Getting an X46, the X Stands For Express.

A little story about going home from work the other day. Just as I came out of the depot to walk down to the main road a bus went past heading to Torquay. I muttered a swear word and continued down. It takes 3 minutes to get to the stop, we are allowed that and when we walk down to take over a bus we get paid that 3 minutes. In fact we get paid 8 minutes, the 3 to walk down and we should be at the stop 5 minutes before the bus is due to arrive. So I was a bit surprised when I got to the stop to find the bus, an X46, still there. The driver sitting, and all his passengers, waiting for the relief driver. I knew at once who it was, he was in the depot reading a magazine. True it was a bus magazine but he should have been driving a bus towards Torquay laden down with 50 passengers by now. The driver waiting to get of the bus was at the end of his shift and wanted to get home. He had been unable to contact control as the radio wasn't working. It hasn't worked properly since before Christmas, repairs have been carried out but it is so old half the time museums around the world have to be scoured to find spare parts. One part from the transmitter is now in the British Museum as it has Marconi's fingerprints on it. Mr Hilditch, the MD, recently told me the radio system would not be replace for at least 12 months.

I offered to sit with the bus so the driver could walk up to the depot and tell the relief driver, hopefully in no uncertain terms, that his bus and passengers were waiting. That would take an other 3 minutes. The bus had already been here 5. So of he went. 6 minutes later the relief driver appeared. Was he in a hurry, did he apologise to the passengers for keeping them waiting, did he regale me with some tale that had no point and took an other two minutes to tell? No, no, yes. And we were lucky, most of this drivers tales, all with little interest or point usually take much longer. By now two number 12s, both of which would have got me home quicker than the X46 had gone past.

Finally he got in the drivers seat and got the bus ready and set of 13 minutes late. What a way to run a bus service.