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buses remember to put your hand out

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takno

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Most people in Edinburgh will put their hand out or make it obvious in some other way that they want the bus.
If you don't, the bus probably won't stop.
Probably depends where you are in town. It can be a hell of a job getting the buses I don't want to not stop for me at my local stop. I tend to wave an arm out anyway, but usually feel like a bit of a fool for doing so. The situation I really can't work out is how to indicate you don't want the front bus when there are three coming in literally behind each other
 
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Jordan Adam

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Probably depends where you are in town. It can be a hell of a job getting the buses I don't want to not stop for me at my local stop. I tend to wave an arm out anyway, but usually feel like a bit of a fool for doing so. The situation I really can't work out is how to indicate you don't want the front bus when there are three coming in literally behind each other

If i'm ever in that situation i tend to try and ignore the first bus and make the driver aware that i don't want it, while focusing my attention towards the bus i want. (As the first bus goes past and the 2nd is in view wave it down)
 

Be3G

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The London system is a bit of a hodgepodge of old and new practices in this respect. We do still have normal (née compulsory) and request stops, but there is no practical difference between the two whatsoever, because the actual system now is that all buses are supposed to pull in to any stop if they think someone at the stop might want their bus (regardless of hand gestures), and passengers must always ring the bell to alight.

Having said that, different drivers have very different attitudes to the ‘do I pull in?’ dilemma. Some will drive fairly slow up to the bus stop then when they're sure you don't want the bus they'll accelerate away. This I think works well; it only wastes a few seconds and I appreciate that any driver doing this is looking out for potential passengers. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I recently had one situation where I had to nearly get myself deliberately run over in order to flag down a London bus that was behind two others which were pulling in to a bus stop; the driver of this third bus couldn't be bothered to see if anyone wanted him so pulled out to overtake the front two buses at speed without having got anywhere near the bus stop.
 

Bletchleyite

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I recently had one situation where I had to nearly get myself deliberately run over in order to flag down a London bus that was behind two others which were pulling in to a bus stop; the driver of this third bus couldn't be bothered to see if anyone wanted him so pulled out to overtake the front two buses at speed without having got anywhere near the bus stop.

It's this practice that needs a very firm hand of enforcement against it (and with CCTV etc it should be easy to see if it happened if a complaint is made), if for no other reason than that it is discriminatory against disabled people who can't run up and down at a stop looking for their bus before it zooms past.
 

Darklord8899

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I have lived in Edinburgh all my life and I always extend my arm out to signal to the driver that I wish to board their bus. (I also will give a shake of the head and step back to signal that I don't want on a bus as well.)
I believe that as all intermediate stops are classed as request stops so it is up to the passenger to stop a bus, not the driver to stop at every stop.

Obviously, Edinburgh has far more overseas visitors and residents now than it ever has and of course, Lothian Buses is a different company to Lothian Regional Transport of my youth. So things may not be the same as the "old days". However, I do remember always being taught to put my arm out to stop a bus and I'm sure that there was an information poster that stated something along the lines of "A passenger wishing to board a bus should make a clear signal to the driver so they know to stop"

I think it is a perfectly good system and people that don't make a clear signal to a driver to stop shouldn't be surprised when the bus goes right past!
 

Aictos

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The one thing I have found about buses in places I've lived before is if you don't indicate to the driver that you want their bus then they just drive past and this includes the likes of Arriva, Stagecoach and National Express so for me it's second nature now as soon as I see the bus I want to indicate to the driver I want to use it unless it's a stop which the bus stops anyway.

If it's a service I don't want then I simply stand back and don't indicate, simple!

It's not difficult and the driver knows if they have to stop or can carry on.
 

A Challenge

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I normally board a bus at a major stop (it says busses may leave minor stops early but not major ones) and one has separate stops for all the busses, and I know it is compulsary to stop there, so there is no need to stick my hand out. The other is served by many by many busses and I can't think if I do put my hand out, though there is normally quite a few people waiting to get on. The stop is served by 10 busses in the hour I get on (normally 9/10 per hour) and yet the previous bus is more than 10 minutes before. When I do board at a less often-used stop i will make it obvious I want to board, though I'm not sure if I maybe actually do it too early.

I did however see a bus that came straight past the stop at the far end of Woking town centre when in my view they were obviously wanting to get on, and it came to stop at the lights just by it, and they always have to wait a long time) and the driver ignored the queue of people waiting to get on. As this was the White Bus Services 446 to Staines, the next one was in an hour. I found this a bit strange, as it says 'All Local Bus services' and I thought it was a compulsory stop! The pretentiously-named 'Town Quay' stop on the other side of the town centre I thought was all as well, but some busses go past in the outside lane, despite the inside being the Bus lane.
 

pdsalford

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The OP would be well suited to a Drivers job with First Manchester, indeed, he's Management material!
 

pdsalford

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I'd impose a rule, were I running a bus company, that if overtaking another bus at a stop you are down to serve and where you cannot be sure that everyone at the stop has seen you and your full destination display (and you have not seen the shelter and everyone waiting at it in case they are signalling to stop) you must, unless it would be unsafe or illegal to do so, first stop behind it and open your doors for at least 10 or maybe 20 seconds to allow people time to notice.
I'm sure most managements expect this to happen, but from the comfort of their desks. Meanwhile, in the real world, many drivers do what they want. The bad ones making life difficult for those trying to do their jobs properly.
 

robk23oxf

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My approach as a driver is to stop at every stop where there is someone waiting, even if they try to wave me by. It saves a lot of hassle because unfortunately there are people out there who will do absolutely nothing to indicate they want the bus to stop and then no doubt they will complain when the bus sails past their stop. Come to think of it, I've had lots of incidents where passengers on board the bus haven't rung the bell for the next stop and then they come and complain when I carry on down the road, so anything is possible. Stopping at all the stops takes a bit longer and sometimes makes the bus late if there are passengers at every stop along the route, it also increases brake wear and fuel consumption but none of these things are my problem anyway. If I'm late at the end of my shift I just log the overtime and get paid for it.
 

Typhoon

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The nearest bus stop to me is on a sharp bend. We used to have a route with three variants so out of courtesy passengers would shake their heads or otherwise indicate that they didn't want that variant as described in #2 and #35, which drivers usually acknowledged by flashing their lights. It is a difficult stop so no-one wants to make the bus stop unnecessarily. It is for this reason that passengers, usually OAPs, habitually sit down in a convenient seat as quickly as possible before moving to a preferred seat at a later stop when they do get. It would be a mistake not to flag down a bus as bus stops, particularly those with shelters, have a myriad of other uses:- resting points for the elderly, smoking shelters for adolescents, meeting places for kids after school, artists studios for the barely talented.

I also want to note that OAPs are the worst. I wish I never had to pick them up OAPS up because they cause more issues than drunken lads late at night cause.
Yes, there are pensioners who are a nuisance, for instance, those who can't find their passes or can't scan it properly, those that see their friends as they get on and off so decide its time for a chat, those that complain about the bus being late, there are also those that are a nuisance because they need to use a wheelchair, are frail so need to sit down before the bus pulls out, cannot read the destination clearly or are uncertain about the route. Pensioners are no different from any other grouping of people, there are the considerate and the inconsiderate. Sorry about that. (Yes, I am a pensioner.)
 

Eyersey468

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We have certain stops that are designated compulsory so have to stop if someone is there regardless of whether they stick their arm out or not. The rest of the time if its a stop only served by one route or going to one destination then I'll stop regardless, if its a stop served by several buses going to different places I only stop if requested to.
 

martian boy

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Typhoon, above.

Some pensioners, a small minority, are a nuisance. Generally, most are OK. What you will find, it is the same ones, time and time again, will board a bus and then look for their pass. Another problem, here in South Wales, is the free Metro newspaper. You will find that the worst culprits are the pensioners who are unsteady on their feet.

The common situation is this:-

A pensioner boards the bus, searches for their purse or wallet (after complaining the bus is late and standing there for over five minutes), then slides the wallet or purse across the machine. This then causes an error on the machine which then has to reset. Sometimes the purse or wallet contains a vast selection of bank/credit/store cards. The free pass has to be removed. Another thirty seconds or so passes while they fumble around. Once the pass registers on the machine, and the ticket is issued, the said pensioner then turns, takes two or three steps and then stands there fumbling around putting their pass back into their purse or wallet. This often prevents other passengers from moving forward. Another two steps are taken, then it's fumbling around for a free paper. It's then not unknown for them to walk half way down the bus before taking a seat. The driver knows full well if he/she moves the bus, the pensioner will fall flat on their face. Often that same pensioner will only be going a mile or so. They seem to take forever to get off the bus after they've said their goodbye to whoever they were talking to. Pension payment days are often the worst for this.

I will stress, THE VAST MAJORITY OF PENSIONERS ARE OK.
 

Typhoon

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Some pensioners, a small minority, are a nuisance. Generally, most are OK. ...
Absolutely agree with your tone, which was not that of the OP.

It's then not unknown for them to walk half way down the bus before taking a seat.
Quite - I have been known to mutter 'sit down' in a low tone (unfortunately, usually with no effect). It is the reason why I try to go upstairs (because I still can) to leave spaces for others.
 

ChrisPJ

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There's a concerning lack of customer service going on with some of these comments.

The chances of someone at the stop being visually impaired should be enough on its own to make it essential to pull up and give folk a chance to move towards the bus.

Not doing so generates ill feeling and bad press.
 

_toommm_

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I've got to say, having lived in Manchester for three months now, it seems barely anybody puts their arm out! My local bus is every half an hour in the day and non existent after 8pm, but people still don't put their hand out! It's got to the point where I feel obscure putting my arm out for the bus. In South Yorkshire where I grew up multiple people would put their arms out at stops, whereas on the other side of the Pennines, it seems like the complete opposite is the norm...
 

sheff1

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The etiquette varies by place. The safest option in an unfamiliar place is to put your arm out.

Reading the OP makes me glad that I almost never have a reason to visit Wales.
 

jim453533

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Being in a fairly rural part of the world, my local route only has one service, so waiting at the bus stop is enough to alert the driver to the fact that you wish to board. There was an occasion a month or two ago when I was waiting for a bus to Inverness (from Nairn), and both the 11 (via Airport) and 10 services were due at roughly the same time. I wanted to catch the more direct 10, but it was running a little late, and it was clear from the Stagecoach app that the 11 would get to the stop first. All I did was retreated back into the shelter a little, shook my head and made a "move on" gesture to the driver. This was clearly appreciated by the driver who gave me a wave to say thanks as he passed. When the bus I did wish to catch followed on a few minutes later, I put my arm out to make it clear that that was the bus I wished to board. I'm used to travelling on routes that have multiple services serving stops, and I have also experienced the sharp-tongues of drivers who have stopped for me when I simply wasn't paying enough attention.

I do think it's a wee bit unfair that you're singling out OAPs as the problem. They are human beings - please treat them with respect! In the case I mentioned above, I had access to the real-time information provided by the smartphone app. I was also near the junction where the two services merge, and it was obvious to me which service was which. I also knew that that particular run would have a coach allocated, but had I gone for the half-hourly inbetween service, anything could turn up. The bus stop had up-to-date timetables, but no real-time information display. If you have one service running behind the other when there's supposed to be a 10 minute gap between them, how do you know until it actually gets to the stop. How clear is the destination screen on the bus itself (does it actually work? I remember the days when paper destination strips were used) and are route numbers actually clear and distinguishable enough (11a/11b etc - the origin and destinations may be the same, but the actual route may differ)? Does your company make it clear that customers should stick their arms out to indicate which service they wish to board?

Even if all this information is present, and the company has done their best to educate the travelling public, you're always going to have people who are unfamiliar with the route, or simply stuck in their ways and won't be told either way. That's human nature, unfortunately. I've worked in retail and call centres for the last 20-odd years, and some people will always make your life awkward no matter how clearly you spell it out. It's one of the pitfalls of doing a job that involves serving Joe Public.
you said treat oaps with respect how about treating the bus driver with respect we get disrespect from them . With out us they would be stuck at home all day.
 

Be3G

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It's this practice that needs a very firm hand of enforcement against it (and with CCTV etc it should be easy to see if it happened if a complaint is made), if for no other reason than that it is discriminatory against disabled people who can't run up and down at a stop looking for their bus before it zooms past.

Hmm you make a good point. I didn't file a complaint because I did eventually manage to get on the bus – I stood in the road (in front of bus no. 2) to wave down the driver of bus no. 3 as he zoomed past, and he came to a very awkward halt some distance beyond the bus stop. But, I should have complained because as you quite rightly point out, if I as a mid-30s able-bodied person struggled to catch the bus, someone with disabilities would have had no chance.
 

jim453533

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my point is this you are supposed to tell the bus driver you want the bus by putting your arm out this is on arrivas website and also is on metros website and at various times and places. Metro used to have posters on every bus stop until yobs decided to destroy them. The ones defending that you don't have to put your hands out are idiots. Bus drivers can not read your mind we are not mistic meg either. Seems to me you are to lazy to put your hand out. If this is the case if you can not be bothered to put your hand out why should the bus driver be bothered to stop for you.

At key locations such as town and city centres yes we stop any way but if we are driving at 30 or 40mph we need a signal as we need to keep to tight deadlines and drive safe.
 

GusB

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you said treat oaps with respect how about treating the bus driver with respect we get disrespect from them . With out us they would be stuck at home all day.
Without passengers, you wouldn't have a job! Just wait until you get old and bits of you stop working properly. Whether it's arthritis affecting your ability to remove your pass, or some condition that makes you forget where you put it.

What an appalling attitude!
 

jim453533

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It seems I need to reiterate a point as some people have missed it. people wait at bus stops for other reasons than catching a bus.
For example
I am waiting for a friend
I am playing a game dont need bus
I am kissing my girl friend
Women is hugging her friend
I am waiting to be picked up by my boy friend in his car
I am trying to hide from my ex boy friend
I am waiting for a friend to get off the bus.
I am talking to some one on the phone
it is raining I need shelter.
I am sleeping on the floor.
 

jim453533

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Without passengers, you wouldn't have a job! Just wait until you get old and bits of you stop working properly. Whether it's arthritis affecting your ability to remove your pass, or some condition that makes you forget where you put it.

What an appalling attitude!
you need to spend a day with a bus driver maybe you would change your way of thinking after a day.
 

jim453533

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I believe manors cost nothing and is a sign of respect. It amazes me how well behaved children are and how polite they are and yet a person who has been around for over 60 years can not even say thanks when they get off the bus.
 

jim453533

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I think it's very clear that you don't have sufficient patience to deal with the public. You need to find a job where you can work on your own or have no dealings with the public.
listen to me after having a ton of verbal abuse from people for just trying to do your job plus hand gestures thrown at you by every one including other road users It does grind you down. I have worked in the service sector and can honestly say I have never experienced so much abuse ever in any job I have done before. including retail jobs.
 

jim453533

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Lets talk about people running for the bus when they are not even at the bus stop you are expecting the bus to wait. Time he or she has not got. You are also delaying all the passengers who wish to get to work on time they do not wish to be late and have to explain to their manager why they were late.
 

jim453533

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The one thing I have found about buses in places I've lived before is if you don't indicate to the driver that you want their bus then they just drive past and this includes the likes of Arriva, Stagecoach and National Express so for me it's second nature now as soon as I see the bus I want to indicate to the driver I want to use it unless it's a stop which the bus stops anyway.

If it's a service I don't want then I simply stand back and don't indicate, simple!

It's not difficult and the driver knows if they have to stop or can carry on.
thanks for your comment I dont get it why people can not put their hand out its not difficult is it?
 

jim453533

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I thought I would post this article from the metro paper please read below.

Yes, getting on and off a No.21 is now considered so tricky that one operator has published a guide on how to board without bother. Invaluable advice includes: ‘At the bus stop, signal with your hand for the driver to stop the bus and get on. ‘Tell the driver where you are going and if you would like a single or return ticket. We recommend asking the driver for the most economical ticket available for your journey type. ‘Payment for your journey should be made in cash. Exact change is appreciated where possible, although change can be given.’ The guide tells bus users to remain seated throughout their journey. They should press the bell once and then wait until the bus stops before leaving their seat and getting off. Stagecoach said the guide was written for people who normally drive. A spokesman added: ‘Everyone used to know how to catch a bus. That is no longer the case.’ But some passengers are not so taken with the helping hand. IT consultant Steve Sanderson, 33, said: ‘I mean, who doesn’t know how to signal you want a bus to stop? It’s not exactly rocket science, is it?’


Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2008/01/20/if-you-don-t-know-how-to-catch-a-bus-read-on-605690/?ito=cbshare

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/
 
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