say that I sometimes use the bus so know the fare. On one occasion I paid the £2.30 using quite a large amount of (exact) change. Most of it was made op of 5, 10 and 20 pence pieces with about 5 pence in coppers. When I handed it over the bus driver rolled his eyes and gave me a sarcastic thanks, then proceeded to throw the coppers out of the door.
I tried to contact arriva to complain, but all that happened was I was put on call waiting for a couple of minutes before being cut off....needless to say, in the end I gave up.
While I having a rant, how the
do they get away with raising fares between 10 and 20% every year? It now costs £1.50 to do a 2 mile journey in to Woking, A taxi costs £3.80 for the same journey. So if there's 3 of you travelling you save 70p by getting a taxi...crazy!
Thanks,
Phill
Pigeon said:
And while we're on the subject of buses, what dick thinks up these Park and Ride schemes? Do they really think people are going to get out of their nice warm comfortable car, so they can sit in the traffic jams in a smelly uncomfortable bus instead? And how are you supposed to get back to the car with the shopping? It's a daft idea.
Actually Pigeon it's not often I disagree with you but here I will, if I may be so bold.
I use Worcester City Park & Ride from Perdiswell and it works reasonably well though recent changes have reduced the benefit.
It used to be £2 for parking and a car full of passengers. Being Yorkshire born & bred we never do enough shopping at one go to have a transport problem. (I'm not mean just careful)
However they have altered the rules. The £2 covers just car and driver, and passengers have to pay the fare. UNLESS you are <18 > 65 and then proof of age with picture id and the fare is free.
Subject of another post I actually stood in the queue and watched an arsey bus driver explain, several times, to a young woman that her babe in arms could not travel free because the baby didn't have proof of age and picture id. The baby was about two months old.
Have also used Nottingham park & ride and it is OK but nowt special, and Sheffield Tram Park & ride. The one off the Parkway is the business, but the one that is at Halfway is just ridiculous as I can drive into city centre and back twice over in the time it takes the tram.
just a view from the other side of the fence....
But then it is about time for my new specs....
FiF
>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Wednesday 21st December 14:51
Davi said:I'm not the only one then
play "revenge on bus drivers", anytime you walk anywhere, make sure you wait till a bus is coming before crossing on a zebra crossing, and do it very, very, very, slowly. When parallel parking, ensure that if there is a bus behind you, it takes you 20 attempts, and really slow attempts at that.
Petty: Yes
Childish: Yes
Satisfying: Very.
scorp said:I don't differentiate, they all get the same treatment!
I'm not the only one then
I hope you do it to an empty bus, otherwise you deserve a slap!
I especially like crossings where the pedestrians press the buttons to change the lights, and they work immediately. Incredibly satisfying to wait a few cars and time it perfectly to catch the bus for the maximum time possible.
Letting them out of bus stops? NEVER
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