Well, well done! So many problems can be simply because our passengers don't understand and you've explained things very well. Thank you for sharing here with all of us.
I sometimes miss my bus back home like that, but luckily I can usually run ahead to the next stop and catch it there while they're stuck waiting at a light to get out of the station. One time the guy saw me but he was already reversing from the stance and couldn't stop, so I ran ahead to the next stop. The guy apologized once I got on but I told him I knew it was policy and he was doing his job, so i didn't mind.
My uncle is a bus driver based at camberwell. He told me that if your still in the box you can still get on but once they leave the box you can't get on
Another thing, once you’ve closed your doors and have your right hand indicator flashing to rejoin the traffic you’ve signalled your intention to move away from the bus stop and therefore shouldn’t open the doors.
Yeah, brilliant idea! Just one issue... do that and the bus isn't going anywhere. Why..? All the newer buses need the handbrake to be applied for the doors to open so of you press the emergency door control buttons the brakes will most of the time lock on. Also if it's an older bus the doors can be opened without the handbrake so even if it's all fine the driver will probably refuse travel to you anyways so theres no point.
A driver once drove right past me when I was standing at a stop, because a van was parked in a ridiculous place and he didn't see me. But he caught sight of me in passing and pulled up further down the road to let me on, which he probably shouldn't have done but I'm forever grateful
Honestly more bus drivers need to stop allowing people on and off, making it difficult for other drivers, and also, as you mentioned, have publicly visible messages about these very things.
The other thing Anton forgot to mention was that when you do reopen the doors, most passengers don't even have the decency to say "thank you" and just tap their oyster and walk off! I call them back. When they return I looked at them and said "you're welcome!" They then realise their rudeness and say "thank you"! People need educating too!
angus504 that’s their job is to drive the bus nothing else you don’t have to say thank you to them your paying to put money on ur oyster and that’s their job so if they don’t let u on the bus when it’s still parked up thenn ur just an asshole like most TFL bus drivers are
One of the drivers about 4-5 years ago would't let me on the bus even though he was in the bus stop zone and the rear doors were open and passengers were still getting off
Prob doing a driver change over possibly, Was the bus full at the front? If it was a empty bus then he would have a good reason for it .. I know it's annoying but did he let you on in the end?
The real problem is when they close the door before a person gets off. I saw a woman with a baby carriage and the bus driver tried to close the door when she was half way out.
add a warning text next to the door saying something like " The driver is not allowed to open the door if the bus has left the bus stop " removing the "fault" from the drivers would make their job easier and make people less hostile
As a bus driver I won't let people on once I've actually started to physically move off, but I have ended up cancelling my right indicator and opening the doors if a latecomer has arrived before I've actually moved off. And likewise I also won't stop if they put their hand out late since stopping from 25-30mph suddenly is dangerous and is pointless to do just to let somebody on a bus who didn't put their hand out. Some people seem to expect the bus to stop at every stop, but I'm not stopping unless I know somebody is getting on or off as time is a huge factor in this job.
Some people just don’t seem to grasp the concept that the buses have a schedule, that passengers on the bus want to get to their destination on time & that it’s not always safe to let people on when you’ve left the stop. I’ve had numerous times when people have tried to flag me down several meters away from the bus stop on busy roads during the middle of the day. If I’m behind schedule, it’s a busy road, there isn’t any curb cut at the bus stop to get out of the traffic lane & it’s a time of day where the buses are still running frequently then I’m not going to wait for you or stop my bus before or after the bus stop for you. You need to check the schedule for your bus stop & arrive early. If I’m running late then the only reason why you saw me is because I’m running late, I’m not going to make an additional stop away from the bus stop or wait an extra couple of minutes for you to get on board. I have passengers on board who need to get places & if I was running on time you probably wouldn’t have seen my bus in the first place. If you’re constantly being passed up by your bus then you should get to the bus stop earlier. Unless the bus stop is a timing point the arrival times at most stops are estimates, it’s best to get to your stop 5-10minutes early. Also try to have your payment ready ahead of time & be ready to board the bus when it shows up. If you have to prepare yourself to get on the bus once it arrives the driver can sometimes depart without you. Several transit agencies say: that if a passenger isn’t ready to board the bus, if the bus isn’t ahead of schedule & everyone else at the stop has gotten on the bus then you as the driver are allowed to depart leaving the the passenger who wasn’t ready to board at the bus stop. The bus has to maintain a schedule. When taking the bus arrive early & be ready to board when the bus arrives.
Explained very well. I wish my passengers would watch this video. Last summer had a lady literally hang onto the door as I was pulling away from the station loading area. I also see so many people run across the street dodging cars and trucks in an attempt to catch the bus. They tell me they did not want to miss the bus. I tell them if you got hit and died you wouldn't have to worry about missing a bus ever again. We have some routes that run every 30,60 minutes so I can understand why missing a bus could be an issue but not worth putting your life or the driver's job a stake. Really no point when a route runs every 6-15 minutes
Been there before. About 10pm-ish, last bus to wherever it was going, a bay door was left open, woman does a 200m dash across the forecourt and starts pleading to get on "Let me on please, I need this bus" "Nope".
Jon Smith Lately for me people will be walking towards a stop. I've looked ahead at the stop no one there. Then once they realize, "oh crap bus is coming!" and when the bus and pedestrian meet it's too late. Keep in mind, at 35-45mph I cannot stop safely so I am forced to pass them. Sounds like a dick move on my part but if the person is not already or close enough to the stop prior to the bus arriving and it is not safe to slow down and stop that person will be passed. Not like I want to pass them, it boils down to safety. The bus does have the power to stop like a car but two factors come into play, 1) Passengers will end up on the floor. 2) Weight of the bus creates longer breaking distance. One other thing is once I saw a person start to run. I assumed they wanted the bus so I safely stopped. Well guess what? They kept running and passed the stop as I arrived with no indication. Most of the time it us trying the keep a good headway aka bus on time assuming safety takes precedence.
Riley That was mean. There was a story rectnly (and a video by Carl Vernon on RU-vid) where it was the last bus and the driver didn't let a 15 year old girl on so she would ave been stranded on her own luckily a police officer was there who kindly drove her home.
That's still stupid rule. If you're stuck in a traffic there's nothing stoping you from openning doors other than: "safety rule says so". Which rule also does nothing other than irritate people, cause they will still walk up to your door and potentally cause problems when the traffic will move.
Hey Anton, great video as always. Keep it up. All of the bus drivers i'm friends with have a strict policy on refusing travel for people without oyster cards/permit to travel passes and strict policy for people running for the bus and doors closing a refused travel on that certain bus and they have to wait for the next bus.
South England Bus Spotting ..well yes...if the bus has picked up passengers at the bus stop...then the bus driver has done his/her job and is free to move on to the next stop. The driver does not have to wait for you....if you are not at the stop when the bus pulls up...then you have missed the bus!
In sheffield i had to run for a bus and the bus driver behind the other bus tried to get the attention of the other driver so i could get on but he left lol i got on the bus behind and the driver was actually a decent guy lol
Saw a bus parked at the bus stop once and a woman with a pram and loads of shopping, he wasn't in traffic either. He was in a section of the road for buses only. The buses come every hour so I told him to wait for her and stood in the door way until she was within a meter. As soon as I stepped off the bus and she went to get on he shut the doors and drove off leaving her with a pram and all her shopping and to that day I still have no respect for bus drivers.
I've thrown up out of one - held by several passengers. That was a bad morning hangover. Driver was nice enough to stop and wait at a bus stop where there was a shop so I could get a bottle of water. Then again it was in a village and the busses only ran every two hours. Pro-tip: don't eat a greggs sausage roll and rink Oasis Summer Fruits if you've got a hangover.
Saddleup _andride, You are new to planet Earth i guess? In India they sit on top of the train roofs with hundreds at a time. I'm pretty sure there are busses around the world which don't have any doors at all.
Questions: 1. What route do you drive (mainly) 2. What bus types are you regular to drive (e.g: E400MMC) 3. Do you prefer to travel on Bus or Tube (off duty)
The problem is if one rushes to the bus and knocks on the door, the others follow suit, especially if it is in high demand Then the bus will never be able to leave the curb
It's okay to have doors closed and no aircon in some of these buses, silly little fan light windows mean that passengers can expect to be transported in this heat in conditions that animals cannot be transported in. Pathetic.
Usually where i live, bus drivers will just let you onboard. Sometimes if they see you running for the bus, they even wait for you to get on. But i guess it's different in big cities such as London. Tighter time schedules maybe
Problem is, some drivers let you on and then some don't. As a passenger, I'm not aware of the rules and standards of using a bus, so I would use other people and bus drivers as an example. But bus drivers themselves aren't consistent even though they're on the curb. There's a stop near from here where the bus driver cannot physically pull up near the kerb which makes that rule impossible to follow for everyone.
Looool😂😂😂 I Don’t Give A Fuck ima still press dat red button to open the door for me Unless it’s my normal driver guy he always opens tha door for me luv to him
Here's a video suggestion, why buses have crazy suspension that throws you everywhere if it drives over a penny and why drivers jump on the brakes so hard all the time
You have transmission interlocks to deal with now as well. Come back to good old days of no interlocks, fast-acting jackknife doors and running doors-open on a hot summer's day.
Now is that the reason the other busses with open doors at back were stopped as stopped because they jumped on while moving on road in mid rd and made driver put mind off drive and got ride of conductors😢😮
When i was in London in 2008, the locals told me they called the big articulated busses Free Busses because you could hop in the back and avoid paying, is that still true?
I get your point, but what if for example you check the bus time for a bus, it says 2 minutes but then it comes early then you have to run for the bus. It would kind of be unfair if they close the door than drive off.
LawrenceGaming 12 ...buses can run 2 minutes early...it is legal to run 2 mins early....the bus driver wants to maintain a headway and so has no reason to wait once they have picked up their passengers...again...if I see someone running and they make an effort...I will help...but I check my headway to see if I'm ok. I can't keep opening the door 2 to 3 times at every bus stop....then the bus behind will catch me up....and then it holds up the service!
It's not a case of being legal, just TfL's conditions! Furthermore, Lawrence, why aren't you at the bus stop 2 mins before the bus is due? Last minute will put you in a position of potentially missing it!
I cop abuse for this all the time. I drive trams. I have a timetable. I am not an on demand service. If you’re late to the platform, why am I going to delay my timetable and waste everyone else’s time? Be on time or wait for the next one in 8 minutes. Pretty simple.
I have saw you drive the bus I was on! You are so nice you know, I was running for the bus and you waited, nicer man in town! I said thanks, and you said no problem, I hope I drive with you again!
Once you are moving in traffic , even if is just 1m away from the bus stop, at that moment the driver is looking for the cars and cyclists in traffic, so if he has to open the door, it will block the traffic and it will be unsafe for the person trying to get in the bus and for the rest of the traffic users. Remember this is over 10m long, is not 4m like a hatchback.
+DoubleDeckerAnton ur a nice person and there should be more bus drivers like u, this time next year I'm going to apply to be a bus driver because not only I've want to do it for most of my life but u have gave me more confidence for that job and I can't wait to be a bus driver like u one day and hopefully see u out on the road one day
Callum Phelps ...yes callum...it'd be good to see you pass your test and join us on the roads! It's a great job driving large vehicles with a lovely view of the road! Good luck on passing your test!
DoubleDeckerAnton thanks Anton I really appreciate it and I can't wait to let u know how I get on, I know u don't have twitter but I can't wait until u do and hopefully I can let u know on there or on here
Essentially it is like trains. Door closed, don't open...unless some moron on the tube has dived into them so him and his wife can get on the same train
Man Behind The Camera lol trains are different because the driver can't be looking at ALL SEVEN CARRIGES. 😂 Then again, there is a camera but still. And trians have a higher frequency than buses. :)
The driver on the 244 in thamesmead saw me knocking on the door when the bus was still. To prank me, he just rolled along RIGHT NEXT to the kerb at 2MPH, and I walked along a bit, knowing that it was a joke. BUT THEN I tripped over and fell half under the bus. The driver was nice, though, even though it was probably 80% my fault. But I nearly got run over by an e200. WHY COULDN'T AN MMC NEARLY KILL ME INSTEAD OF AN E200!!!! UUURRRRGGGGHHHH
Seriously, fuck drivers who do that shit (not talking about Anton ofc). I've had the same rudeness. The reason they can't stop is perfectly acceptable, but don't half stop when there's no reason to, or sit there baiting the passenger with an open door until they approach the bus. Then there's the ones who see you sprinting for it and wait there, until you get extremely close, then shut it, once even laughing directly at me. If you'd just left the stop on time before I wouldn't be worn out and you wouldn't look like a dick, now you've slightly delayed your bus and acted like an asshole too
I was on a First Leicester bus and the bus was about to pass a bus stop and nobody wanted to get off and then a guy came out of his house and was running towards the stop and putting his hand out but he was quite far away so he missed the stop so the guy decided to stick his middle finger up at him.
I have had several encounters with the bus driver of London buses when I was already on the bus and I rung the bell in good timing to get off at my desired stop but the bus driver did not stop! Would you not stopping at bus stops when the bus driver knows a passenger has rung the bell is worse than not letting passengers on the bus?
I had a bus driver made me run into the glass sliding doors at the bus station cause he closed his doors and then my glasses broke, thankfully the reception staff managed to repair my glasses with tape until I got me new pair
Sam Rogers ....yes Sam. ...a line had to be drawn...we can't pick up everyone who knocks on the door...especially if there is a bus a few minutes after!
Ive had first bus drivers reopen the door for me after theyve shut it, but ive also had other first drivers see me and not open the door even tho the door wasnt fully shut and the driver wasnt indicating outward. Ive also had a McGills bus not stop for me at all even though I was a couple feet from the bus stop, I remember that bus was abt 15 minutes late and it was a Sunday and its like that on the regular. Never been on it on a Monday - Saturday but I cant even begin to imagine how late it would be then lol.
"We have so much stuff to look out for"... "We have to check if the rear door is closed AAAAAND the front door is closed".. WOW. Sounds rough. I hope you are doing fine.
Okay, so if the road has traffic and the bus is stuck in that traffic at the bus stop and then the bus is supposed to turn onto a corner that has no traffic (say, the 36 after Park Lane around 11am) those 6-8 minutes turn into 10-15 if you miss that bus (I've recorded a bloopers video down Park Lane so I'd know xD) and missing a bus then becomes very aggrivating, along with the fact that if these delays cause you to miss an event the only thing that would have caused you to miss it would be that 36 that didn't open the doors. :P Even though the 36's PVR is quite high, the bus will still take long if you've got that Park Lane traffic. :) I've never actually had the chance to ask a real bus driver so this will be *quite interesting* ... 😂
LondonBabyRosalinaFan82*•. .....yes it seems that every bus driver is different in how they pick up passengers...I try and open my doors twice...but once I've left the stop...and I'm in traffic....then it's not right to pick up when I'm in the line of traffic.
Yeah, true. If you've left the bus stop itself, then yeah I would say the doors stay shut. Pretty much, as soon as you leave that yellow box that says bus stop.
I've seen some routes where the driver can only pick up from where the kerb is raised slightly (with the bumpy square pavement like used for road crossings) , the raised pavement assists disability passengers boarding and getting off, enables the bus to not need to spend that extra ten seconds pumping the front axle back up to road travel height, and often eliminates even the need for the driver to deploy the wheelchair ramp. Those routes even only place the sheltered bus stops' road-side opening there, and the drivers are trained to put the doors there. Once the bus moves on from that spot, not getting aboard. for the not fully-sheltered stops (little roof supported along one side but otherwise open to the elements) then the only rule on positioning is 'within the box'.
Just not fit for purpose Arron, unexplainable as to why we have put up with those buses in 2019, they didn’t solve this with those lousy NBFL, hadn’t solved it on your bus. Answer was to bring back an open platform, so providing reliable entry/exit with a bus captain, and safety - that what happens if someone slips. For years we had open platforms with RT’s and Routemasters, WHATS THE ANSWER ARRON...?.
You know what Anton I'm glad you follow the rules that are specifically laid out for bus drivers and speaking as a bus driver myself you would find it frustrating in Glasgow following those rules.
Once I saw a 158 and the driver was about to leave but the door was open lol and I shouted “door” and he closed it and one time I was on the 97 and someone was running to it and the door closed but it wasn’t a rural area in that area we got buses within 10mins
Was at a set off traffic lights in the middle lane of traffic and a lady came upto the bus in the middle of the road expecting me to open the doors ????
Great post Anton. I've been a bus driver for nearly 18 years now and would like to add a few other good reasons why in most cases we cannot open the doors once we have moved off from a stop. Often we have maybe a vehicle behind that has shown courtesy by giving way for us to pull out, if we open the doors we open ourselves up to not just one person boarding the bus, but maybe more will see the door open and will start boarding, maybe even a pushchair, this happens a lot, or that person then has a problem with their Oyster card, so although it should have taken a few seconds it's now delaying the bus, causing delays and frustration to road users behind. Also it goes against our company policy, and if the person perhaps tripped and fell due to the high step then the driver and company could be held liable for compensation, so the driver needs to protect himself. It's our jobs on the line. A lot of 'common sense' has been taken out of the job because of strict rules and regulations imposed by TFL. I always try and assess the safety implications first, my bus route, 386, covers a lot of 'quieter' side streets so often it's not much of a problem for me, I'll try and help as much as possible, but at busy stops, on busy main roads there's just so much that can go wrong. Passengers need to realise this but often don't and you end up getting a lot of abuse. I've had my doors kicked in and smashed before. All for doing my job in a professional manner.
There's a mix of so many problems regarding it, to the point where drivers feel the need to constantly open and close the doors because people are running towards it - I witnessed it even this morning. Take a look at the London Bus Route 65, among the tightest of bus routes. The buses on it are *constantly* leap-frogging each other, and one of the prime reasons is because the driver is trying to leave the bus stop (the *first* bus stop) and people keep coming in and running for the bus and making the driver have to stop, and all I can think of is, "He's gonna be late." It got to the point where, every time the driver closed the doors to pull away, they got trapped by traffic, and then more passengers would bombard them. It looked like it felt *awful.* There's always the "I didn't see you" scenario too. Apparently, people think that bus drivers are robots and that they can see you coming towards them at all times, when they're actually checking the mirror to ensure that they can pull out of the bus stop safely - which is then followed by the obligatory foul language that possesses most Londoners. This is giving me a headache. ._. I wonder if you've done a video about bus driver breaks, because that's another thing I've seen that goes *horribly wrong* on the 65. I'm not sure if your route has a terminating stop where the passengers alight and board from the same stop.
