incredibly slow 176 bus

[Huggers]

We have just returned from South Bank on the 176 with normal-ish traffic,and it took one hour- a journey that usually takes about half an hour. We progressed completely averagely until we got to the Nags Head in Camberwell for driver changeover.Today there was a ten minute wait for this. Then once we had the new driver everything slowed right down- for no apparent reason we stopped for another ten minutes at the stop just past Camberwell Green. The driver was extremely slow until he got to stops, when he was extremely fast on the brakes, leaving us hanging on for dear life as we descended the steps.

Could our driver have been stoned?

[intexasatthe moment]

Stoning a bit extreme Huggers ,perhaps just a letter of complaint to bus company ?

[HonaloochieB]

I think InTexas is on the right lines Huggers.

Don't take a Dylan style 'Rainy Day Women' approach to the driver, do what I do and avoid any bus with a driver wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt.

Though I wouldn't be copacetic to a letter of complaint, like The Man needs help to hassle heads. Catch the guy when he's straight and hip him to the situation.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Where did the driver stop on Lordship Lane? Two stops past Toasted?

[KalamityKel]

Driving slow yet had to hang on for dear life on the stairs? Darn what were YOU doing up there!

[mashcov]

hey the ticket was only 1.60 what do you expect really?

[Huggers]

you had to be there really.

[HonaloochieB]

Huggers Wrote:

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> you had to be there really.

And just like the Sixties, if you were there you can't remember it.

Unless you're Andrew Loog Oldham.

[Huggers]

I can remember it, so maybe I should have had some of what he was having.

[HonaloochieB]

No Huggers, you shouldn't, you mustn't, accept the fact you can't.

Most people are can'ts compared to ALG.

[Burbage]

Huggers Wrote:

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> We have just returned from South Bank on the 176

> with normal-ish traffic,and it took one hour- a

> journey that usually takes about half an hour. We

> progressed completely averagely until we got to

> the Nags Head in Camberwell for driver

> changeover.Today there was a ten minute wait for

> this. Then once we had the new driver everything

> slowed right down- for no apparent reason we

> stopped for another ten minutes at the stop just

> past Camberwell Green. The driver was extremely

> slow until he got to stops, when he was extremely

> fast on the brakes, leaving us hanging on for dear

> life as we descended the steps.

So, if I've read this right, your bus was late.

It happens. Quite a lot, all things considered. Especially when there's a bunch of diversions and road closures in central London. As, according to the local news, travel reports, stop indicators and websites, there were going to be.

The reason it happens is that, if the buses can't get through for an hour or so, they start piling up. So the bus companies start turning them round in the middle, effectively carving the fleet into two hapless halves, and sending each on one of two shorter runs, according to location, keeping the termini as termini, as you'd expect, and making two additional, if hypothetical, quasi-termini in the middle. Clearly, although this does solve, to a degree, the issue of staticity, it doesn't solve the bunching which will have already happened, as implied by, and in consequence of, the blockage. To do that, and bearing in mind that all the timetables will now be well out of kilter, which will have a variable effect on the passenger burden, and the variability of that burden, at each stop, they have to slow down some buses, speed up others and put some out of service, to accommodate the numbers to be accommodated, and so the buses can better approximate being where they should be by whenever that is. Of course, when a bus goes out of service, they have to put the slow-down on the one in front and the hurry-up on the one behind instead of the vice-versa they started with. And then, when the blockage does clear itself, the whole process must be carefully reversed so that everything's back to where it should have been, though not happening at the time it should have happened, but at the time that it is. And that's not as simple as it looks.

The fact that the drivers are only obeying orders is, of course, no excuse for having forced you to grab a grab-rail. But in the extensive and imaginative catalogue of the things humans have done to each other down the millennia, it would be at the milder end of the spectrum for anyone but a lawyer. If you don't have one of those, but still want justice for the abuse you have clearly suffered, I suggest you complain to the bus company. Although the manifestations that populate this forum must have their uses, the dispensation of swiftly merciless justice in response to bus-related complaints isn't likely to be one of them.

[sandyman]

Write to complain if you want but it won't achieve much. I had a problem with a 176 a while back. A full 176 heading to ED pulled up at Camberwell Green and was clearly not going to let anybody on. An empty one behind it sailed straight past the stop. As it was stuck in traffic at the Coldharbour Lane lights I caught up with it and tapped on the door. The driver ignored me and as I could not see any id number which they usually have I walked round to his side and gestured that I was going to take a picture of him. He had a wooly hat on and pulled it down over his face. I went and tapped on the front window to get his attention and he suddenly swerved around me and drove off. At least he'd pulled his woolly hat up by then.

Wrote to operating company, got fobbed off with reply saying drivers are highly trained, shouldn't have done this, will look into it, blah, never heard back again.

[Huggers]

no Burbage, you've read me wrong. it wasn't late and there were no diversions. I wasn't waiting for a bus, I was on it.There was no extra traffic. The bus which usually takes 25 minutes to go from south bank to east dulwich station took an hour. The only thing that made the bus late was the driver driving in a really wierd slow way and hanging around stops where people weren't getting on or off. Really, I get this bus loads. It took twice as long for no reason whatsoever. Because it was wierd, I mentioned it. Maybe I thought someone would say , yes, Ive had that driver.It was only the strangeness that led me to mention it.

oh and the grabbing of the rail, sorry I wasn't clear, was referring to the violent and hard braking- we had seats.

[KylaKevin]

It is always been very a very irritating moment when the driver is driving the in a very low speed and the rest is so long on stations, I think you should complaint for it.

[KalamityKel]

sandyman Wrote:

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> Write to complain if you want but it won't achieve

> much. I had a problem with a 176 a while back. A

> full 176 heading to ED pulled up at Camberwell

> Green and was clearly not going to let anybody on.

> An empty one behind it sailed straight past the

> stop. As it was stuck in traffic at the

> Coldharbour Lane lights I caught up with it and

> tapped on the door. The driver ignored me and as I

> could not see any id number which they usually

> have I walked round to his side and gestured that

> I was going to take a picture of him. He had a

> wooly hat on and pulled it down over his face. I

> went and tapped on the front window to get his

> attention and he suddenly swerved around me and

> drove off. At least he'd pulled his woolly hat up

> by then.

>

> Wrote to operating company, got fobbed off with

> reply saying drivers are highly trained, shouldn't

> have done this, will look into it, blah, never

> heard back again.

If the "leader" - the one that was probably empty and over took the one at the stop was running late (behind the one at the stop) it's common practise for a bus to miss a stop entirely annoying as it is.

The fact that he then wouldnt let you on past the stop AND at a set of lights only shows common sense for the driver - what's the matter with you? Do you seriously think that was safe? For yourself, the bus/bus driver and other vehicles on the road? AND THEN you thought you had the right to complain? Seriously? !!!

ETA: - it's illegal for a driver to let someone board the bus when not at a stop, except in an emergency.

[JohnL]

Don't they talk to each other / to base

'10-4 10-4 I'm full now - be prepared to take the extra'

KalamityKel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> sandyman Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Write to complain if you want but it won't

> achieve

> > much. I had a problem with a 176 a while back.

> A

> > full 176 heading to ED pulled up at Camberwell

> > Green and was clearly not going to let anybody

> on.

> > An empty one behind it sailed straight past the

> > stop. As it was stuck in traffic at the

> > Coldharbour Lane lights I caught up with it and

> > tapped on the door. The driver ignored me and as

> I

> > could not see any id number which they usually

> > have I walked round to his side and gestured

> that

> > I was going to take a picture of him. He had a

> > wooly hat on and pulled it down over his face.

> I

> > went and tapped on the front window to get his

> > attention and he suddenly swerved around me and

> > drove off. At least he'd pulled his woolly hat

> up

> > by then.

> >

> > Wrote to operating company, got fobbed off with

> > reply saying drivers are highly trained,

> shouldn't

> > have done this, will look into it, blah, never

> > heard back again.

>

> If the "leader" - the one that was probably empty

> and over took the one at the stop was running late

> (behind the one at the stop) it's common practise

> for a bus to miss a stop entirely annoying as it

> is.

> The fact that he then wouldnt let you on past the

> stop AND at a set of lights only shows common

> sense for the driver - what's the matter with you?

> Do you seriously think that was safe? For

> yourself, the bus/bus driver and other vehicles on

> the road? AND THEN you thought you had the right

> to complain? Seriously? !!!

>

> ETA: - it's illegal for a driver to let someone

> board the bus when not at a stop, except in an

> emergency.

[holloway]

drivers get into a lot of trouble if they 're ahead of schedule so they 'll deliberately slow down. being a bus driver in london is one job i could never do, they deal with a lot of grief, it turns them bitter and then everyone suffers.

[joom]

The same problem with p13 quite often, obviously ahead of schedule and driving irritatingly slowly!

[Bic Basher]

JohnL Wrote:

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> Don't they talk to each other / to base

>

> '10-4 10-4 I'm full now - be prepared to take the

> extra'

The controller at Norwood Garage where the 176 is based can see where each bus is on a PC thanks to the GPS tracking system on each bus. This has enabled controllers to keep track of buses to the nearest bus stop. The same system enables the voice announcements (One-Seven-Six to Pennnge!) on the bus, which is called iBus.