Questions for the bus drivers of london.
Hello all. for years I have pondered on the wonders and mystery of how the london bus drivers can function in the bustling city of London. Through the stress of the underground strikes putting up with people who are mad at something that is far beyond your control, to the early hours of the morning on the weekend reluctantly having to stop for that one individual who's jaw defies the laws of physics after a rave/concert and having to navigate your bus route through what could only be designed by a psychopath wanting their house to be included in the bus route.
Here are some of (not all) the mysteries that I think of when I ride that big red beautiful automotive:
Stopping:
When does a bus driver decide when their bus is too full to stop at said bus stop and deliberately and conveniently stop further away to let passengers off before setting off for the next stop ? If two people get off an obviously at max capacity bus does one judge if pedestrians awaiting passage at said bus stop can fit? Also does the time it takes from starting position to the finish stop affect the payment of the bus driver ?
Safety:
I understand that London can be a rough and potentially dangerous place at times and I must say from a individual who has worked numerous years in bars and clubs in the past, my apologies to the driver of those buses, we are partly to blame for those somewhat barely human shapes that enter your vehicle after the bars close. But my question is how your company protects you from certain altercations? If there is a huge fight on your bus do you intervene or are you given a set protocol to follow when things get out of hand? I have been on a bus when the driver has pressed their panic button but nothing happened for a good while before finally the police arrived. How secure is the door between you and the public and how much can you see of the public when driving the bus. Multi tasking whilst driving is already pretty dangerous and you essentially have 100 drunk adult sized children in your back seats that you have to watch.
Schedule:
In my job I work incredibly varied shifts in regards to times. One day I will be working a 9 till 5 the next 1 in the morning till 10 at night. Not glamorous but it has its pros. My question is when checking the schedules of the bus times be it citymapper or Google maps or even tfls own website. Why are some bus routes notorious for either not showing up or not being on time. One comes to mind which is one route which is the bane of my life the 274. On paper a beautiful route(slightly congested in the busy areas) but a direct route through some of my favorite areas in London. You check your app, 2 minutes. Cool. 2 minutes later it changed to 30 minutes. What happened!? Did the driver give up? And vice versa. 30mins? Ughh okay I'll wait. You roll a cigarette. Oh it's here ! Classic
Bus routes:
On another topic that the casual driver may not know and my last question because I could go on forever (i.may make another post) who what how why is a route created? What is justification for certain stops ? Why are some stops requests stops ? Why do some have shelters and some have nothing ? How do they decide the numberings for buses and why aren't all buses the same model ( some double Decker some not)
In conclusion I love the chaos behind the TFL buses of London and we may of a group constantly complain about them but at the end of the day I have full respect for the drivers and without them we would end up in a city of anarchy and bloodlust when the tubes strike. God speed bus drivers of london and if there are any secrets and stories you could tell to us that would be welcome