The dreaded FIRST BUS!

[The Doggers]

Hehe I may just do that!

[raveydavey]

The Doggers wrote: On Friday night I waited over an hour for the 64/64A in Aberford. The bus came extremely late from the other direction, and then, as is often the case, did not bother returning from the terminus, thus meaning the bus I had run to the stop to catch after work, never came.Then the next bus came along late, but at least this time it actually returned from the terminus. It comes to something when you're grateful for the bus just turning up, doesn't it?I was furious to be honest. The drivers don't offer any kind of apology. It was freezing cold, and an old lady was also waiting, which I just don't think is right. The fact the buses often don't bother coming back if they are late to the terminus is just insulting and displays perfectly the contempt with which Worst treat their customers.Anybody know who I can write to to express my feelings on this? Complain as Riponian has said, but also fire off an email to the ward councillors (find them on the council website www.leeds.gov.uk ) along the route - if the buses are running straight back down the A64 they must also be missing out Barwick and also possibly missing Scholes, Pendas Fields and maybe even Crossgates.My personal opinion is that timekeeping on this route has become virtually impossible to keep to ever since they extended it right over to Gildersome (or is it Drighlington?) rather than terminating at City Square like it used to.As a suggestion, next time the buses are running late and the terminus bound service comes along, get on it and politely decline to get off at the terminus ensuring that the driver has to either return on the correct route, or at least bring you back into civilisation. The driver won't like it but what else is he going to do?

[Riponian]

Held up somewhat tonight, but although we were at one point 50 minutes late, they didn't just bottle out and go "Not In Service".It does seem that the route is far too long and they assume you're all country types in Aberford and don't use the bus.

[BLAKEY]

I gather from friends who still work for First that the back up arrangements for any troubles on the road are either none existent or at least are grossly inadequate. It is apparently the norm for only one person to be in complete charge of the traffic office counter no matter how busy. That involves all the paperwork and making rapid alterations as necessary when drivers are absent or go sick mid shift. Then there are the incoming public and staff phones to answer and also calls to make to buses on the road. So its understandable at least that an attitude unavoidably develops to tell late running drivers to "do as you wish and record the lost mileage" - and believe me there are a small proportion of people who are experts at running late on purpose, disguising itg very skilfully, so as to have a longer meal break and a shorter final piece of work. While such folks are in a small minority their antics are enough to upset the apple cart - although while its the wrong way to go about achieving change we should maybe look further for the causes. Managements and the Law set standards which are quite impossible within the running times allowed. If every driver allowed people to sit down before moving off and remain seated until the bus stops when alighting the services would quickly collapse. The abandonment of dual doorway buses has also crippled timekeeping - the pantomime occurring now at busy stops has to be seen to be believed, while all those taking their time to alight past buggies and the bottom of the staircase (and the pests who block the gangway and won't sit down because "I'm only going a few stops") seem to hypnotise those waiting to board into nodding off for a while. The much vaunted "accident statistics" with dual doorway buses are in my opinion grossly exaggerated, and I 'm sure that lower purchase costs are really at the bottom of the move. The problem of lost mileage is a far more deep seated one than people realise, and until operators pay more honest attention to it instead of having only the till and shareholders' profits in mind there will be no improvement.The job in sole charge of the traffic offices is quite intolerably stressful and should be the subject of Health & Safety investigation and action. I disagreed strongly with De-regulation and still do - Mrs. Thatcher though did me a favour on October 25th 1986 and allowed me to escape via redundancy from the counter at Headingley Depot. Illness among the Garage Inspectors (as the job was titled then) was an accurate indication of how unreasonable the level of stress is. Being one of those misguided folks who cane themselves too much for little or no appreciation I can surely say that if I hadn't escaped I would not be writing this now. For every lost mile which I couldn't avoid despite trying my hardest I used to worry about the plight of the passengers left standing, and it was the higher Management who should have been doing that.

[The Doggers]

Sounds like a pretty chaotic way of doing things!I have had it before when the bus is late that the driver has been instructed to return to the city centre via the A64 from the terminus at Aberford but has come back instead, with out of service on the front of the bus but still picking everybody up and giving a free ride.Some of the drivers are obviously decent people who do care about their passengers.

[Phill_dvsn]

I got on the 91 bus that supposed to leave the Shaftesbury Cinema just after 11 on Tuesday. It turned up 20 minutes late. I'll not describe the drivers appearence too much, but he had a wooly hat on, and a big gold ear ring. I just had to play Dreadlock Holiday when I got home Despite already being 20 minutes late, he then stopped at the Brown Hare bus stop, continued to take the cash box from the bus, then shouted down the bus. I won't be 5 minutes, I'm off for a p*** and the word he used wasn't pee.He then went in the pub, only too emerge seconds later and return to the bus 'OOPS he says, I've left the bus running, I'm not supposed to leave it running unattended' then switches it off and goes back in the pub. One irrate old dear who was already late for a Doctors appointment shouts after him, now you really are taking the p*** were already late, and off he walks laughing. He then returns and starts the bus back up, and it's now running about half an hour late. The old dear continues to shout and carry on at him that she's going to report him. Try it my dear, see how far you get he starts shouting back. They continue to bait each other shouting back and forth at the tops of their voice, the driver on knowing she was already late deliberately went as slow as possible. He made sure he slowed down so the Harehills lane traffic lights hit red and we had to stop. Despite running half hour late already, he continued to do this slow crawl until she got off the bus.In all my years I've never seen such disgraceful behaviour. I couldn't believe what I was seeing                                 

[dogduke]

The longer the journey the greater the risk of delay.Gildersome to Aberford through the city centre at peak times is a prime target for delay.With it being at best a half hourly service Metro should be able to monitor the service performance without getting off their backsides.All buses seem to have some form of GPS system which tied in with the selected individual bus stop numbers would enable Metro to see the overall peak performance real time.If performance is poor that they can then take whatever actions are available to them. Buses off route would be known by not appearing en route to the selected bus stops through the villages.Although not a personal favoured approach,perhaps Metro staff should be ridng the worst services as 'Mystery shopper' type passengers to experience the grief "FIRST hand"

[The Doggers]

Well, somebody else that's complained about the 64 to Metro has been told that this is happening now. She has also seen a guy with a clipboard on the bus at the time I have had problems with it. Whether they will send these people out more than once or twice remains to be seen.

[simon2710]

My turn for a rant now with regards to Worstbus!A couple of weeks back there was an incident on Roundhay Road (I believe there was some sort of collision) towards the bottom where the church is (St Aidan's). The busses all pulled up and we had to get off as we weren't going to get any further. I, amongst others walked to the bottom of Roundhay Road, just before the Tesco petrol station and waited at the bus stop for the next available bus to get to work (I was already late but that couldn't be helped).I got on the bus, I took a glance at the front - 12 Middleton/Thorpe Lane VIA Corn Exchange. So I got on, no problems, driver didn't say anything at all. Got to my destination-stop at Hunslet and as I was waiting for the bus to stop, the driver started being very rude. He told me that I was "very luck" to be getting off and asked if I had noticed that it said he stopped at the Corn Exchange. He was basically implying that I did not have the ability to read, and what happens if I actually couldn't read? (It would be difficult to get the bus in the first place admittedly!). Anyway, I just gave the driver a dirty look and got off.Now I have my car repaired, I vow never to use the bus again. Overpriced, rude drivers, poor service.You'll be pleased to hear that my rant is now officially over!

[BLAKEY]

simon2710 - if you're quite sure that you'd read the front destination correctly then obviously it was a journey cut short because of the delay you mention and, if authorised as such, he should have altered it to read Corn Exchange accordingly. It sounds as if he hadn't and it was running into Hunslet Park garage - did you alight at South Accommodation road ??