Cockington Village

Cockington Forge

Cockington Village is one of Torbay's many attractions and to day in the interest of customer care I paid the place a visit. It dates back to and was mentioned in the Doomsday Book and is a small village that has retained thatched roofs and old world charm. Click here to read what BBC Radio Devon has to say about the place.
When I first arrived in Torquay and started driving a bus the driver who showed me the 12 route on my first day pointed out Cockington Lane and mentioned that Cockington Village was down that way. I had never heard of Cockington but soon realised that it was a place of interest when holiday people began asking me if we went there. The roads are a bit to small for double decker buses but I was able to tell them that they could either catch a mini bus which did nothing but run between Torquay and Cockington from outside the Pavilion or they could catch the 12/12A and get of at the Livermead Cliff Hotel and it was but short walk. For the first couple of years I must have told hundreds of passengers it was 10 minutes. Then one day I took a couple and droped them of at the end of the lane."It's up that lane, about 10 minutes." I said as I pointed at Cockington Lane.
About three hours later I picked them up on the way back to Torquay and he told me off and explained it was more like 20 minutes. So I now know it is about 20, or even 30 if you dont hurry. Which is what I tell the passengers. Also it is a nice walk, reasonably flat and tree lined with birds singing in the trees with the occasional bench if, like me a rest is required. So to all those people I misled I am sorry, but I am sure you all enjoyed the trip to Cockington.

For a few more photos from Cockington just click here

Cockington

Cockington Forge

Cockington Village is one of Torbay's many attractions and to day in the interest of customer care I paid the place a visit. It dates back to and was mentioned in the Doomsday Book and is a small village that has retained thatched roofs and old world charm. Click here to read what BBC Radio Devon has to say about the place.

When I first arrived in Torquay and started driving a bus the driver who showed me the 12 route on my first day pointed out Cockington Lane and mentioned that Cockington Village was down that way. I had never heard of Cockington but soon realised that it was a place of interest when holiday people began asking me if we went there. The roads are a bit to small for double decker buses but I was able to tell them that they could either catch a mini bus which did nothing but run between Torquay and Cockington from outside the Pravilion or they could catch the 12/12A and get of at the Livermead Cliff Hotel and it was but short walk. For the first couple of years I must have told hundreds of passengers it was 10 minutes. Then one day I took a couple and droped them of at the end of the lane."It's up that lane, about 10 minutes." I said as I pointed at Cockington Lane.

About three hours later I picked them up on the way back to Torquay and he told me off and explained it was more like 20 minutes. So I now know it is about 20, or even 30 if you dont hurry. It is a nice walk reasonably flat and tree lined with birds singing in the trees with the occasional bench if, like me a rest is required. So to all those people I misled I am sorry, but I am sure you all enjoyed the trip to Cockington.

The Long way to Torquay

One of those little things to day that always leaves me a little upset. For two reasons, the first should be obvious, the second slightly less so.

On Paignton Bus Station there are two bus stops for the 12. One is on stand M and goes to Brixham, takes 20 mins. The board above the stop clearly states that this is the stop for Brixham. The other is on stand Q and goes to Torquay and Newton Abbot. The board above stand Q clearly states this. The trip to Torquay takes 20 mins and all the way to Newton is an hour. To day I pulled in on stand M on my way to Brixham and lots of passengers got on. Most of then had some kind of ticket, either a day or a weekly ticket. A few bought tickets. When I got to the terminus at Bank Lane Brixham the passengers all got off except one lady. I asked here where she wanted, "Torquay." She had waited at the wrong stop. She now had a journey of 40 mins on top of the 20 she had already been on the bus.

Please; if you are not sure, be brave, ask the driver where the bus is going, we won't bite, well most of us won't any way, but you could save your self loads of time......

Part of the problem, which I have mentioned before is the fact that when I depart Newton Abbot for Brixham I have on the front of the bus the number 12 and Brixham in large letters. Scrolling across under this is 'Via Torquay and Paignton.' When I get to Paignton and pull up on stand M it still says 'Via Torquay and Paignton.' I have already been to Torquay, but it still says Torquay. Bit of a problem here.

Scheduer

A Scheduer is the poor guy who has to take the bare bones of a time table and try and fit all the drivers and all the buses in to it. He has to make sure that every bus is where it should be when a drivers gets to his break or the end of his shift and make sure there is an other driver to take over the bus. He has to make sure that he does this and make sure that each driver is within his driving hours and gets at least 30 minutes break. The legal minimum. He has to make sure that every trip that is on the time table is covered and that there aren't too many bus for drivers or drivers for buses in any one place. He also has to make sure that he is using as few drivers as possible or the accountants will want to know why. I am sure there are lots more things he has to do and I know Scheduer is not a job I could do. For one thing I wouldn't know where to start. For an other I am not sure I could stand the strain that must go with the first day of new timetables. Like; Will it work?

Well to day was the first day of a new timetable and for me everything worked. A bus arrived to take me to work, the right bus arrived for me to take over. When I got to Paignton for my break there was a driver standing there expecting me. After my break the bus arrived for me to take over and when I finished my shift there was a driver standing on the Newton Road waiting for me. I did hear there was a slight problem in Paignton but it was soon sorted and no loss of service.

Years ago, back in the Dark Ages, when I was a teacher in a secondary school somebody made a slight mistake. Well to say a slight mistake was like calling a puddle of water the Pacific Ocean. On the first day the bell went and I made my way to the class room. My room was down a corridor that had 5 class rooms. On this morning it also had about 500 children. In the bus trade we do the same things every week day. So if it works on Monday it will work on Tuesday. Not so in a school, each day is different. It took a week to sort the mess out and the lady who did the time table never did it again. Come to think of it she didn't do much for a few weeks until the medication kicked in.

We have two major time table changes each year, one in May when summer season start and one in September when we go back to winter times. I wonder what the scheduer does the reat of the year.

Doors; Slow to Open and Close.

I drove a bus the other day with doors that took for ever to open and close. Actually they took about 4 seconds, which is 3 seconds more than most bus doors. Now 3 seconds doesn't sound much but each time you stop to load or unload passengers it adds up to 6 seconds. Do that 10 times and it is a minute extra on the journey. Between Newton and Brixham you can do it 30 times which is 3 minutes. That is almost 4% of the journey time just waiting for the doors to open and close.

Then there are the other problems.

The bell rings, as you pull into the stop you check the inside mirror, only one person is getting off and there is no one at the stop. As you stop you press the red button to open the doors, the person gets of as soon as there is space between the opening doors to do so. You press the green button to close the doors, check the mirror, the road is clear and pull away. 100 yards up the road a glance at the dash to check the speed and what is glaring up at you. The red light that comes on when the bell has been rung. But has it? Is it still on from the last person who just got off. You see, it only goes out if the doors are opened fully. And you didn't let the doors open fully. Well the passenger had got off hadn't he? So now you have to stop at the next stop. If you don't there is bound to be a little voice in your ear saying, "You've missed my stop." Oh dear.
Even if you carry on and no voice appears some one will ring the bell eventually and while that red light is glaring at you the bell wont ring. (A system designed to stop little darlings getting up your nose by ringing the bell a couple of hundred times when they wish to get off.) So you stop, open the doors, close the doors and drive away. No one got on or off and the remaining passengers are now wondering; did you take your medication this morning. Oh, and more time lost.

Next problem is the bus is a low floor bus. If any one who is infirm or elderly or has a baby buggy or is very young or carrying shopping or has a shopping basket on wheels we can press a big black button which releases air from the front left suspension and lower the floor. It makes it easier for them to get on. So we pull up at the stop and if any of the above group are there we press the red button, put the hand brake on and press the black button. The floor goes down and everyone gets on. (note; I know the hand brake should got on first but it's quicker and just as safe that way). Problem is the floor will not go down until the doors have completely opened but people start to get on as soon as they are slightly open. You can't lower the floor now. You do not have a clear sight of the toes of any one still standing on the pavement (sidewalk). It is possible to inflict a lot of damage to a big toe with an 11 tonne bus and a black button. Result: the infirm, elderly, baby buggy pushers and all those in the above group take longer to get on and think you are being mean for not lowering the floor.

And an other problem is some, only a very, very few, one or two maybe, I have to admit, of our passengers think we are opening the doors slowly on purpose just to annoy them and have a go at us."Get the ****ing door open you ****ing ****ing ****." was one comment an enlightened customer made to me one time. Which of course the rest of the passengers had to listen to. And me as well.

There are a few more problems I am sure but I was up at 6 am and it is now 11:35 and I am falling asleep at the keyboard. ZZzzzzzzzz......