Bus drivers

[CB ARGH]

I used to take the bus every morning to school... had a wicked driver sometimes, really nice... not.

Man he danced like an ape when people pulled out infront of him. FUCK it was a laugh.

[DougB]

I used to drive tour busses up in the Bay Of Islands for Fullers and Kerikeri tours.
I learnt to be patient and keep and keep my temper as tourists, often used to driving on the right did very strange things. It was especially amusing when they tried to pass on loose metal roads, had some good laughs at Aucklanders who had messed their trousers after a loose metal fright. I used to dread driving bus loads of concert goers to Auckland, even though I got into the concert free,
Auckland drivers were frightening.

For many years I used to drive a school bus from Paihia to Kawakawa. There is nothing approaching the noise etc that you get in an over crowded school bus. Hell would be much quieter.

One moment that I am proud of - a very nasty little blond girl of about 13 who gave me heaps of trouble and verbal abuse until one day I caught her standing alone I jamed on the brakes and she came hurtling to front. I gave it the gas and she went to the back, brakes again but she got hold of a seat, the rest of the kids cheered, she had no friends. I had no more trouble from her.

One young man, who later became a traffic cop, used to have us all in splits, he used to lead an imaginary dog onto the bus talking to it and getting it settled before I drove off. One day he was late and waved franticly at me away from the stop. I pretended not to see him an proceeded down the hill to Opua. On my way back up the hill there he was streched full length on the road with his head on his school bag pretending sleep.
I could go on with many more bus stories. When driving Fullers buses if the command came over the radio "All stations turn left" you were supposed to turn the radio down so that the passengers were not alarmed as some serious trouble had occured on the land or at sea. Naturely we turned the radio up. On one such occasion a helicopter was taking publicity photos at the hole in the rock, it was there when the boat went in, but was gone, had crashed into the sea, when they came out seconds later. Next message on our bus radio "All stations turn left"

[Skyryder]

Had a stint at this a wee while back. Most are pretty good drivers but there are some real shockers. Problem is that they have lowered the standard.
Was a time when you needed your heavy vehicle licence beore you could sit your passanger.
Due to the difficulty in getting drivers now you can go strait from a car into a bus. Now if I'm travelling in a bus and the driver gets it wrong he/she gets a right barreling. Last one was a female driver running a red light.
told her to wake up or queit the job before she kills someone. Should have seen the look on her face when I dropped the name of her boss.



Skyryder

[TOTO]

talking of crazy bus drivering...

[Mikkel]

Blimey I'm glad I'm not a bus driver down here. It is so incredibly rare to see anyone exhibiting any courtesey at all towards public means of transportation around here... or any other courtesey at all on the roads for that matter.

Certainly it's a problem when you put people without the right training and a bad attitude behind the wheel of a 10 ton bus (or however much these things weigh), thus making them responsible for other people's lives.

On the other hand - they are not really that different from all the private roadusers out there. And why would they be?

[Dave-]

i was once waiting at the bus stop, my bus came so i waved....he didn't seem to acknowledge me...so i waved and waved then he pulled over i hop on and i say to the driver as i beep my card

"mate you didnt indicate"

to which he replys

"nah im the boss around here, dont have to"

but it was the way he said it too, like he was some sort of fucking almighty god and I was a stain.

then a few weeks ago on my bike, i was traveling in clear daylight up papanui road (long straight flat) and I spy this bus up ahead droping off passengers, his doors rolled in and he sat there for a bit, I was keeping my eye on this fella, as I drew nearer, like within my right of way limit, he pulls out and guns it, those buses can get off the line and make a decent sized I'd-rather-not-hit-that pretty quick

I thought about over taking him but remembered there was cars coming so had to pull the anchors, I tooted and flashed my lights (which reminds me of another story) slipped to his left and under took him, then proceeded to sit at 40kph clutch hand proudly supporting the single finger until i got bored and sped away, like i was along side when he started moving, I looked at his mirror and shot him a gaze in the eye and the cunt smirked!

NEXT STORY!

i was going to the mall today when i stopped at a light controlled T intersection, I sat there watching the cars line up in the middle of the intersection, then their lights turned red and mine turned green, being that I would quite like to get to the mall before it closed I wanted to go (I wasnt in a huge rush, but you know) anyway, just as their light turned red this woman decided to go for it and leaps (like her car almost jumped) into the intersection, she was on the downward camber so I screamed forward (mostly clutch), held down my pass light, and tooted my horn....this poor woman just looked terrified, like my lights would've been burning her eyes, the loud rev would've startled her and the toot would've made her feel like a retard infront of all the other drivers.

I laughed and slipped up by her into the cue, out of the intersection.

I hope the stupid bitch learnt to never enter an intesection you cannot leave.

[woodybee]

Some of them are pretty hairy. And not very good road citizens.

But, in fairness, in Auckland at any rate, it's a shit of a job. There's no way they can keep up with the schedules they're given, even if they drive like demons. They cop a shit load of crap from the less refined of their clientele. And there's an always present danger of being mugged.

And they also get a really shit deal on shifts: broken shifts, rosters, night shifts, no meal breaks, not even supposed to leave the bus to take a piss. And the responsibility of cash handling on top. And for piss all pay.

I spent a week riding round on buses a year or few ago, doing some research on public transportatrion, and talked a bit to the friendlier ones

Hoorah, for someone taking a balanced view, I spent about 1.5 years driving buses in Dunedin and Queenstown, and sometimes I still drive for the Queenstown Connectabus company when they are short of drivers.

I can't believe how some of you dudes act towards Bus Drivers with the velocity of your bad temperedness.

We (bus drivers) have to cope with moaning passengers, who moan about everything from the price of the bus fare to the weather. Then there are the total pissed up folk who have to be taken to the nicer hotels who don't know how to behave, they really suck, and they actually think they can get one over on me, I made one bloke walk back to his hotel whilst all his friends waved and poken fun out of him. He was up out of his seat abusing me, other passengers, swinging around on the poles, making a real arse of himself, so bet he thinks twice about his behaviour next time.

Its a real hazard when you have to drive bafoons on the buses, they endanger others on the bus, one stupid arse wouldn't sit down (again) and kept talking to me, and then lost his balance and fell onto me, which hearly caused me to swerve across the road.........

There's lots of hazards, tourists, bad tempered motorists, horrendous weather, little workmen who line the roads with cones up and down the road, who have no thought as to how a bus is supposed to manouevre its fat arse through them.

So think on dudes and dudess's as a bus driver is worth their weight in gold, as with others professions there are good and bad in all, you all have some arse you have to work with, but drivers dont get a lot of money to ahve to haul a chuffing great big bus around.

So give them a break, oh critical ones. Me for one, was always polite and courteous with customers, played some good tunes, gave a comentary, got a few laughs and generally I brightened up folks rides in to work in the morning......

Woodybee

[awayatc]

Blimey I'm glad I'm not a bus driver down here. It is so incredibly rare to see anyone exhibiting any courtesey at all towards public means of transportation around here... or any other courtesey at all on the roads for that matter.

On the other hand - they are not really that different from all the private roadusers out there. And why would they be?

Exactly....Overall We are a bunch of piss poor attitude roadusers...

i
slipped to his left and under took him, then proceeded to sit at 40kph clutch hand proudly supporting the single finger until i got bored and sped away, like i was along side when he started moving, I looked at his mirror and shot him a gaze in the eye and the cunt smirked!



I laughed and slipped up by her into the cue, out of the intersection.

I hope the stupid bitch learnt to never enter an intesection you cannot leave.

Just proves a point....

[CDFloss]

Obviously there are the good ones - but this post isnt about them (its just a rant thread after all).

The problem though, is that I dont accept the attitude of "oh just consider how tough it is being a bus driver and having to deal with joe public" as an excuse to endanger me and my family on the roads. Sorry, doesnt cut it. There are many lines of work where you have to deal with real pricks (and pressure) without losing your cool.

I dont have a problem with letting a bus pull out in front of me, if its safe to do so - but have a real problem when they just muscle their way into traffic leaving you to slam on the anchors, or swerve into the oncoming lane to avoid them. Also (as I said before) where they knowingly run traffic lights, which is very common especially in the city centres.

As a bus driver you're in a position of immense responsibility, so cant use the excuse that you're just the same as any other road user. You've got many lives in your hands - even though I know you don't get anywhere near enough recognition (or compensation), and no I wouldn't like to do your job.

So no easy answer other than raising pay to attract more drivers, and thereby also raising the standard of said drivers.

[Mikkel]

then a few weeks ago on my bike, i was traveling in clear daylight up papanui road (long straight flat) and I spy this bus up ahead droping off passengers, his doors rolled in and he sat there for a bit, I was keeping my eye on this fella, as I drew nearer, like within my right of way limit, he pulls out and guns it, those buses can get off the line and make a decent sized I'd-rather-not-hit-that pretty quick

I thought about over taking him but remembered there was cars coming so had to pull the anchors, I tooted and flashed my lights (which reminds me of another story) slipped to his left and under took him, then proceeded to sit at 40kph clutch hand proudly supporting the single finger until i got bored and sped away, like i was along side when he started moving, I looked at his mirror and shot him a gaze in the eye and the cunt smirked!

How awfully big of you mate. First of all, undertaking is a bad practice which will land you a stay in hospital sooner or later.

Furthermore, two wrongs doesn't make a right - you're not helping the situation by being the 2nd idiot!

If you want something done about such behaviour you should have noted the time, place and line number. I am sure Red Bus wouldn't have minded hearing about the incident via the phone or from you in person. If the driver did what he did in order to provoke or annoy you - then he certainly won that little confrontation.

i was going to the mall today when i stopped at a light controlled T intersection, I sat there watching the cars line up in the middle of the intersection, then their lights turned red and mine turned green, being that I would quite like to get to the mall before it closed I wanted to go (I wasnt in a huge rush, but you know) anyway, just as their light turned red this woman decided to go for it and leaps (like her car almost jumped) into the intersection, she was on the downward camber so I screamed forward (mostly clutch), held down my pass light, and tooted my horn....this poor woman just looked terrified, like my lights would've been burning her eyes, the loud rev would've startled her and the toot would've made her feel like a retard infront of all the other drivers.

Yeah, aggression is the way.
However, there's nothing wrong with letting red light runners know that their behaviour is not appreciated.
Just remember that picking a fight you can not win is a bad idea - and you can not take a car or a bus out on a motorcycle.

[nodrog:Me]

...One young man, who later became a traffic cop, used to have us all in splits, he used to lead an imaginary dog onto the bus talking to it and getting it settled before I drove off. ....

fuck the bus drivers, whats up with the coppers?!!

[Number One]

Bus Drivers arrrrrrrrrgh. This at least might give you a bus driver related giggle.

[Sanx]

However, there's nothing wrong with letting red light runners know that their behaviour is not appreciated.
Just remember that picking a fight you can not win is a bad idea - and you can not take a car or a bus out on a motorcycle.

No, you can't win that particular battle; at least not by playing fair. However, I have found that accidentally activating the emergency fuel cut-off that some older buses have on the outside of the vehicle can be quite satisfying after another typically kiwi bit of driving.

[Dave-]

the lady in the intersection was more of a prank, I was just going to slip into the cue but i thought it might be a laugh to give this woman a scare....*as i came back there was an ambo and paramedics performing CPR on her...

*may differ from actual events

[skidMark]

Just remember that picking a fight you can not win is a bad idea - and you can not take a car or a bus out on a motorcycle.

I tried to stop a bus with my pitbike, my pitbike lost.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...2&d=1132203595

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/at...1&d=1132139429

Puddle is where my pitbike was before i moved it (photo was taken as i was moving it clear)

Puddle by bus tyre is where i was when a bus decided to cut the corner.

as which point i went ahh fuck this, bailed off and watched my 2 week old bike get squished.