What is it about buses?

[madbikeboy]

Just had a arrogant bus driver give me a squeeze...

Coming around the corner from Beach Road, onto the bottom of Parnell Road, bus 1909 (link bus) decides to stop on the corner - letting someone off (thought that was illegal?).

So, after about a minute of waiting, and with a green light ahead, I start to filter past. Bus driver sees me coming, and watches me with a smirk as he closes the gap, pushing me into a fucking container truck...

So, I follow him up parnell road, he flips me the bird, and I totally lose it. He pulls into a bus stop, I pull alongside and drop a burnout to get everyone's attention so there would be witnesses if he tries to run me over, park the scoot and walk around to the door just as it closes...

I wanted to get on the bus and have a chat with him about his bullshit - skinny white guy deserved to get his stupid ass kicked.

I still smell of tire smoke... As well as the smoke coming from my ears...

I need to live in America, if I did I would have been able to pull out my handgun and shoot his tires out...!

[Cajun]

lay a complaint with the bus company mate

[Mr. Peanut]

[madbikeboy]

Good advice, just did. The guy on the phone was very professional - he advocated that he take of things rather than me going and having words with the bus driver when he completes the loop back into Parnell again.

Cajun, I just tried blinging you, but I have to spread it around. Sounds like Friday night at a police party...

[Cajun]

make sure you follow it up, with them. later today/tomorrow to see what the driver says.

[Mully]

make sure you follow it up, with them. later today/tomorrow to see what the driver says.

Agreed. And tell them that if you do not get a satisfactory response, you will be escalating this to the LT(S)A/LTNZ/NZTA/Whatever the hell they are called now.

[madbikeboy]

Agreed. And tell them that if you do not get a satisfactory response, you will be escalating this to the LT(S)A/LTNZ/NZTA/Whatever the hell they are called now.

Hmm. I want to escalate it with Mr Bus driver himself - I figure he's the issue here, and if he had a frank and earnest discussion he might find it within himself to change his attitude.

[gijoe1313]

Hmm. I want to escalate it with Mr Bus driver himself - I figure he's the issue here, and if he had a frank and earnest discussion he might find it within himself to change his attitude.

Oh dear, I think your frank and earnest discussion may involve a selection of large handled tools you so recently purchased from Sarge...

I think as usual, that bus drivers are frustrated motorbikers at heart. That which they desire most they have to hate because they cannot reconcile their internal dilemma of being a low paid, under-appreciated, over-stressed large occupancy transport operator vs ... the freedom of riding a motorbike.

Glad to hear you are able to rant and rave about this rather than typing it out on a PDA on a gurney!

Geez MBB, between your possible future in-laws, these events and the surreal susceptibility of your acumen to the epoch breaking visions of reality, I think you need a long, long holiday. A long, long riding holiday that is!

[Ixion]

Trick in these cases is to nip well ahead to a bus stop on his route , prak the bike out of site and leave y' helmet with the bike. Then go and wait patiently at the bus stop, like a good wee punter wanting to ride the bus. When it arrives climb aboard, and then give the bastard arseholes (several, new)

[Slyer]

And holy shit some bus drivers do not know how to merge.
Bus is on the right lane me in the left lane, this is at about 5kph.
I'm slightly in front of the bus, so the bus is supposed to hold back a bit to give me room to move over, like a zip. But nope, he stays right up the arse off the car in front until I'm almost over in the other lane...

[madbikeboy]

Geez MBB, between your possible future in-laws, these events and the surreal susceptibility of your acumen to the epoch breaking visions of reality, I think you need a long, long holiday. A long, long riding holiday that is!

GIJoe - I think you might have a point. I elected to not take too much vacation over summer, I should have taken a heap of time instead... I'm coming on the Northland Loop ride on the tenth, should be a good relief...

[MsKABC]

I used to ride a bus to work regularly, and they are some of the worst drivers around! No concept of smooth driving at all, unpredictable, ignorant and many other bad habits. I'm sure I could do a better job myself Glad you are ok

[slofox]

I fully understand your reactions MBB.......many years ago, when on a pushbike I got squeezed between a bus and the curb.......which was rather high just at the point of squeezure...(new word!). I had to leap off the pedalbike to save my arse from crushing death. When I rang the bus Co. they just fobbed me off...I was only a teenager at the time and didn't have the experience to go kick arse. But i still wish I had done so.....
Just by the by, with regard to gijoe1313's comment about the nature of drivers of omnibuses, I once met one who was a total hoon at heart. He used to drive the last bus at night out from Cathedral Square, Christchurch, to where I lived. I was often the only passenger and he used to blast that bus down Colombo Street as fast as it would go. He always bemoaned the fact that the buses were governed, reckoning that without the governor, they were capable of over 100mph....now THAT would have been a bus ride!!!

[madbikeboy]

I used to ride a bus to work regularly, and they are some of the worst drivers around! No concept of smooth driving at all, unpredictable, ignorant and many other bad habits. I'm sure I could do a better job myself Glad you are ok

A 3 year old on a cocktail of food colouring and sugar would do a better job than this guy, don't undersell your skill level

It is my humble opinion that bikers make much better drivers than people who cage alone...

[MsKABC]

It is my humble opinion that bikers make much better drivers than people who cage alone...

I have always thought the same way too