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Keighley Bus driver holds passengers hostage (9/6/2015)

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bradders1983

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Friend of mine trying to get into work this morning, catches the 662 which subsequently breaks down.

Driver calls for a replacement bus and common sense would dictate that he lets the passengers off to catch the next available bus. Oh no.

Because the bus was TWENTY FEET away from the next stop, he wouldnt let them off! :roll::roll::roll::roll:

Half an hour he kept them on the bus, all because of jobsworthness (if that is a word).
 
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Darandio

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What an utterly ridiculous thread title. No doubt the mods will change it, so i'm keeping it for posterity. :lol:

Keighley Bus driver holds passengers hostage (9/6/2015)
 

Bletchleyite

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Helps to know the location of the emergency door open buttons, which would have been being used if that was tried on me.

Entirely reasonable that you should wait for the stop if in normal operations or just on a busy road, but if the bus has broken down other than on a motorway keeping passengers on board is stupid. It's not as if the dangers are anything like on the railway.
 

bradders1983

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Helps to know the location of the emergency door open buttons, which would have been being used if that was tried on me.

Entirely reasonable that you should wait for the stop if in normal operations or just on a busy road, but if the bus has broken down other than on a motorway keeping passengers on board is stupid. It's not as if the dangers are anything like on the railway.

It was on the main road between Frizinghall and Bradford, havent asked if it was in the bus lane bit but may have been, even so its hardly Clapham Junction or the M25.

Asked him why he didnt use the emergency exit and he said he thought that was against the law. Said that if you all would have done it, it wouldnt have mattered.

Apparently the next bus was a First one, which may have been why the driver pulled the stunt he did.
 
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Liam

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Don't know the area or the operators in the area, but don't other buses in service from the same operator usually stop to take passengers from a broken down vehicle?

That's normally been the case in my experience.
 

bradders1983

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Don't know the area or the operators in the area, but don't other buses in service from the same operator usually stop to take passengers from a broken down vehicle?

That's normally been the case in my experience.

Havent a clue. At that time of day the 662 isnt quite a "every ten minute" service, though but you have a point and seems odd that this didnt happen.

Actually, just checked the timetable and the next 662 would have been along 15 mins later. I shall ask for more info.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Right, he got back to me, turns out the next 662 did pick them up so clearly it was a ploy by the driver to stop people getting on a competing bus service.

Although I dont know where the half hour is coming from, given its a 15 minute frequency at that time of day.
 

Clip

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Right, he got back to me, turns out the next 662 did pick them up so clearly it was a ploy by the driver to stop people getting on a competing bus service.

.

Why would the driver care if they got on another operators bus? They would only have to pay again as it was a different company.

Apparently the next bus was a First one, which may have been why the driver pulled the stunt he did.

Think your mate may be over exaggerating this somewhat don't you?

Although I dont know where the half hour is coming from, given its a 15 minute frequency at that time of day
 

Peter Mugridge

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but if the bus has broken down other than on a motorway keeping passengers on board is stupid.

If the bus had broken down on a mototway then the driver should have evacuated the passengers onto the verge behind the fence ( and behind where the bus was ) immediately; the average time between stopping on the hard shoulder and being rammed from behind is just 18 minutes.

Given that this was an ordinary road, things would be a bit different but even so it's still fairly common for a broken down vehicle to be rammed, so given the proximity to the stop he should certainly have let them off.
 
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Deerfold

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Right, he got back to me, turns out the next 662 did pick them up so clearly it was a ploy by the driver to stop people getting on a competing bus service.

I think that's far from clear - if they had a Keighley ticket they'd have to pay again, if they had a Metro product they wouldn't, but what harm would it do Keighley buses if passengers did that - presumably it would make the next 662 less busy.

Sounds very odd - Keighley bus drivers are generally some of the friendliest and most helpful I'd come across, though I only occasionally get the 662 to Bradford.
 

455driver

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So what would happen if the driver let the passengers off the bus and one of them got knocked over because they were being a prat?

Who would be up in front of the Judge?
 

AndyW33

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So what would happen if the driver let the passengers off the bus and one of them got knocked over because they were being a prat?

Who would be up in front of the Judge?

Whoever knocked them over, most likely!

This is a normal urban road, not a motorway. We're told the bus was within 20 yards of a marked bus stop when it broke down. Unless someone is able to say that there is no pavement at the point the bus broke down, why are the passengers at any more risk than people would be in getting to or from that bus stop normally?
 

Antman

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What an utterly ridiculous thread title. No doubt the mods will change it, so i'm keeping it for posterity. :lol:

I don't think it is a ridiculous title at all if that is what happened and I've no reason to think otherwise.

I don't know the location but it sounds like the driver has seriously exceeded his authority and is likely to have some explaining to do if complaints are made.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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I don't think it is a ridiculous title at all if that is what happened and I've no reason to think otherwise.

I don't know the location but it sounds like the driver has seriously exceeded his authority and is likely to have some explaining to do if complaints are made.

I think the thread title is guilty of a little bit of hyperbole.

Did the driver have a gun/knife/sharpened piece of mango with which they were threatening the passengers? Was there a police siege? Were ransom demands sent - £100k in cash and a helicopter waiting to take them to Cuba? :lol: Was there a political angle - demanding autonomy for Skipton?

No - sounds like an overzealous driver, exceeding his responsibility, and probably following a company procedure to the letter without exercising any discretion. As Frank Drebin would've said - "Move on, nothing to see here"
 

Antman

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I think the thread title is guilty of a little bit of hyperbole.

Did the driver have a gun/knife/sharpened piece of mango with which they were threatening the passengers? Was there a police siege? Were ransom demands sent - £100k in cash and a helicopter waiting to take them to Cuba? :lol: Was there a political angle - demanding autonomy for Skipton?

No - sounds like an overzealous driver, exceeding his responsibility, and probably following a company procedure to the letter without exercising any discretion. As Frank Drebin would've said - "Move on, nothing to see here"

Well perhaps but I don't think we need to be too pedantic about it, and admin haven't seen fit to change it as somebody predicted:oops:
 

A-driver

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I know it sounds over the top but it certainly wasn't being held hostage.

What would happen if the driver opened the door away from the bus stop and people got off as a cyclist decided to cycle up the inside and there were injuries? Driver asked why he opened the door away from a stop and held responsible, possibly personally sued or prosecuted for the injuries. Then people would be on here complaining he didn't do his job properly.

Sadly common sense dosnt exist any more in the suing culture we have. What he did protects himself from allegations, no matter how unlikely.
 

TUC

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The fact remains though that a driver has no legsl power to compel passengers to remain on a bus, whatever the individual risks. It does seem to be a phenonomen common to bus and rail staff that, because they operate in a rules-based culture, they seem to assume that assengers do too.
 

Antman

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I know it sounds over the top but it certainly wasn't being held hostage.

What would happen if the driver opened the door away from the bus stop and people got off as a cyclist decided to cycle up the inside and there were injuries? Driver asked why he opened the door away from a stop and held responsible, possibly personally sued or prosecuted for the injuries. Then people would be on here complaining he didn't do his job properly.

Sadly common sense dosnt exist any more in the suing culture we have. What he did protects himself from allegations, no matter how unlikely.

Obviously if the bus was away from the kerb the driver should check for cyclists etc before ushering passengers off. If he tried to physically prevent passengers leaving the bus and ended up being assaulted he would have only himself to blame.
 

A-driver

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Obviously if the bus was away from the kerb the driver should check for cyclists etc before ushering passengers off. If he tried to physically prevent passengers leaving the bus and ended up being assaulted he would have only himself to blame.


Who said he physically prevented people leaving? The title of the thread is incredibly stupid as he didn't hold anyone hostage. He just didn't encourage them to leave away from the safest location.
 

Antman

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Who said he physically prevented people leaving? The title of the thread is incredibly stupid as he didn't hold anyone hostage. He just didn't encourage them to leave away from the safest location.

Well I don't know as I obviously wasn't there but the OP suggests it was a bit more than not encouraging them to leave
 

Bletchleyite

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Most people won't realise that the emergency open buttons on a bus are rather more accessible than a train (usually not even under a cover), and that you won't get in trouble (other than the bus driver shouting at you) for using them unlike on a train, so not opening the doors is probably enough for that feeling.

Though I recall on some buses they can be disabled if the driver keeps his finger on the close button.
 

Antman

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Most people won't realise that the emergency open buttons on a bus are rather more accessible than a train (usually not even under a cover), and that you won't get in trouble (other than the bus driver shouting at you) for using them unlike on a train, so not opening the doors is probably enough for that feeling.

Though I recall on some buses they can be disabled if the driver keeps his finger on the close button.

I think you can be prosecuted for misuse of the emergency controls, whether anybody ever has been I don't know but they certainly wouldn't have been in this situation
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Misleading title, mountain out of molehill, move on

Ah, so you were obviously there too?
 

A-driver

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I think you can be prosecuted for misuse of the emergency controls, whether anybody ever has been I don't know but they certainly wouldn't have been in this situation
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---




Ah, so you were obviously there too?


I don't think you had to be there to know that this is a mountain out of a molehill and that no one was held hostage or against their will. If anyone was held hostage it would have been all over the news by now.

Quite simply the driver didn't open the door and refused to do so when asked. That isn't holding anyone hostage.
 

Deerfold

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Obviously if the bus was away from the kerb the driver should check for cyclists etc before ushering passengers off. If he tried to physically prevent passengers leaving the bus and ended up being assaulted he would have only himself to blame.

I'm sorry. You're saying this would justify someone assaulting the driver? Really?
 

Bletchleyite

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I'm sorry. You're saying this would justify someone assaulting the driver? Really?

Indeed a very bizarre statement, given that you could exit if you wished using either the main door release button or the offside emergency exit. The driver would be annoyed, but would be able to do very little about it.
 

Wolfie

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I don't think you had to be there to know that this is a mountain out of a molehill and that no one was held hostage or against their will. If anyone was held hostage it would have been all over the news by now.

Quite simply the driver didn't open the door and refused to do so when asked. That isn't holding anyone hostage.

My bold

No, but what would have happened if someone called 999 to report to the police that he wouldn't have allowed them off? As has been pointed out he had zero legal authority to detain them.

Indeed I do know of one individual (a now thankfully former colleague - he was a VERY strange individual) who claimed to have successfully taken legal action against London Buses (back in the day when they still operated their own services) for unlawful arrest/detention for a driver's failure to stop at a compulsory stop....
 

bradders1983

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Who said he physically prevented people leaving? The title of the thread is incredibly stupid as he didn't hold anyone hostage. He just didn't encourage them to leave away from the safest location.

Well I don't know as I obviously wasn't there but the OP suggests it was a bit more than not encouraging them to leave

Correct, he point blank refused to open the doors to allow passengers to catch a different service on a busy bus corridor.
 
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