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

[Phili Buster 10]

What is most frustrating is when you stand in the road, hand outstretched and the bus, with 5 people on board, ... pulls round you and disappears down the road

 

Why is it that a service that is supposed to run every 10 minutes has no busses for 50 minutes and then 4 turn up at the same time travelling in convoy? Are they afraid of submarines or are the drivers incapable of understanding a timetable

[Hots on 10]

Any useful tips anyone?

 

 

Get a car.

[denomis 10]

Get a car.

 

That was going to be my tip

[merca2005 10]

The worst Bus Stop along West St I find is the one outside Varsity/opposite Cavendish, mainly as delivery wagons park at the far end not allowing buses enough room to pull in, and blocking visibility.

[Olive 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 buggerroad.

 

I know, what was so frustrating was that both times I could see my bus coming for ages (double decker).

The first time, the bus stop was already full and I deliberated running down the street to pre-empt my bus getting there, but the busses already there had just about finished picking up, and indeed the first bus in the queue then pulled out, leaving a gap, so I decided to stay put (plus I didn't want to run down the road and then be stranded away from the bus stop in case the other busses moved on and my bus then arrived at an empty stop).

 

The second time they all arrived in a row but mine was third in the queue. I ran down the street like a berk, trying to flag it down, thinking "I'm not going to miss this bugger" but all that happened was that the two in front of it stopped and mine went merrily on its way.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Olive

[Olive 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.

 

Very true. I've seen this happen plenty of times. It must be really hard for the drivers as well though, if they can't see the bus stop, never mind if there's someone there wanting their bus.

 

Incidentally, today, it wasn't that there were many people at the bus stop, just that each time the one I needed came along, it did so at the end of a queue of other buses. The drivers couldn't have see what was going on at the bus stop so they must have decided not to stop anyway.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Olive

[AndrewC 307]

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?

 

Clearly putting yourself in an actual situation where your wellbeing may be at risk would be stupid. You surely didn't think I meant that?

 

I meant that standing inside the bus stop hidden behind several buses is not going to be a place where you will get seen. Sometimes you have to have the balls to make a bit of a prat of yourself and run to the front or back of the queue of buses with your arms flailing to get seen.

[AndrewC 307]

Why is it that a service that is supposed to run every 10 minutes has no busses for 50 minutes and then 4 turn up at the same time travelling in convoy? Are they afraid of submarines or are the drivers incapable of understanding a timetable

 

Clearly they don't plan to do that. Have you heard of traffic? Delays, etc?

[Powerage 10]

Clearly they don't plan to do that. Have you heard of traffic? Delays, etc?

 

Not so sure as looking at the new timetable the 3 buses that run past my bus stop are now timed to all turn up within 3 minutes of each other then leaving a half an hour gap until the next 3 turn up! This just seems stupid

[Annoni_mouse 10]

What is most frustrating is when you stand in the road, hand outstretched and the bus, with 5 people on board, ... pulls round you and disappears down the road

 

Why is it that a service that is supposed to run every 10 minutes has no busses for 50 minutes and then 4 turn up at the same time travelling in convoy? Are they afraid of submarines or are the drivers incapable of understanding a timetable

 

 

How does the situation you describe point to bus drivers not understanding timetables? Please explain? (Show your working out).

[RosyRat 10]

So frustrating, Olive. This happens to me on Haymarket when I'm waiting for the 76 or 53. The queue blocks the pavement, which is narrow there & a number of buses use the stop. If the people in front don't want the bus that you do, you can't get round the queue & people walking past to flag it down & you can't get into the road, as the bus shelter's in the way & the road's full of buses.

 

I don't know what the solution is, but I do know I end up late for work & furious.

[Olive 10]

Clearly putting yourself in an actual situation where your wellbeing may be at risk would be stupid. You surely didn't think I meant that?

 

I meant that standing inside the bus stop hidden behind several buses is not going to be a place where you will get seen. Sometimes you have to have the balls to make a bit of a prat of yourself and run to the front or back of the queue of buses with your arms flailing to get seen.

 

That's what I did the second time, but to no avail.... Just particularly unlucky timing-wise yesterday I guess. No big diaster, some time wasted that's all. I'd have been really miffed if it was later on at night, or the service was less frequent though.