The destination of this bus has changed

[TheArtfulDogger]

Arrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Artful

[uncleglen]

Whenever this has happened to me I go to the driver and get a ticket because otherwise you have to pay twice for your journey

[muffins78]

Wouldn't be the number 40, would it? I hate when it does that, especially if no warning and I could have made another choice about my journey. To be honest, I can find it hugely stressful if I can't find a seat on the subsequent bus that I get on for various reasons... Should the bus service, having advertised that it is going to a specific destination, be made go to that destination - like the sale of goods act (or whatever it is called now), if you don't get the service advertised - it's false advertising???

[adonirum]

muffins78 your point about going to its' destination used to go something like this years ago:

Irate passenger " it says xxxx on the front destination sign"

Smart-arsed conductor "it says India on the tyres but we're not going there"

so I think you'll find we all have to just put up with it, but your point is well made and apposite. Happens a lot on the 176.

[TheArtfulDogger]

It seems to happen on all buses, and a further frustration is when the next bus behind overtakes it before it reaches the new destination resulting in an even longer wait

[Jeremy]

Honestly don't know how anyone could be a fan of bus travel, when they're forever deciding at the last minute to terminate at Camberwell.

[Bic Basher]

It happened on the 185 tonight coming back from Pimlico this evening. I saw the first 185 rammed to the rafters and got on the second bus, which I wondered why 15-20 people started getting on my bus at every stop along Camberwell New Road as the front bus terminated at Camberwell Green.

[worldwiser]

My bugbear is the almost daily announcement after Camberwell, 'there will be a short delay while a change of driver takes place.' Why the bus company finds it impossible to run a bus route end to end without giving drivers a tea break I don't know.

[muffins78]

Ha I think they still have those types of conversations with the bus drivers!! There does seen to be some type of attraction going on with Camberwell, it seems to be a popular termination point for the buses!! It might be McDonald's :)

Oh what's really annoying too is that the buses that terminate early e.g at east dulwich station for instance - they take off up lordship lane then, and we're left thinking that they could have still brought us up further along our route!! Eekk!!

On a positive note and it's only happened to me once, I was at the start of the 40 route from ED, the driver asked who was going as far as Aldgate and not looking to get off earlier - there was only me who said yes, he told me to get on the bus and he drove straight into London without doing any pickups - it's was the fastest journey ever - that was great service :)

[aquarius moon]

worldwiser Wrote:

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> My bugbear is the almost daily announcement after

> Camberwell, 'there will be a short delay while a

> change of driver takes place.' Why the bus company

> finds it impossible to run a bus route end to end

> without giving drivers a tea break I don't know.

The drivers are starting/ending their shift not having a tea break.

And obviously this has to be done close to a bus garage which is where most driver changeovers take place.

[adonirum]

Another thing that happens on the 176 regularly, worldwiser. I wonder if this is a necessity, though, due to tachograph breaks (a legal requirement). Does anyone know if bus drivers are covered by this legislation, I know that coach drivers are, and it's the same licence - PSV ? Could go some way to explaining it.

[Applespider]

The driver change thing only seems to happen to me when I'm already running late. As far as the destination changing going, it's not so bad where it's on a route where you can pick up another bus number relatively easily so long as you have a Travelcard or don't mind paying again. But I hate when the P4 decides to stop at the Picture Gallery and you have the dilemma of waiting for the next (potentially full) P4 or walking the length of the Village to get the 37.

Best bus journey I ever made was on an N176 (while they were still Ns) when there was a problem at the Plough at about 4am on a Monday morning. The bus turned left at Goose Green, went all the way up Forest Hill Road and came along Wood Vale before coming to a stop at the Melford Road junction where the driver looked confused. So I helped him navigate back to the route (hardly difficult from there!) and in return, he dropped me outside my door!

[Bic Basher]

Camberwell Green is popular thanks to the two bus garages near the green which serve the Go-Ahead and Abellio companies. The 176 uses Camberwell Road for driver changeover, so the drivers who are based at Arriva's Norwood garage can hop on the 68 or 468 back to base.

[KalamityKel]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> Honestly don't know how anyone could be a fan of

> bus travel, when they're forever deciding at the

> last minute to terminate at Camberwell.

As opposed to standing like a lemon at a train station for 20 mins for the next 4 trains to suddenly be cancelled? hmmm

adonirum Wrote:

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

> Another thing that happens on the 176 regularly,

> worldwiser. I wonder if this is a necessity,

> though, due to tachograph breaks (a legal

> requirement). Does anyone know if bus drivers are

> covered by this legislation, I know that coach

> drivers are, and it's the same licence - PSV ?

> Could go some way to explaining it.

Yes they have to follow the tachograph limits, at times being forced to stop at really inconvenient times (not just for the passenger but also the driver and other traffic).

People shouldn't get grumpy with drivers, they are made to follow an overall network of controllers. They have to follow their instructions, most of the time following ridiculous and ill-informed details, or face being fined personally and to the bus company.

What I find more annoying is people complaining they are going to be late when stuck on a bus that is waiting for a driver change or time regulating. That particular bus is only running to the planned time it is/was meant to be, meaning you'd have been late getting that bus anyway! If it's really such an issue about being on time to somewhere the answer is simple... lose that extra 20 min "lay in", get ya bum outta bed and get up and out early!

[JohnL]

there are two types of driver too, slow/careful and fast/overtaking. Was on a 63 which was determined to catch and overtake the 63 in front recently - he did too.

[worldwiser]

I just think adding an extra 5m to what is already possibly the slowest bus route in London (Walworth Rd) is a kick in the teeth when no-one's making any plans to improve traffic flow. 20m Camberwell to E&C is intolerable. I may as well walk.

[Jeremy]

KalamityKel Wrote:

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

> As opposed to standing like a lemon at a train

> station for 20 mins for the next 4 trains to

> suddenly be cancelled? hmmm

yeah the trains are currently almost as bad, I'll admit. But there are people who actively seem to be fans of bus travel. And whenever I take it I seem to spend half of the journey gritting my teeth.

[????]

Fan of bus travel - hand up.

Trying to remember last time my bus terminated in Camberwell?? 40 stopped at GG roundabout last week which was a bit annoying but still closer than ED Station to my gaff. Times this year had to stand on the bus for any part of my journey= 0

[Siduhe]

Has been happening a lot recently with the 63 and the 363, which is inevitable I guess as they cover much of the same route in the middle.

Had a moment of rare anger last week getting on a 63 which was terminated at the Peckham bus garage, then getting the 363 a few minutes behind it (which is the bus I need) which was then terminated at the old FHT. Not because of the terminations, but because the second bus driver refused to give me a transfer ticket for the rest of the 363 route, because I'd got on his bus by means of a transfer ticket (from the 63). Apparently you can only transfer once even if the bus you transfer onto is also then terminated early.

*this should probably be on the Tiny Things that cause Irrational Rage thread now I think about it*

[Parkdrive]

adonirum Wrote:

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

> muffins78 your point about going to its'

> destination used to go something like this years

> ago:

> Irate passenger " it says xxxx on the front

> destination sign"

> Smart-arsed conductor "it says India on the tyres

> but we're not going there"

> so I think you'll find we all have to just put up

> with it, but your point is well made and apposite.

> Happens a lot on the 176.

Similarly condunctor says "It ssys Typhoo tea on the front but we're not going to China"

[StraferJack]

If you don't keep looking at a watch, thinking "come Oon!!!" You'd be surprised now quicker your journey is

Just heads down and read a book. Shorter walk at end of journey for most as well

[Otta]

I was always a bog advocate of bus travel and for years did the commute fro ED to Woolwich which is a bit of a mission.

These days I'm more overground / DLR and as a result I now find buses much less pleasant. Not sure if it's more to do with drivers or brakes, but the inching forward and lurching makes me feel quite sick.

[Seabag]

The old Routemaster 12 to Notting Hill and back was the sweetest of bus rides

Ever since then nothing has come close. I took the 176 on a journey this year. God, part of me died. So much so I got off at Camberwell Green to get a cab the rest of the way

The cab journey was of itself a further journey into hell, so I feel for those who have to use busse . They've become more like a branch of social services than a transport method.

Hardly a wonder that bikes journeys have increased so much. Better taking your life into your own hands then dying slowly in a Red alloy mad house

[numbers]

its even worse when the destination of your bus has changed because the driver has got lost on diversion and doesn't know the area and has asked passengers for help but its a bit too late as he's already gone way too far. (don't know why he didn't get help on that radio thingy they have).

more so when you're in north london and have been told specifically to get off at X stop, using a bus route you've never been on and there are no taxis and no-one will believe why you're late.

[chillychap]

Tfl are squeezing the life out of bus companies. They constantly move the goal posts to make more money for other projects. Companies are trying to keep their profit margins to the max which in turn places more pressure on the controllers to perform. Thus adding more pressure on the poor driver. So don't take your frustrations out on the drivers go straight to TFL. Have a blast at them, you pay their wages you know!