What would be your ideal bus and would you use it all the time?

One that runs regularly at least every 20 minutes, and whose driver is actually aware of the existence of Stannington, and not just the estates, I mean the proper Stannington above the Sportsman as well.

(shouts)

AND ONE THAT HAS A WHEELCHAIR RAMP SO THAT PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF CAN USE THEM!!!

(you left that out of your pol... accessibility for everyone!)

(/shout mode)
PT

you forgot something else too;

Run by Stan Butler, Jack Harper and Inspector Blakey :lol:

seriously though:

A double decker! With 72 seats! I don't think first have heard of these things. Running regularly enough so that it doesn't sail past my stop because it's already overloaded. One that doesn't get crammed full of schoolkids; when I went to school there were seperate school services. I don't want to travel to work with noisy, annoying kids now that there's this loopy idea that giving kids a clip is illegal :loopy:

My ideal bus?

The one that ain't running.

Seriously though, am I mistaken by believing that buses ran better when they were all doubledeckers, with conductors and there weren't as many of them.

I feel a Sheffield Corporation Transport Department moment coming on!

when I was a kid, my family used public transport to get everywhere. We did have a car but that was for days out and holidays.

OK, the supermarkets have changed that idea now, but still, thinking about how my family's car use would be toaday, just add "the weekly shop" to the days out and holidays.

Getting a bus was a simple affair - you walked to the bus stop, a bus came along, you paid your money "Exact fare only - no change given" (OK so that's a minus) and you took a seat. If you had luggage you put it in the stowage area under the stairs, and sat so you could keep an eye on it.

The bus went to your destination and you rang the bell and got off. This was 99% of the time. Occasionally you might have to put your luggage down and stand up.

And so what's my point, isn't that what buses do? Well, it should be.

Getting a bus nowadays.

Walk to the stop-
watch overcrowded bus sail past stop without picking up
look at watch numerous times
stop next bus. Pay fare and get change if you don't have the correct money (yay, a plus point). Shove way onto bus, squeeze past people and stumble around holding bags trying to find somewhere to stand while bus moves off. Repeatedly jostle for space as people alighting squeeze past you to get to the front. By the time you get to your destination, you find yourself at the back of the bus. Ring bell, bus stops. Person at front gets off. Bus moves away while you're still fighting your way down the bus. Get off one stop late and walk back.

I'd rather take the scenario where the only inconvenience was that you had to ensure you had the correct fare.

Ask me again why I just drive everrywhere not within walking distance.

EDIT: I'm officially an "old fart", I just made a "when I was a kid" post!!!

And that just about sums up my experience of the damn things, except you forgot to mention the puke-inducing colour schemes!:(

Option 5: no buses at all.

Originally posted by Squiggs
you forgot something else too;

Run by Stan Butler, Jack Harper and Inspector Blakey :lol:



lol.:D :D :D :D

I am currently in Bus Nirvana. :headbang:

Originally posted by markham
And that just about sums up my experience of the damn things, except you forgot to mention the puke-inducing colour schemes!:(

I take it your talking about the garish exterior, rather than the high visibility interior.

Well I would suspect putting conductors back on buses would make a dramatic difference to journey times as the bus wouldn't be stuck for ages at stops while people pay. (or rather people faff around getting their money out).

Let's be honest though - conductors aren't coming back anytime soon.

What might have a chance of being implemented is pre-pay at the bus stop / mobile phone / newsagent / etc.

Then you can still just jump on the bus and sit down - maybe flashing a validation pass at a scanner that will confirm payment.

It sounds like a modern idea but it would have to be a much better system that they had with the Supertram prepay validating system, remember that interlude? It was complicated for some and others couldn't be trusted.

Originally posted by t020
Option 5: no buses at all.

You're an idiot.

Originally posted by Tony
Let's be honest though - conductors aren't coming back anytime soon.

What might have a chance of being implemented is pre-pay at the bus stop / mobile phone / newsagent / etc.

Then you can still just jump on the bus and sit down - maybe flashing a validation pass at a scanner that will confirm payment.

They used to do that when the trams first started, you bought your ticket from a paper shop or whatever in advance.

Why they did away with that system I'll never know :loopy:

If I remember correctly it was because people were not validating the ticket at the second machine located at each tram stop and at some of the stops the machines suffered vanadlism,also some people hop on a tram expecting to purchase them on board.So when stagecoach bought Supertram it decided it was better to operate the current method. On Peak hour journeys most trams have 2 conductors working so Stagecoach must feel it means more revenue, ensures better safety cover for passengers and staff can keep an eye on the kids who think seats are for your putting your feet on.

I would like to see all the bus routes covered by a customer service charter which the rural links has.It can be done as Trent Barton seving Derby/Nottingham do it under the brand 'Rainbow'
and has won several awards for outstanding service.

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
I take it your talking about the garish exterior, rather than the high visibility interior.

Both actually Phan.

Can see the necessity for high visibility interiors though. Just appears sickly to me :thumbsup:

Originally posted by Rich
They used to do that when the trams first started, you bought your ticket from a paper shop or whatever in advance.

Why they did away with that system I'll never know :loopy:

Someone working for Supertram told me that when they brought in conductors, revenue doubled.

Also, how often do trams get vandalised compared to buses? I think that's down to having conductors on board.

Originally posted by Andy
Someone working for Supertram told me that when they brought in conductors, revenue doubled.

Also, how often do trams get vandalised compared to buses? I think that's down to having conductors on board.

The conductors do get abused and threatened a lot though, especially on weekends when some drunken chav is on his way back from getting completely rat arsed down Town or wherever.

In fact someone was given a custodial sentence for abusing a Tram conductor back in June, there's a big notice about it on the Trams serving the Middlewood to Meadowhall route.

my ideal bus would be ones that are ontime, and don't have some disrespectful lazy peice of trash driving it.

but that will never happen. This strike makes them look even worse. It also proves my point...

Originally posted by DeathAxe
my ideal bus would be ones that are ontime, and don't have some disrespectful lazy peice of trash driving it.

but that will never happen. This strike makes them look even worse. It also proves my point...

Nice attitude there dorkus!
These guys are standing up for something that they believe in which is a rarity these days, community spirit and all that don't you know.

You should go down to the picket line and witness it for yourself. Nice little fire and a bbq going last time I looked.

As for "disrespectful, lazy pieces of trash" I ask you, would you respect someone with a tone like yours? Maybe you get abuse because of your attitude. Try chilling out and taking deep breaths.

Originally posted by DeathAxe
my ideal bus would be ones that are ontime, and don't have some disrespectful lazy peice of trash driving it.

but that will never happen. This strike makes them look even worse. It also proves my point...

It's the disrespectful lazy piece of trash that travel on them that is the problem in my opinion. I don't care what the driver is like as long as he drives the bus OK and charges the correct fare!

my ideal bus would be a servise that would run like it did before maggie thatcher completley abolished all places like sheffield! although i was born slap bang in the middle of the minors strike i like to read history of my city & from what my dad says sheffield had one of the best bus services in britain. subsidised so there were cheap fairs, it was one company (the council run it? cant remember), busses that ran on time with no compertition to compete against.

i think the idea of a conductor on busses is a great idea. for the past few months my car has been off road so i've been catching the bus from doncaster to meadowhall ( x78 )in a morning. when the kids were still at school First decided to put a new bus driver on the 8.50am bus. a jurney that normally only takes 40-50 mins was taking nearly an hour & half because she didnt know how to use the ticket machine.

i know more bus drivers are needed but puttin a new bus driver on at peak hour is just rediculas!

Originally posted by SaxonLeigh
my ideal bus would be a servise that would run like it did before maggie thatcher completley abolished all places like sheffield! People blame her for a lot of things, but I can't remember her abolishing Sheffield ;)

Originally posted by Tony
People blame her for a lot of things, but I can't remember her abolishing Sheffield ;)

i dont mean like that! i look at pictures of my family enjoying a day out in a sheffield park before i was born (think the year was 1980), i look at another picture of my family in the same park seven years later just after my brother was born & its awful! i'm told time & time again that this only happend because of MT the same with the busses!:mad:

Originally posted by Rich
One that runs regularly at least every 20 minutes, and whose driver is actually aware of the existence of Stannington, and not just the estates, I mean the proper Stannington above the Sportsman as well.

Couldn't agree more. It is ridiculous how many more buses run to the flats below The Sportsman than into the village. Also it is a policy of Firstbus that if an 82 is missing to take an 83 off its route and replace the 82.

Originally posted by Rusted Root
Nice attitude there dorkus!
These guys are standing up for something that they believe in which is a rarity these days, community spirit and all that don't you know.



This strike has nothing to do with community spirit. The drivers are on strike in an attempt to increase their own pay. When did they ever strike over an issue that would benefit passengers?

Originally posted by Rusted Root
Nice attitude there dorkus!
These guys are standing up for something that they believe in which is a rarity these days, community spirit and all that don't you know.

You should go down to the picket line and witness it for yourself. Nice little fire and a bbq going last time I looked.

As for "disrespectful, lazy pieces of trash" I ask you, would you respect someone with a tone like yours? Maybe you get abuse because of your attitude. Try chilling out and taking deep breaths.

having got dirty looks and generally being treated like **** by drivers i will no longer have one ounce of respect for them. And as the other guy said, the strike was for their own back pockets. Maybe they want to buy more £600 mobilephones for their chavs?

Originally posted by SaxonLeigh
...although i was born slap bang in the middle of the minors strike

I remember that! It was so inconvenient when everyone under the age of 18 stopped working.

It was a bugger to find someone to serve you at McDonald's, I recall :)

Originally posted by mojoworking
I remember that! It was so inconvenient when everyone under the age of 18 stopped working.

It was a bugger to find someone to serve you at McDonald's, I recall :)

And it still is :lol:

You ever tried getting served in a McD's during the Lunch hour period?! It's like waiting for chuffing Christmas!

Originally posted by DeathAxe
having got dirty looks and generally being treated like **** by drivers i will no longer have one ounce of respect for them. And as the other guy said, the strike was for their own back pockets. Maybe they want to buy more £600 mobilephones for their chavs?

I can't help thinking you didn't bring that on yourself. Chavs? What chavs? Another idiot putting people in boxes again.

All I can say to all you guys is, trying walking a mile in their shoes and see if you're still smiling by the end of the day. Go on then- First is obviously looking for drivers. Then come and moan to me. I'll listen then. ;)

Originally posted by Tony
Let's be honest though - conductors aren't coming back anytime soon.

What might have a chance of being implemented is pre-pay at the bus stop / mobile phone / newsagent / etc.

Then you can still just jump on the bus and sit down - maybe flashing a validation pass at a scanner that will confirm payment.

We have pre-payment on some buses down here - more into London itself the 436 - Lewisham to Paddington is pre pay, and is a bendy bus with three doors , get on or off whichever one you like.

Alex

My ideal bus


Would run on time
Would be cheap
Would be quiet
Would be fully monitored by CCTV in an attempt to counter idiocy and crime
Wouldn't have sticky floors
Wouldn't have a bunch of immature losers sat at the back playing all their mobile ringtones.
Wouldn't pollute more in one day than I could hope to in a week
Wouldn't be stood at every stop for ages whilst the driver deals with the fares.
Wouldn't smell like a tent that got packed up after a rainy camping trip and left to rot in it's packing for 18 months
Wouldnt have constantly steamed-up windows and elbow-wetting pools of water in the channels at the bottom of the glass
Wouldn't smell of brake fluid and diesel
Wouldn't vibrate at a stomach turning resonance whilst stationary
Wouldn't be used by the obese, the dangerously mentally unsound, the unwashed, anybody who talks loudly on the phone or children under the age of seven.



Well, you did ask.

Originally posted by bulldog D
What would be your ideal bus and would you use it all the time?


My ideal bus would be called "Taxi"


...and yes I would use it loads.

Originally posted by jackthedog
My ideal bus

(snipped)
Wouldnt have constantly steamed-up windows and elbow-wetting pools of water in the channels at the bottom of the glass

Wouldn't be used by the obese, the dangerously mentally unsound, the unwashed, anybody who talks loudly on the phone or children under the age of seven.



point 1 above; I agree wholeheartedly

point 2 above..
oh, darn! that's me ruled out on all counts! lol! ;)
PT

Well, you did ask.

Originally posted by Rusted Root
All I can say to all you guys is, trying walking a mile in their shoes and see if you're still smiling by the end of the day.

I didn't realise these drivers were FORCED to work for First. If it's that bad why don't they get another job? If they all did that, then First would have to try and improve conditions to attract new drivers.