Incident on #185 bus

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

cdonline, I take umbrage at your red hairism.

[Keef]

Moos, all completely fair points. I know It's a bit unreasonable of me, and I certainly know that when you're given an appointment you are basically stuck with it. I guess I just can't get why they'd want to be on the bus at that time. As you say, I think I'd much rather wait a bit for a more relaxing journey.

[Brendan]

Respect your elders. They?ve earned it. So what if once or twice they get the time wrong or even, god forbid, push their luck. It's not our place to be indignant about it.

Let?s be honest. Our self important careers all the, meetings, budgets and targets that the buses take us to every day are, in the grand scheme of things, all just so much twonk.

Respect for the elderly always has and always will have real value in a society.

[Vicks*]

Amelie,

Its very commendable of you to write a letter to TFL after the incident. But I do wonder if in fact no one actually piped up on the bus and told the driver what an idiot he was not because of shock but because they didn't want the prospect of being targeted also and kicked off the bus?

[Keef]

Just for the record before it gets pointed out to me, I an aware that one of the ladies in the original post had an appointment to get to, so fair enough. I also think the behaviour of the driver, if as the OP describes it, was bang out of order whether they were old, visually impaired, or young and healthy!

[Moos]

Keef, I certainly wasn't having a pop at you - I think it's natural enough to get exasperated and wonder why if you haven't got something urgent to do you have to take up resources at the busiest time. I just think we should take a breath and not impose our own sense of priority on other people, because we really don't know or understand what they have to do, we just speculate. It's like the people who jump the bus queue at London Bridge, which drives me wild. You can see them looking shifty and I imagine them justifying it to themselves on the grounds that they're really busy.. really late.. whatever, without thinking about everyone else's busy schedule or late running.

Quite apart from Brendan's excellent point about respect for the elderly.

[cdonline]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> cdonline, I take umbrage at your red hairism.

Never really thought about the word, really. As somebody who is mostly ginger themselves, perhaps I should.

I understand the point about respecting your elders and there is no justification for silly rudeness, but as their passes don't work before 9am, what exactly is the driver meant to do. Just wave them on? What if an inspector gets on?

What happens if some miserable git, who's having a bad day and sees what happens, decides vent their anger and calls to complain about drivers not following the rules?

[Moos]

cdonline, that sounds like the situation that Siduhe (sp?) described. If the bus driver politely says 'I'm sorry, you'll have to wait, or pay your fare, the rules are very strict' then that's "fare" (oh ha ha haha haaaaaaaaa) enough. It's being shouted at and treated like a criminal that's entirely out of order.

[Brendan]

Keef sorry don?t mean to sound like we?re telling you off or anything. That was not my intention.

[Keef]

No I wasn't feeling told off by either of you, just thought I'd clarify my point a bit, as often on this forum, something like that would soon have me labelled as hating the elderly. I spend most of my working life with the elderly, I just do't want to share the bus to and from work with them too ;-)

[bon3yard]

Most old people tend to get up at 5am so by the time 8-30-9am swings around its like their midday. Their usually tucked up in bed with a bag of Werthers and a Mug of Horlicks by the time The Weakest Link comes on the telly.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Brendan, bless you, you young whippersnapper.

Keef, if you don't amend your typo, you will get another label altogether!

[RosieH]

good catch PGC

[Zebedee Tring]

Keef Wrote:

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> No I wasn't feeling told off by either of you,

> just thought I'd clarify my point a bit, as often

> on this forum, something like that would soon have

> me labelled as having the elderly. I spend most of

> my working life with the elderly, I just do't want

> to share the bus to and from work with them too

> ;-)

I have recently turned 60 and acquired a Freedom Pass, although I don't regard myself as 'elderly' - far from it. However, I've paid taxes for a considerable time and consider that I've earned the Pass. I also expect to be treated with a bit of respect by public servants, who indeed should show respect to everybody regardless of their age.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Go Zebedee Tring. BTW, according to Bon3yard, it must be time for bed.

[Zebedee Tring]

I thought that Bon3yard was being ironic. At least for his sake I hope he was; if not then I would hate to be one of his more elderly relatives.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I'm sure he was. It was my poor sense of humour - apologies.

[bon3yard]

Yes.

[Amelie]

rspcasouthlondon - yes, it is that driver

Vicks* - definitely a bad case of collective cowardice as well as shock.

[David Mc]

A friend of mine was a bus driver for a while but gave it up after the abuse he had to suffer from members of the public: being sworn at, spat at, etc. while just trying to do his job. I think people underestimate the level of hassle that these people have to deal with in an average day.

He's a geniunely nice guy and I'm sure that he'd have catered for "extenuating circumstances".

Anyway, he did tell me they had a nickname for the OAPs who (often) tried to travel before they were supposed to. They were known as the "twirlies", as in "am I twirly? (= too early)"! So most of them probably know they're probably not meant to be trying to travel but chance it anyway!

[bon3yard]

I've heard that excuse trotted out before but have yet to experience any abuse directed at bus drivers(unless after they've behaved like a complete git). Tis all one way I tell thee!

[Brendan]

David Mc Wrote:

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> the abuse he had to suffer from

> members of the public: being sworn at, spat at,

> etc. while just trying to do his job. I think

> people underestimate the level of hassle that

> these people have to deal with in an average day.

That is terrible but still no excuse for being rude to the majority of decent people. Only a coward takes out their frustrations on those who they know they can bully.

A lot of us put up with highly stressful situations at work where we?re hassled unnecessarily, threatened or have to put up with people trying their luck and being dishonest. Granted we all have our grumpy moment but in general you don?t take it out on the decent people around you. It especial doesn?t mean that you use it as an excuse to take things out on those who you know won?t fight back.

Yes some people do, do this but quite frankly that makes them just as abusive as the people who attacked them.

[Keef]

Zebedee Tring Wrote:

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> I have recently turned 60 and acquired a Freedom

> Pass, although I don't regard myself as 'elderly'

> - far from it. However, I've paid taxes for a

> considerable time and consider that I've earned

> the Pass. I also expect to be treated with a bit

> of respect by public servants, who indeed should

> show respect to everybody regardless of their age.

60 is still working age, you are not elderly.

Respect should be shown, couldn't agree more, and I never said otherwise. Not quite sure why you quoted my post?

[Zebedee Tring]

Because, Keef, you expressed some reluctance to share the bus with "the elderly" to and from work. I'm absolutely sure that you would never have said that you didn't want to share the bus with black or gay people, so why is it acceptable to lump a group of people categorised as "the elderly" together in that way?

[Keef]

Black or gay people of working age who NEED to be on that bus? Did you read all my posts? I thought the emoticon would have shown I wasn't entirely serious.