The London mayor promised to restore the "hop-on and hop-off" facility to London's buses during his first mayoral election campaign. Millions of pounds were spent in the design and construction of these buses. In a speech to the Conservative party conference last year, he applauded his decision to bring back the facility "that was so wrongly taken away by the health and safety fiends"Giess what's happened now. No, go on. You'll never do it...
However, Politics.co.uk can reveal that the 'open rear platforms' on the buses are being routinely closed to all passengers due to safety fears, with some remaining permanently closed to the public.
Concerns over people falling out the back of the bus has meant supervisors have been stationed on the rear platforms at all times they remain open.
Because of the substantial cost of this, the 'open platforms' of the new buses are being shut to all passengers for days on end, with some being shut for good.*sighs*
Passengers on the buses are supposed to be able to alight in between stops. However, many passengers have reported being prevented from doing so by staff who physically block their exit.Isn't that itself a bit of a health & safety issue?
TfL deny this is their official policy. However, TfL's current "conditions of carriage" for passengers states that "on our bus services, you must board or alight from the vehicle only at official bus stops."
This is believed to have caused some confusion for staff operating the new buses.Wha..? Just what sort of morons do they have driving buses in Lond...
*considers last few bus journeys*
Ah.OK. Never mind.
Travelling by bus these days saddens me. It seems the only people who obey the "REMAIN SEATED UNTIL THE BUS STOPS" signs are school children. Jumping from a moving bus is one of the joys of childhood routinely denied to today's youngsters.
ReplyDeleteHow have they become so indoctrinated in just a couple of generations? :(
Born in the 50s I travelled to secondary school by bus, a thirty minute journey each way. RTs first, then RMs.
ReplyDeleteNot one kid didn't get thrown off / throw off a moving bus. A rite of passage, and Yes, Frank, we all survived (no one did worse than they had received, I'm talking ten mph onto soft grass verges.
But had there been no win, no fee lawyers about ...
Peter
As Peter says, no lawyers-no problems!
ReplyDeleteIf there was an offence of 'being a dickhead' and a defence of 'it was his own silly bloody fault' we would not have any issue. As it is, our litigious society means that all must suffer so a few are prevented from suing everyone in sight when they do something daft.
..... but people are such utter fuckwits these days?
ReplyDeleteAfter the bus pulls away from a stop the cabin crew will mime putting on a life jacket and point out the emergency exits...
ReplyDeleteThankfully, down this way the Polish bus drivers will drop you anywhere :-p
Lord T saw a typo here:
ReplyDeleteGiess what's happened now. No, go on. You'll never do it...
... but was a bit scared of you, Julia. Now I am too :) but I'll point it out to you anyway.
There. Done.
I've had encounters with TfL (as you might expect of a transport company owner) and their hysteria over H&S is quite remarkable. Plus, arrogant quite simply doesn't describe them adequately enough, there's no way that Boris will be respected by those guys, they look in the mirror in the morning and see the real boss according to them.
ReplyDeleteYet they are being seriously attacked by the black taxi industry and the private hire trade has recently issued a vote of no confidence in TfL's ability to run transport in London. They're so incompetent I could tell you stories till the wee small hours.
They regulate our business in London and we are constantly having to tell them how our vehicles work and what they are designed for, because they are merrily passing regulations which render brand new, factory-made, EU type-approved vehicles unusable. They quite simply haven't a clue.
Boris hasn't got a chance, poor love.
"Travelling by bus these days saddens me. "
ReplyDeleteMe too! I had to do it for two weeks jury service. It was as much an eye opener as that was...
"As Peter says, no lawyers-no problems!"
Sadly very true!
"Thankfully, down this way the Polish bus drivers will drop you anywhere :-p"
As - I discovered long ago - will Glaswegian bus drivers!
"Plus, arrogant quite simply doesn't describe them adequately enough.."
The High-Vis Mafia!