How to flag a bus when the bus stop is full?

[Olive 10]

Any useful tips anyone?

 

So annoyed. Just missed two busses in a row on West Street because they didn't stop at the bus stop, and although I tried to flag them down, they either didn't see me or decided not to stop as there were already busses filling up the bus stop, or thought I was trying to flag the bus in front.

 

Short of throwing yourself in the path of oncoming traffic, between a convoy of busses, what can you do?

Edited October 30, 2012 by Olive

[1960boy 10]

Are you certain you were at the right stop? Some things changed since Monday.

[Olive 10]

Yes - finally one came along and stopped when there were no other buses jostling for space.

 

The problem is that buses will only stop if they can see someone is flagging it down, which becomes difficult if the bus you want is at the back of a queue. Chances are the buses in front will stop and your bus will sail past whilst you are hidden from their view.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Olive

[Leah-Lacie 10]

I get it at the stop across from Matalan on Chesterfield Road all the time. As its one of the 'fare stage' change stops that they cant leave until a certain time, you get 2 or 3 trying to park up to wait a few minutes and then your bus goes straight past, unless someones getting off... and even then, half the time they just drop them right down the roaf behind the 2/3 waiting buses and set straight back off!

 

 

Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android

[Olive 10]

Frustrating isn't it?

 

It's especially difficult when it gets darker - the drivers have even less chance to spot you.

 

You've got a choice, when you see your bus appearing down the road, of either

a) pegging it down the street, waving your arms like a loon in the hope of it seeing you, in which case what's likely to happen is that the busses already clogging up the stop have moved off, meaning that your bus is now heading for the now-empty bus stop, where you are no longer waiting, leaving you half-way down the street in limbo.

 

or b) staying put at the bus stand, hoping that the busses already there will have pulled out by the time your bus arrives, or that if they don't when your bus passes the others, the driver will see you and pull in.

[Leah-Lacie 10]

Sods law, you leave the stop, the buses pull off and your bus pulls in and you have to walk all the way back up the road

 

 

Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android

[Andy C 86]

Depends on the location as to which course of action you can take without putting yourself in danger!

[Ghozer 113]

The bus stops on WestStreet are so close to each other, why not walk to the next one along where there's less people?

[AndrewC 310]

The bus stops on WestStreet are so close to each other, why not walk to the next one along where there's less people?

 

What if the next one is the same? You might as well argue that perhaps the OP should just walk all the way home to save the hassle? I'm suprised a mod has fallen in to the classic SheffieldForum trap of being a know-it-all and replying with "why didn't you just do X, Y and Z?" !!

 

Perhaps there are ways around the OP's specific problem but this is generally something you see quite a lot on the buses. And it needn't be busy roads/several buses - just two buses coming quickly down an empty road can lead to a scenario in which the first bus stops and by the time passengers who wanted the second bus have had time to run forward to try and flag it down, it's already whizzed off round the back of the first. Of course, by then it's too late to run back to the front of the first bus to try and stop it there either!

 

Where buses have stopped to wait you basically just have to be very observant and very brave; or bank on getting a good, observant bus driver who will look out for people wanting their bus at each stop before shooting off, which in fairness and in my experience, I actually think is most of them.

[BHRemovals 10]

They are normally quite good at stopping

[jeweller 10]

What if the next one is the same? You might as well argue that perhaps the OP should just walk all the way home to save the hassle? I'm suprised a mod has fallen in to the classic SheffieldForum trap of being a know-it-all and replying with "why didn't you just do X, Y and Z?" !!

 

Perhaps there are ways around the OP's specific problem but this is generally something you see quite a lot on the buses. And it needn't be busy roads/several buses - just two buses coming quickly down an empty road can lead to a scenario in which the first bus stops and by the time passengers who wanted the second bus have had time to run forward to try and flag it down, it's already whizzed off round the back of the first. Of course, by then it's too late to run back to the front of the first bus to try and stop it there either!

 

Where buses have stopped to wait you basically just have to be very observant and very brave; or bank on getting a good, observant bus driver who will look out for people wanting their bus at each stop before shooting off, which in fairness and in my experience, I actually think is most of them.

 

 

What do you mean by this? It reads as if you are dismissing the advice in the post above you as no good, but then suggesting the OP take risks and put themselves in danger.

 

Or do you mean something else when you say have to be very brave?

[Happ Hazzard 10]

Yeah you just have to keep your eyes peeled and be prepared to make an effort to catch the bus drivers eye and if necessary, run out into the road.