First Buses

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Tue 29 May, 2012 12:07 pm

I was one of the very lucky minority who loved my job as a bus driver and did it entirely out of choice. I used to feel particularly sorry on Monday mornings while working the 0630 from Pontefract to Leeds. The regular passengers, including at least half a load in the bus station for starters, were nice enough folks but their pitifully dismal demeanour on Monday mornings - as they faced another week in jobs that they probably hated - was sad to see. One morning as I pulled up (fresh from the depot) and opened the doors they resembled the Hebrew slaves from Nabucco waiting to start the day's weary trudge - by way of trying to cheer them up, and hopefully see the colour of their money before lunchtime, I called out "Come on folks, cheer up, it'll soon be Friday teatime." My well intentioned remark went down like the proverbial lead balloon !!

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Tue 29 May, 2012 2:44 pm

Blakey - love thatWould've snapped me out of a mope and raised a smile.Come out of retirement and do the No1 (unfortunately-named) "Brown Line"..

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Wed 30 May, 2012 9:28 am

Jogon wrote: Blakey - love thatWould've snapped me out of a mope and raised a smile.Come out of retirement and do the No1 (unfortunately-named) "Brown Line".. Well Jogon, I've done my share on the number 1 long ago, when it was plain old Lawnswood - Beeston, and of course it managed very well without any silly coloured "Metro lines" to identify it !!In the good old days it enjoyed a five minute frequency from Beeston to Headingley (turning round by using the streets around the depot) and every other bus went to Lawnswood at ten minute intervals - this was Monday to Saturday daytimes of course and at other times the "Headingley only" journeys were not necessary. Also in those halcyon days of crew operation the entire rota (apart from a very few peak hour duplicates) was based at Torre Road garage.

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Wed 30 May, 2012 11:50 am

Phill_dvsn wrote: Leodian wrote: It is surely a public relations thing that drivers should be nice when people are nice to them. I was always friendly to my customers whilst delivering the post, in all honesty I find it hard to understand why people have to be so ill mannered and rude. Even after trailing the streets weighed down with heavy bags in all weathers I always treated them with courtesy. It does seem bus drivers by default are miserable, if you get a friendly one it really makes an impression and you remember it because it's such a rarity, as Leo says a little bit of good customer relations isn't too much to ask really is it?I only made four 'enemies' whilst delivering the post in 10 years, one was the ill mannered bus driver I've mentioned earlier on this thread. Another was a miserable woman who ordered parcels nearly on a daily basis, yet was so rude when I woke her up one Saturday morning, right love I said, I'll not bring any more parcels out for you if that's your attitude, you'll get a collection card and go pick them up from the office yourself. That was her sorted, pun intended The young lad next door to me was a rather anti social little sod on a Friday night, he'd have mates round carry on with loud music all night, after a few nice words asking him to calm it down a bit didn't work. My next course of 'behaviour correction' was to stop him being anti social on the Saturday night. He got his giro every fortnight on a Saturday morning, every time he carried on, I shoved his giro straight back in the post box at the top of the street, it had to be collected and go all the way back through the system and he wouldn't get it till Monday morning. The result was-one very fed up and skint next door neighbour, a nice quiet weekend, and a very satisfying piece of Instant Karma! Another trick Posties would do to their less than than pleasant customers is, to pull off any loose stamps and put the offending letter in the surcharge box, they'd get charged £1.01 surcharge fee for the price of a stamp and handling fee, plus the three day delay in getting the letter delivered. The moral of the story is, treat people as you'd like to be treated yourself Oooh Phill.....you little tinker.The one about the giro lad made me laugh a lot though....there's always more than one way to skin a cat !

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Wed 30 May, 2012 12:00 pm

There's one particular driver on the First 85 bramley-morley service who is a proper misery.I had to laugh recently when a very elderly lady alighted in Morley having got on in the glen estate nearby.As she made her way to the fronf I could hear her muttering to her friend.Just as she was about to step off,she turned to saidn driver and said " Eee yer a reyt misery you aren't yer ? Tha neva smiles at owt or nubdy"....enough said ! Everybody howled as they made their way off.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Wed 30 May, 2012 12:45 pm

somme1916 wrote: Oooh Phill.....you little tinker.The one about the giro lad made me laugh a lot though....there's always more than one way to skin a cat ! Indeed there is If he'd been carrying on the night before but it wasn't as bad to warrant severe punishment, I'd let him have the giro on Saturday..But I'd make him sweat a bit thinking it wasn't coming, I'd shove it through his letter box at 11.45, then watch him run like a bat out of hell up the hill hoping to catch the post office before it closed at 12

amber · Post by **amber** » Wed 30 May, 2012 11:21 pm

BLAKEY wrote: Jogon wrote: Blakey - love thatWould've snapped me out of a mope and raised a smile.Come out of retirement and do the No1 (unfortunately-named) "Brown Line".. Well Jogon, I've done my share on the number 1 long ago, when it was plain old Lawnswood - Beeston, and of course it managed very well without any silly coloured "Metro lines" to identify it !!In the good old days it enjoyed a five minute frequency from Beeston to Headingley (turning round by using the streets around the depot) and every other bus went to Lawnswood at ten minute intervals - this was Monday to Saturday daytimes of course and at other times the "Headingley only" journeys were not necessary. Also in those halcyon days of crew operation the entire rota (apart from a very few peak hour duplicates) was based at Torre Road garage. Tut tut Blakey. Caught you out swinegates comprehensive rota had many duties on No1 starting at 05.30 cs/b when we relieved a night service driver and we ran the last bus 23.05 cs to beeston but with your incredible knowledge of lct and y/r You are allowed a mistake!. LOL. Just realised torre may have taken the complete service over late 60s early 70s so apologies. I also remember you and I doing a census on the service at Hyde park and really looking fed up. Those were the days when we had cheerful drivers,bev,the sheriff and many more,many stories to tell Bev gave out green shield stamps to some old ladies and told them when they got 5 they got a free ride. The first driver who was presented with 5 had a real ding dong with the old dear and almost killed bev in the canteen

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Wed 30 May, 2012 11:49 pm

amber wrote: BLAKEY wrote: Jogon wrote: Blakey - love thatWould've snapped me out of a mope and raised a smile.Come out of retirement and do the No1 (unfortunately-named) "Brown Line".. Well Jogon, I've done my share on the number 1 long ago, when it was plain old Lawnswood - Beeston, and of course it managed very well without any silly coloured "Metro lines" to identify it !!In the good old days it enjoyed a five minute frequency from Beeston to Headingley (turning round by using the streets around the depot) and every other bus went to Lawnswood at ten minute intervals - this was Monday to Saturday daytimes of course and at other times the "Headingley only" journeys were not necessary. Also in those halcyon days of crew operation the entire rota (apart from a very few peak hour duplicates) was based at Torre Road garage. Tut tut Blakey. Caught you out swinegates comprehensive rota had many duties on No1 starting at 05.30 cs/b when we relieved a night service driver and we ran the last bus 23.05 cs to beeston but with your incredible knowledge of lct and y/r You are allowed a mistake!. LOL. Just realised torre may have taken the complete service over late 60s early 70s so apologies. I also remember you and I doing a census on the service at Hyde park and really looking fed up. Those were the days when we had cheerful drivers,bev,the sheriff and many more,many stories to tell Bev gave out green shield stamps to some old ladies and told them when they got 5 they got a free ride. The first driver who was presented with 5 had a real ding dong with the old dear and almost killed bev in the canteen Love the green shield stamps story.....sooo funny ! still laughing

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Thu 31 May, 2012 2:54 am

Phill_dvsn wrote: I've not seen any yet, but it's a good job they don't name them after the Worst bus drivers.Mr. SlowMr. BumpMr. GrumpyMr. RudeMr. Grumble LOL Phill - they wouldn't be allowed, we have that line sewn up at our depot with 13 of our deckers being named after Mr Men and little Misses, and no, they wouldn't name one Mr Bump lol. Chrism wrote: Is it included in their training to be Grumpy, Rude, Grumbly and Slow? I used to get my own back with them, when I got on a bus and asked for the correct fare, ie 75 please, they would always ask where are you going to so my reply was usually... ... Home. You see Chris the problem is, to you that was probably funny but when you hear it over and over again, time after time it stops being funny and starts to really pee you off - much like pensioners who insist on showing their free pass and saying F.B.I. or C.I.D. - my reply is is always no actually your not and neither are you funny. salt 'n pepper wrote: How come these days it has become fashionable to thank the bus driver as passengers get off - or should I say alight - the bus? Fashionable these days S and P ? I'm 51 years old and was brought up to always say thank you to both bus drivers and conductors, along with all public service employee's.Personally it doesnt bother me either way, if you speak to me when getting off i'll answer you with a thanks, ta, cheers or whatever else takes my fancy at the time - if you don't then fair enough, thats your choice.When small children get off and say thanks I always make a point of not only answering them but also giving them a smile and a wave as i drive away, likewise when a young child gets on and asks for a ticket i always issue them with a blank - it costs nothing and quite often makes their day. raveydavey wrote: It's a slippery slope - they'll be expecting a tip next... Expecting it Ravey ? we quite often get it lol, especially from pensioners of all groups, not usually in cash although occasionally it happens but I have had mars bars, packets of mints and all manor of things offered to me. I once had a group of eight lads board the bus at Drighlington on a friday evening heading into Leeds, they had called in the co-op and all carried a four pack of lager with them, I politely asked them if they would mind sitting upstairs and if they would take their empties off in Leeds. They were no trouble at all on the journey and when I pulled up on Boar lane they all came down stairs with a "cheers mate", "thanks pal" etc and the last man off said "cheers bud, we cant take these round town with us - you can have them". Result was 6 cans of lager stowed behind my cab seat to take home with me.Oh and when I arrived in the bus station I went upstairs to check and there wasn't a single can abandoned up there. salt 'n pepper wrote: Blakey would definitely have been worth one. Cheers S and P Jogon wrote: Come out of retirement and do the No1 (unfortunately-named) "Brown Line".. Now you see Jogon - I thought a lot of very careful thought had gone into colour coding the various routes around Leeds and that the colour choice for the number 1 was no accident lol Walks away softly whistling to himself lolIn all honesty I could do you a list on here that would take a page of its own of all the little things that serve to make bus drivers grumpy and miserable, especially in Leeds ( Blakey will know where I'm coming from with that ) but despite all that I do actually enjoy my job, even in this day and age and if you board my bus with a smile and a little bit of politeness you will recieve the same in return, likewise when you alight at the end of your journey.However, try being a smart [edited for content], clever dick or putting one over on me and you WILL lose - I promise lol

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Thu 31 May, 2012 7:48 pm

Little factoid for our bus crew readers.There used to be a motoring correspondent called LJK Setright (LJKS for short). In the pre-Clarkson days he contributed to papers and to Car magazine.He was born in London on August 10 1931, to Australian parents who had settled there. His father was an inventor and engineer, who eventually founded a family light engineering business that produced, among other things, the Setright rotary bus ticket dispensing machine. Mechanical I assume.Used by British bus conductors until well into the 1970s. Did Leeds have them?