Bus driver wouldn't help visually impaired passenger

[Paulstac 10]

I’ve never posted on here before, but felt compelled to do so, after an incident I was involved in this morning.

 

I lived in Sheffield for approximately 12 years but moved away a few years ago.

My over riding memory of living here was of a very friendly city, with the bus drivers in particular being an accommodating bunch. When I was finding my way around the city for the first time, they’d happily shout out when we’d reached the destination I was aiming for.

 

Unfortunately that memory was severely sullied this morning.

 

After a family holiday in the lakes, we stopped off in Sheffield to break up the journey and show my kids the delights of Sheffield. This morning we were all admiring the water feature by the train station when a young guy, who was visually impaired came over and asked where he could catch a number 69 bus from. It was pretty obvious he was visually impaired as he was using a white stick and was clearly having issues negotiation an unfamiliar environment.

 

I offered to walk him over to the bus station and help find out which stop he needed. As we were chatting walking over he told me had travelled up from Derby to take part in a partially sighted sports event at the English Institute of Sport, on Coleridge Road. Normally, he would travel with a friend, but no-one was available today, so he’d travelled unaccompanied. Fair play to him. It must be daunting travelling alone when you’re nearly blind.

 

Anyway, we found out where the bus was going from (no thanks to the staff at the Information desk) and I waited with him at the stop until it arrived. When it did, I explained to the driver the lad was partially sighted, and could he tell him when to get off at Coleridge Road.

 

To say the driver was unhelpful would be an understatement. In a fashion that could only be described as rude and surly, the driver’s response was “no, I don’t know where that is.” So, I showed him the full address on the guys phone screen and said “ he needs to get to the English Institute of Sport on Coleridge Road, can you tell him when to get off”. The driver was even ruder this time, and could barely disguise his contempt as he snarled “I have absolutely no idea where that is.”

 

Thankfully, a passenger standing behind us had realised what a t*** the driver was being, and said “don’t worry mate, I can tell you when to get off.”

At that point, I wished the young lad well, and left him in the capable hands of his fellow passenger.

 

This driver made absolutely no effort to help a passenger who was nearly blind and in fact was incredibly rude. In short, when asked to help a nearly blind traveller, he said no.

 

 

This bus driver is a terrible ambassador for the fine city of Sheffield. Both my and, no doubt, the visually impaired young visitor from Derby’s impression of Sheffield was severely soured by this unpleasant incident.

 

I’ve been in touch with First South Yorkshire, and have given them details of the time and route of the bus, so hopefully they’ll be speaking to this unpleasant specimen and asking him to explain his lack of empathy.

[RonJeremy 10]

I’ve never posted on here before, but felt compelled to do so, after an incident I was involved in this morning.

 

I lived in Sheffield for approximately 12 years but moved away a few years ago.

My over riding memory of living here was of a very friendly city, with the bus drivers in particular being an accommodating bunch. When I was finding my way around the city for the first time, they’d happily shout out when we’d reached the destination I was aiming for.

 

Unfortunately that memory was severely sullied this morning.

 

After a family holiday in the lakes, we stopped off in Sheffield to break up the journey and show my kids the delights of Sheffield. This morning we were all admiring the water feature by the train station when a young guy, who was visually impaired came over and asked where he could catch a number 69 bus from. It was pretty obvious he was visually impaired as he was using a white stick and was clearly having issues negotiation an unfamiliar environment.

 

I offered to walk him over to the bus station and help find out which stop he needed. As we were chatting walking over he told me had travelled up from Derby to take part in a partially sighted sports event at the English Institute of Sport, on Coleridge Road. Normally, he would travel with a friend, but no-one was available today, so he’d travelled unaccompanied. Fair play to him. It must be daunting travelling alone when you’re nearly blind.

 

Anyway, we found out where the bus was going from (no thanks to the staff at the Information desk) and I waited with him at the stop until it arrived. When it did, I explained to the driver the lad was partially sighted, and could he tell him when to get off at Coleridge Road.

 

To say the driver was unhelpful would be an understatement. In a fashion that could only be described as rude and surly, the driver’s response was “no, I don’t know where that is.” So, I showed him the full address on the guys phone screen and said “ he needs to get to the English Institute of Sport on Coleridge Road, can you tell him when to get off”. The driver was even ruder this time, and could barely disguise his contempt as he snarled “I have absolutely no idea where that is.”

 

Thankfully, a passenger standing behind us had realised what a t*** the driver was being, and said “don’t worry mate, I can tell you when to get off.”

At that point, I wished the young lad well, and left him in the capable hands of his fellow passenger.

 

This driver made absolutely no effort to help a passenger who was nearly blind and in fact was incredibly rude. In short, when asked to help a nearly blind traveller, he said no.

 

 

This bus driver is a terrible ambassador for the fine city of Sheffield. Both my and, no doubt, the visually impaired young visitor from Derby’s impression of Sheffield was severely soured by this unpleasant incident.

 

I’ve been in touch with First South Yorkshire, and have given them details of the time and route of the bus, so hopefully they’ll be speaking to this unpleasant specimen and asking him to explain his lack of empathy.

 

Please don't judge Sheffield on its bus drivers. They are the second worst drivers in general on the road and are not typical of the rest of us.

[Asaw 10]

This is nothing new my wife has lived in sheffield all her life but needed to catch the 52 from handsworth top to the bottom of staniforth rd to take the dog to the vets at the rspca. As she never travells the route she ask the driver when she reached the last stop on staniforth rd. As she realised that she was going into sheffield along Attercliffe road she had to rush to try and get of and find a way to where she only had a vague indea to the rspca from. To make it easier she got up to crystal peaks by supertram where she knew her way. She was not impressed.

[Guest busdriver1]

To be fair, I would not know where that is either.

[stifflersmom 11]

To be fair, I would not know where that is either.

 

I find it staggering that a bus driver wouldn't know where the EIS is, particulsrly as there are bus stops right by it on Attercliffe Common Rd.

[LeMaquis 10]

To be fair, I would not know where that is either.

 

But a driver who drives past it should. Is it any wonder that some bus drivers are held in high contempt when you post insensitive crap like that.

[GVOWL 10]

Unfortunately, some people, from all walks of life and cultures fail to reach basic standards of humanity, how anyone could be so callous is beyond me.

 

---------- Post added 31-05-2015 at 08:55 ----------

 

Oh and good on you for helping him, I'd have done the same, i just couldn't stand by and see someone struggle.

[NERVY-OWL 192]

Sounded like the driver was abit off and could of been nicer about it but there's places on routes I drive I don't know, a simple sorry but I don't know where that is is enough, luckily there'd usually someone else on the bus that knows

[Timeh 10]

To be fair, I would not know where that is either.

 

To be fair he could have used his radio and asked control.

To be even fairer he didnt have to be such a dick about it.

[lazarus 68]

I know it's strange but lots of people do not know the names of Sheffield roads, drivers know routes and as the one in this thread doesn't know the streets. But this is what happens to drivers with the constant abuse from idiots who get on buses, they treat all passengers with contempt. This driver should have asked if any of the passengers on his bus knew where Coleridge Rd was, I for one do not know where the Institute of Sport is.

[dutch 68]

Many drivers are nice but there are also few who need a holiday for losing it.

Last week may be first time in years I started using words like f ing and s head to a driver when I saw similar behaviour under very inappropriately circumstances. He told me he would call the cops, I told him to do so because I don't walk around saying things like that to drivers as a usual normal habit, I usually say thank you.

[Timeh 10]

I know it's strange but lots of people do not know the names of Sheffield roads, drivers know routes and as the one in this thread doesn't know the streets. But this is what happens to drivers with the constant abuse from idiots who get on buses, they treat all passengers with contempt. This driver should have asked if any of the passengers on his bus knew where Coleridge Rd was, I for one do not know where the Institute of Sport is.

Right, so because he may have been abused by a passenger its ok for him to take it out of a blind man?