Top deck of bus

[Earl Aelfheah]

...and little buggy spot opposite the double doors as the Family Room.

[DulwichFox]

Upstairs is best because there are no buggies..

People used to go upstairs to smoke.. which derives from the days when buses were open top.

DulwichFox

[titch juicy]

I get buses everywhere I can, the extra 15/20 minutes it takes doesn't matter to me.

Always upstairs for me- just so much more comfortable. Only crime i've experienced was on a late bus (2am) on my way South through Dalston, when a young couple got on, sat in front of me (i think it annoyed them that I was on the back seat) and opened their window, got their crack pipe out and started puffing away.

They were hurting no-one but themselves and I think I was the only one that noticed. I didn't feel threatened although I can understand why some might.

[*Bob*]

So people do still upstairs to smoke after then, Titch?

[titch juicy]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> So people do still upstairs to smoke after then,

> Titch?

Indeed, i'm not sure it's allowed though.

[*Bob*]

'Course In the good old days everybody used to go upstairs to smoke their crack pipes and no-one thought anything of it. These days you're made to feel like some sort of social pariah just for quietly lighting up at the back!

I blame gentrification.

[Louisa]

Or to put their make-up on, eat fried chicken, moisturise amongst other bloody things. I don't blame gentrification, I blame ignorance and lack of respect for others!

Louisa.

[Sue]

Front left seat upstairs for me. Always.

Unless I've got luggage which is too heavy or bulky to drag up there :)

And if that seat is occupied I watch it with eagle eyes until it isn't, then make a dash for it.

Front right seat is a just about acceptable second best :))

And people who block the bloody stairs and the doors are an absolute pain.

[Blah Blah]

Yeah the smell of fried chicken on a bus really gets to me as I'm a vegetarian, more even than bob sneakily lighting up his crack pipe at the back ;)

[Blah Blah]

'And if that seat is occupied I watch it with eagle eyes until it isn't, then make a dash for it.'

Ah you are one of those people Sue :D

P.S why left over right? Just curious.

[Sue]

Blah Blah Wrote:

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

> 'And if that seat is occupied I watch it with

> eagle eyes until it isn't, then make a dash for

> it.'

>

> Ah you are one of those people Sue :D

>

> P.S why left over right? Just curious.

Yep! I'm one of them!

Just feels like I'm getting a better view from the left side. I guess because it's nearer the pavement. On the right side you're looking over a load of traffic.

Worst case scenario is being stuck on one of those single deck buses and not being able to see out. Maybe it's due to some deep psychological trauma. I don't like facing the wall in a restaurant, either :))

[*Bob*]

Front left is safer. Less chance of someone flobbing on the back of your head as they come up the stairs.

[DulwichFox]

Sue Wrote:

> I don't like facing the wall in a restaurant, either :))

Neither do I.. :)

Foxy

[Blah Blah]

Yeah I don't like facing the wall in a restaurant either come to think of it :D

[stringvest]

I haven't been on buses for years. So much planning just to get a on bus now. Where to get your ticket? Do you get a travel card at the sweet shop (how long for? what zones? I don't know what ZONE my destination is, and what if I get sent from a hospital in one zone to somewhere in another?), or try and pay at the machine, some buses don't take money or give change. Its very difficult to get a bus, unless you are a regular public transport user and all clued up.

My friends and I would only venture upstairs because we could smoke (fags, not crack!) there !!

The best little bus journey I had recently was on a C10 to St Thomas's visiting someone. It was a very small bus. Nice people would say hello to driver and because you had to exit the same doors at the front, I said Thank you to the driver on leaving, as did other people. It was a more pleasant journey. The driver was treated with more respect than they usually are on double decker,. AND THERE WASN'T A GREAT BIG UNECONOMIC BIG BUS with empty seats clogging up the roads. More hopper buses would be great I think.

[Earl Aelfheah]

It's definitely true that the hopper buses have a different, more friendly vibe (and everyone thanks the driver). Funny really.

[red devil]

Tube strike tonight so you better get used to the buses being chocker...

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/3577/production/_84678631_84678482.jpg

[womanofdulwich]

I really dont like the back of the bus seats which are opposite each other- makes you feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes. Which route is that?

[Otta]

RE Smoking, it is much more common to smell weed upstairs than it used to be. But weed smoking on the streets in general is much more common that it used to be, so guess that's to be expected.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I saw a neighbour walking his 4(ish) year old out the house today with a spliff in hand. I'm generally pretty laid back about these things, but taking your kid to nursery, spliff blazing, is a little brazen.

[????]

If you were drinking that time of the morning you'd be in alkie territorry.I 've always felt a lot of spliff smokers who don't smoke cigggies are actually addicted to the tobbacco and that helps explain quite a lot of their spliff habit

[Earl Aelfheah]

A long time ago, I tried to give up fags, but keep smoking weed. I had to take up tobacco again for the sake of my health. Eventually, I had to accept that the only way I'd ever give up the fags for good, was if I quit smoking altogether (which I did). It's a shame, because I still quite fancy the occasional spliff, but know it would lead me back to smoking fags all the time.

[titch juicy]

rahrahrah Wrote:

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

> A long time ago, I tried to give up fags, but keep

> smoking weed. I had to take up tobacco again for

> the sake of my health. Eventually, I had to accept

> that the only way I'd ever give up the fags for

> good, was if I quit smoking altogether (which I

> did). It's a shame, because I still quite fancy

> the occasional spliff, but know it would lead me

> back to smoking fags all the time.

Vaporisers are your friend. Google pax ploom

[siousxiesue]

*Bob* Wrote:

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

> Front left is safer. Less chance of someone

> flobbing on the back of your head as they come up

> the stairs.

Front left isn't safer when they hit a low hanging tree and have the roof ripped off! This has happened twice recently...

[indiepanda]

I only stay downstairs on the bus with large luggage, always feel I should go upstairs to free up space for those who can't manage the stairs. I felt very awkward when I had a knee injury and couldn't manage the stairs - felt like a fraud sitting downstairs whilst not looking obviously decrepit.

I mainly use the 63, get on the second stop of the route and aim to sit on the left about half way back by the window - where the floor is raised up - I have short legs and it's more comfortable there.

Most "trouble" I've seen on the bus is people with music too loud and teenagers being a bit noisy - i.e. nothing worth getting excited about. If people have been eating on the bus its never been smelly enough to bother me, and the make up thing doesn't bother me at all, though I couldn't do it myself - bound to poke myself in the eye with a mascara wand, which would not improve my appearance.