These little incidents happened yesterday which was a Saturday. Saturdays always bring children out, into town for a day out with friends. First little tale happened in Preston on the way to Torquay. Three boys aged about ten got on the bus, the first boy asks for a child return to Torquay. £1.95. Second boy also, an other £1.95. The third boy asks for a single to Torquay. I ask him, "Aren't you going home?" in the hope that I can sell him a return ticket. His two friends also tell him to buy a return ticket but he has the one pound 15 pence for the single ticket and says,"I'll have to break into a fiver to get a return." I point out that a some stage he will have to change the fiver so why not now. It isn't the fact that he will spent 35p more buying two single tickets that bothers me but what happened in the next story. He did end up with a single ticket by the way.
Later I was going up Fleet Walk heading for Brixham, this is the 'wrong' way for Brixham but we are on a diversion. I might have mentioned it before. There was a crowd at the stop mostly young children but no one put their hand out so I started to move out to continue up the road. Then a little old dear stuck her hand out. At this point I was only doing 5 mph but I was blocking the road. She was on her own and had her Around Torbay pass in her hand. So I stopped, blocking the road but I would be away in ten seconds before anyone came the other way. NOT A CHANCE. She wanted Newton. I explained I was going to Brixham. But the Newton bus usually stops here she claimed. Yes it will said I getting a bit desperate. Wait at this bus stop for a twelve with Newton Abbott on the front. Slowly, and slightly puzzled she got off but the crowd of children had now noticed I had Brixham on the front of the bus and one of them asked "Do you go to the Big Tree?" I did and I foolishly admitted I did. What a mistake to make. Eight of them got on and all wanted single tickets and none had the right money and I wanted a big hole to open up below the bus. Remember earlier I mentioned that I was blocking the road. I got on the radio and broadcast to the whole of Radio Stagecoach Devon in a voice edged with panic, "Don't come down Fleet Street. Some idiot has blocked it." Everyone heard me except the next 12 coming down Fleet St. He had his radio turned down or maybe he was listerning to Radio FirstBus. He came round the bend and saw who the idiot was that was well and truely blocking the road just as I sold the last child single (£1.55) to the big tree. If the little darlings had bought return tickets I would have been on my way well before the 12 coming down had arrived. He now had to reverse 30 metres, not a good thing to do in Fleet St in the middle of a Saturdy afternoon. So mums and dads, when you give your little darling some money to out on a Saturday tell them to buy return tickets. Please. You know it makes sense.
Last story happened in Paignton in the evening. Three girls, mid teens, done up to the nines, going for a night out. First girl, oldest looking of the 3, "Child single to Newton." Never a child thinks I. The hard stare,"Are you sure you are of an age that qualifies you for child ticket?" She was fifteen but everyone always though she looked older. An other girl also said she was 15, her birthday was later this month. The third girl, who looked the youngest, admitted she was 16. Well I did ask, child return Newton, pressed all the right button came up as £3.95. An adult return to Newton is £4.00 which is a Day Rider. The actual return ticket is £5.90 but any fare of £4.00 and over and we sell the passenger a DayRider. All that hard staring and even if they had been 16 it would have gained the company just 10p. At least they bought return tickets.
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Thursday, 21 June 2007
An RTC on the way to Brixham
I got to work a little early yesterday, I had some books to take back to the library and I had allowed more time than I really needed, just to be on the safe side. As it happened I was needed so I got a few minutes overtime, always useful with holidays coming up. An other driver had been late for his break and he had by law to take a 30 minute break so I was able to take his X46 to Paignton and back. When he had had his 30 minutes it was time for my 12A to go to Newton so he was able to do that part of my duty. So both buses ran thanks to some expert juggling of resources by the controllers. When I took over my bus on it's way back from Newton all I had to do was go to Brixham and back to Paignton for my meal break. However when I got to Churston Bridge on the way into Brixham there was a hold up, traffic down to a crawl on what is normally a fast road. Five minutes later I reach the scene of the accident, sorry collision as accidents are now known. I knew at once that we were going to be delayed seriously for the next couple of hours and told both controls and all the other mobiles this. I left Brixham a couple of minutes late and then spend 30 minutes getting back to the crash site. The 12A in front of me had managed to get past before the traffic had built up too much and was only 5 minutes down, this mean that there would be a gap in the service of 35 minutes and I was likely to be greeted by not happy passengers along the way.
When I got to the Zoo two people got on and angrily stated that they had been waiting over an hour. Now normally when people have been waiting like this I am sympathetic and explain the problem but I knew they could not have been there an hour. If you are going to complain get your facts right. 40 minutes would have been more to the point and I said so. An other passenger standing behind these two belligerent muppets butted in and asked had the accident been a bad one. The belligerent muppets then changed track and told me that the school children at the bus stop were very badly behaved and why should they be subjected to this kind of behavior while waiting for a bus. Again this was a gross exaggeration and was not to be allowed and I said that in my opinion, and I had picked this group of children up many times so I should know, these boys and girls from Paignton Community College were very well behaved and I always liked having them on the bus. Indeed the children had allowed the muppets to board the bus first, something the children from several other schools in the area would not have done. Muppets paid their fare and went and sat down. It is said that ; "Customers are alway right", I would add; "except when they are wrong."
Then into Paignton for my meal break 35 minutes down, no problem as the bus I was due to take over was also 35 minutes down so I got my 30 minutes break. As I waited for my bus to arrive a female passenger was escorted off a Torquay bound bus. An other passenger who had just got off the bus told me that the female passenger, who had boarded the bus at South Devon College, had been using the most appalling language at the top of her voice on the bus and the driver had requested the Paignton controller remove her from the bus, which he did. Bad language is an increasing problem but to have it screamed at you on a bus is not a pleasant way to spend an afternoon and should not be tolerated. As I stated earlier I pick school children up from Paignton Community College, I also pick students up from South Devon College. I would quite happily give a few of the students, only a few I should stress, from South Devon College a miss any day of the week.
When I got to the Zoo two people got on and angrily stated that they had been waiting over an hour. Now normally when people have been waiting like this I am sympathetic and explain the problem but I knew they could not have been there an hour. If you are going to complain get your facts right. 40 minutes would have been more to the point and I said so. An other passenger standing behind these two belligerent muppets butted in and asked had the accident been a bad one. The belligerent muppets then changed track and told me that the school children at the bus stop were very badly behaved and why should they be subjected to this kind of behavior while waiting for a bus. Again this was a gross exaggeration and was not to be allowed and I said that in my opinion, and I had picked this group of children up many times so I should know, these boys and girls from Paignton Community College were very well behaved and I always liked having them on the bus. Indeed the children had allowed the muppets to board the bus first, something the children from several other schools in the area would not have done. Muppets paid their fare and went and sat down. It is said that ; "Customers are alway right", I would add; "except when they are wrong."
Then into Paignton for my meal break 35 minutes down, no problem as the bus I was due to take over was also 35 minutes down so I got my 30 minutes break. As I waited for my bus to arrive a female passenger was escorted off a Torquay bound bus. An other passenger who had just got off the bus told me that the female passenger, who had boarded the bus at South Devon College, had been using the most appalling language at the top of her voice on the bus and the driver had requested the Paignton controller remove her from the bus, which he did. Bad language is an increasing problem but to have it screamed at you on a bus is not a pleasant way to spend an afternoon and should not be tolerated. As I stated earlier I pick school children up from Paignton Community College, I also pick students up from South Devon College. I would quite happily give a few of the students, only a few I should stress, from South Devon College a miss any day of the week.
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
Such a Good Example
While I was driving round the Bay yesterday I noticed a newspaper placard for the local paper. It said in their direct, down to earth method of getting your attention. TEACHERS,"BAD PARENTS" WARNING. Now both my parents were teachers. Has the local paper come up with some new research that shows that my parents were in fact bad parents. And I had always thought they were great parents. Well you live and learn. Even at my time in life. What a shame to be disalusioned in such a way.
When I read the article over lunch it turned out that a Head Teacher from one of our local primary schools was giving the world, or that portion of the world that lived in the bay and read the paper, a warning that bad parents made for bad children. (Click here to read the whole article). He had given up teaching after 20 odd years and is seeking employment as a lorry driver to get away from the cares and stress of teaching. Try bus driving mate, no cares or stress driving a bus.
Later in the day I drove into Brixham. It was early evening at which time the bus times change from day running to evening running and I had 15 minutes waiting time before I left. Waiting for me was mother with infant (asleep) in buggy and 4 year old daughter who was eating chips, french fries if you are in the US of A. Mother wrapped the chips up in the paper and came to board the bus. I explained that she could not bring the chips on the bus and in any case I wasn't going for 15 minutes so there was plenty of time to eat the chips before the bus left.
I got of the bus for a little stretch and watched mother and child. Child by the way was what you would call a 'hand full', taking not the slightest notice of what mother was saying. She started examining each chip before eating and discarding those she did not like the look of on the floor. Was I glad I hadn't let her on the bus with the chips. Now Brixham is a fishing port, which means seagulls. Seagulls do not carefully examine chips before eating them. If you don't believe me try holding a chip up in front of a seagull and see what happens. Just don't complain to me that it took a week to get the feeling back in your fingers. Better still get a Copy of 'The Birds' from Blockbusters. So lots of seagulls arrived in double quick time. So what did mother do? Explain about the fact that gulls are permanently hungry, have sharp beaks and big wings and can spot a dropped chip faster than an African vulture can notice a wildebeest falling over? Explain the dropping litter of any sort was illegal and untidy? Tell her that some poor starving child would have been grateful for those chips? Not exactly. Not even close. She called the child, this sweet lovable child, a twat.
Some time later in this conversation which consisted of mother shouting and child ignoring and me considering putting "Sorry not in Service" up, mother unwisely asked the child did she behave this badly at school for her teacher. The child said no. More unwisely still the mother asked why not. Child replied, "Because I like my teacher."
I then boarded the bus and started the engine. The three of them boarded the bus, mother presenting me with a day ticket. She could have been going on stop or all the way to Newton Abbot, which is over an hour away. Why didn't I put "Out of Service" up and drive away when I had the chance? The journey consisted of more of the same but included mother telling everyone on the bus what they are ready knew, the child was a bit of a hand full. They got of at Shiphay Lane which is three quaters of the way to Newton
When I read the article over lunch it turned out that a Head Teacher from one of our local primary schools was giving the world, or that portion of the world that lived in the bay and read the paper, a warning that bad parents made for bad children. (Click here to read the whole article). He had given up teaching after 20 odd years and is seeking employment as a lorry driver to get away from the cares and stress of teaching. Try bus driving mate, no cares or stress driving a bus.
Later in the day I drove into Brixham. It was early evening at which time the bus times change from day running to evening running and I had 15 minutes waiting time before I left. Waiting for me was mother with infant (asleep) in buggy and 4 year old daughter who was eating chips, french fries if you are in the US of A. Mother wrapped the chips up in the paper and came to board the bus. I explained that she could not bring the chips on the bus and in any case I wasn't going for 15 minutes so there was plenty of time to eat the chips before the bus left.
I got of the bus for a little stretch and watched mother and child. Child by the way was what you would call a 'hand full', taking not the slightest notice of what mother was saying. She started examining each chip before eating and discarding those she did not like the look of on the floor. Was I glad I hadn't let her on the bus with the chips. Now Brixham is a fishing port, which means seagulls. Seagulls do not carefully examine chips before eating them. If you don't believe me try holding a chip up in front of a seagull and see what happens. Just don't complain to me that it took a week to get the feeling back in your fingers. Better still get a Copy of 'The Birds' from Blockbusters. So lots of seagulls arrived in double quick time. So what did mother do? Explain about the fact that gulls are permanently hungry, have sharp beaks and big wings and can spot a dropped chip faster than an African vulture can notice a wildebeest falling over? Explain the dropping litter of any sort was illegal and untidy? Tell her that some poor starving child would have been grateful for those chips? Not exactly. Not even close. She called the child, this sweet lovable child, a twat.
Some time later in this conversation which consisted of mother shouting and child ignoring and me considering putting "Sorry not in Service" up, mother unwisely asked the child did she behave this badly at school for her teacher. The child said no. More unwisely still the mother asked why not. Child replied, "Because I like my teacher."
I then boarded the bus and started the engine. The three of them boarded the bus, mother presenting me with a day ticket. She could have been going on stop or all the way to Newton Abbot, which is over an hour away. Why didn't I put "Out of Service" up and drive away when I had the chance? The journey consisted of more of the same but included mother telling everyone on the bus what they are ready knew, the child was a bit of a hand full. They got of at Shiphay Lane which is three quaters of the way to Newton
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)