"Please hold on......." Announcement

[londonbridge]

Was on a London bus this morning, after every stop the driver pulled away and the ibus system announced, as usual, the route number and destination, and then it added "Please hold on, the bus is about to move". Seems pretty pointless when, by the time it played the route number and destination, the bus had already been moving for a good ten-fifteen seconds before the 'please hold on' announcement played! Was this a glitch or a new feature they've added?

 

[96tommy]

Was on a London bus this morning, after every stop the driver pulled away and the ibus system announced, as usual, the route number and destination, and then it added "Please hold on, the bus is about to move". Seems pretty pointless when, by the time it played the route number and destination, the bus had already been moving for a good ten-fifteen seconds before the 'please hold on' announcement played! Was this a glitch or a new feature they've added?

I had this last night on one of the 25 B9TL's. Got on my nerves after a few stops

 

[edwin_m]

http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/please-hold-on-bus-is-about-to-move.html

Meanwhile, in the London Buses Health and Safety Cubbyhole...

Earnest: It would be an excellent thing if we were to take action to reduce the number of people falling over on buses.
Jobsworth: Yes, we must introduce a new announcement every time the bus departs a bus stop.

Moderator: "Yes, we must introduce a quote and a comment every time a link is posted"

 

[Buggleskelly]

I noticed this last night on the 175. Although the announcement is a good idea, it would be best suited for busy stops where lots of people are getting on/off. Maybe this new announcement could be overridden and selected by the driver at the said stops. Had lots of people mocking the announcement earlier on this evening.

 

[Busaholic]

Cue thousands of irritated passengers asking the driver to turn the damned thing off which, of course, he presumably won't be able to do. Later cue a certain number of those irritated passengers deciding to abandon bus travel, having already taken into account their ever-lengthening journey times and the increased intervals between buses. Cue further cuts in the bus service due to 'decreased demand'. The 1980s all over again.

 

[96tommy]

Fortunately last night I only had to put up with it from Holborn to Whitechapel. Imagine having that all the way to Ilford.

 

[306024]

Wonder who gets on a bus not expecting it to move.

 

[Dent]

Wonder who gets on a bus not expecting it to move.

I don't expect anyone gets on a bus not expecting it to move ever, but many people get on buses and don't know the exact moment when it is about to move.

 

[Busaholic]

Fortunately last night I only had to put up with it from Holborn to Whitechapel. Imagine having that all the way to Ilford.

All part of the TfL grand plan to force those recalcitrant people who refuse to abandon the 25 on to the Central Line and, later. Crossrail. Spoken not entirely in jest.

 

[Abpj17]

It's annoying. And pointless because it's done once the bus is already moving.

 

[londonbridge]

Cue thousands of irritated passengers asking the driver to turn the damned thing off which, of course, he presumably won't be able to do.

The driver must have some control over the announcements though as on a couple of occasions I've heard "For your child's safety please remain with your buggy", but only after a passenger with a buggy has boarded and not at any other time, so presumably the driver can trigger a specific announcement to play under certain circumstances.

How about a poll on how long the 'please hold on' announcment will last before it's scrapped due to customer complaints? I give it a month at most.

 

[87 027]

I noticed this has just started as well. Is it driver triggered or wholly automated? Perhaps I should start to count the occasions when this announcement is actually made before the bus sets off, rather than after it has already lurched forwards...

 

[Olympian]

This issue has now been picked up by BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-42681106

 

[GatwickDepress]

Its quite useful at busy stops or stops where the bus has been stationary for quite a while, but I can see how it would get annoying on one of the quieter routes.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This sounds just as bad as "bus stopping at next bus stop, please stand clear of doors" which fortunately didn't last very long.

It is plainly ridiculous. You've heard the door buzzer, seen the doors close etc. It's obvious that the bus is about to move.

I give it 6 months before it's got rid of in a shower of completely valid complaints.

FWIW, the BBC article mentions people falling over as the bus pulls off...that's because of the "binary throttle" issue, which needs improving both on buses and in terms of driver skill and commitment to customer service. Not a pointless announcement.

 

[Busaholic]

This sounds just as bad as "bus stopping at next bus stop, please stand clear of doors" which fortunately didn't last very long.

It is plainly ridiculous. You've heard the door buzzer, seen the doors close etc. It's obvious that the bus is about to move.

I give it 6 months before it's got rid of in a shower of completely valid complaints.

FWIW, the BBC article mentions people falling over as the bus pulls off...that's because of the "binary throttle" issue, which needs improving both on buses and in terms of driver skill and commitment to customer service. Not a pointless announcement.

Driver skill, in particular, and to a lesser extent commitment to customer service has deteriorated under privatisation: I'm not being especially 'poilitical'. just pointing out that when the Chiswick Driving School was in being it had a worldwide reputation for excellence, which has been sacrificed in the name of something or other.

 

[londonbridge]

Another thought, wouldn’t be surprised to hear this discussed on Vanessa’s BBC London show tomorrow.

 

[goblinuser]

Heard this yesterday, an incredibly annoying announcement which makes bus travel a more uncomfortable and frustrating grind.

 

[goblinuser]

I don't expect anyone gets on a bus not expecting it to move ever, but many people get on buses and don't know the exact moment when it is about to move.

On the old RMs with a conductor, you would get a bell rung out by the conductor to signal the driver to start which everone could hear. Perhaps the far less irritating solution is to play a short, non annoying ding sound through the iBus system and link it to the brakes being released. Or just forget the whole thing entirely and allow people to have a peaceful ambient journey without the silly messages.

 

[Dentonian]

This issue has now been picked up by BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-42681106

Don't you love the BBC? I saw this on the *UK* News page. What on earth has it got to do with anyone outside Greater London?

 

[goblinuser]

Don't you love the BBC? I saw this on the *UK* News page. What on earth has it got to do with anyone outside Greater London?

London's population is nearly 9 million people.

 

[quarella]

On the old RMs with a conductor, you would get a bell rung out by the conductor to signal the driver to start which everone could hear. Perhaps the far less irritating solution is to play a short, non annoying ding sound through the iBus system and link it to the brakes being released. Or just forget the whole thing entirely and allow people to have a peaceful ambient journey without the silly messages.

Certainly on some there is an alarm when the rear set of doors are closed. This may be while passengers are still boarding but gives a indication. This message is following the rail style in being unnecessarily wordy. I hope it is soon totally removed but if it must stay perhaps it could be reduced to just "Please hold on."

 

[Dentonian]

London's population is nearly 9 million people.

And the rest of the UK is probably 55 million, and the majority of bus passengers (and EX bus passengers) amongst that 55 million, would think an annoying recorded message is somewhat trivial compared to buses being withdrawn or seriously reduceed, or fares going up well ahead of inflation nearly every year since 1986.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Certainly on some there is an alarm when the rear set of doors are closed. This may be while passengers are still boarding but gives a indication. This message is following the rail style in being unnecessarily wordy. I hope it is soon totally removed but if it must stay perhaps it could be reduced to just "Please hold on."

I think it'll go away soon enough.

 

[goblinuser]

And the rest of the UK is probably 55 million, and the majority of bus passengers (and EX bus passengers) amongst that 55 million, would think an annoying recorded message is somewhat trivial compared to buses being withdrawn or seriously reduceed, or fares going up well ahead of inflation nearly every year since 1986.

A transport provider of the country's capital city has introduced a feature which makes all of their buses frustrating to use for up to 9 million people. I think that is newsworthy.

 

[Hornet]

Are we, now as a race, so utterly stupid that we need an announcement to tell us when a Bus is moving off! Hope the Driver doesn't let any passenger (or is that customer, or guest!!!), get on the Bus if they have headphones on, or are deaf. What next, announcements to tell us when to breathe, lest we collapse due to oxygen starvation. I really do despair sometimes.

 

[edwin_m]

"Please don't sue, TfL is about to run out of money"

 

[Dentonian]

A transport provider of the country's capital city has introduced a feature which makes all of their buses frustrating to use for up to 9 million people. I think that is newsworthy.

I notice you've toned down your original reply, which included an instruction o focus on solving my own local issues. Apart from those issues being far more than local, the point is we haven't got a Media organisation with £4 billion of licence payers money supporting us - and never will have

 

[danorak]

Don't you love the BBC? I saw this on the *UK* News page. What on earth has it got to do with anyone outside Greater London?

The UK newspage draws together stories from the local regions - it sits alongside stories from Humberside, Cornwall, Hereford, Liverpool and (wait for it) Kent on the page I'm seeing. Seems perfectly reasonable to me. If it was leading the World News page, you might have a point.

 

[Teflon Lettuce]

Am I being particularly dense? what is the problem with a recorded message asking people to hold on? I remember many a ride on RM's {and other rear loaders} where the conductor would shout numerous safety messages... including "move on down the bus please" "please note this is not a bus stop, take care" and "Hold tight"... in fact as a bus driver I still call down the bus to hold tight if I have standing passengers or people still moving towards their seat as I pull away...

perhaps it's not so much the announcement that's the problem and more the synthetic mechanical voice?