Rude bus driver

whatmichaelsays

soothyerboots wrote: »

So which bus company do you drive for then?

Arf arf!

I failed the ignorance test for First Group.

esuhl

A lot of bus drivers are miserable idiots, but there are a small minority of nice drivers.

I once boarded an Arriva bus in Surrey and handed the driver a £10 note (for a £5 fare). The person in front of me had handed the driver a £5 note for his fare, so change wasn't a problem. But I was greeted with, "I'm not f***ing Barclays Bank!", nearly showering me with spit. I was astounded. Never in my life has anyone in a customer-facing role used the F-word, unprovoked, in the first sentence they say to a customer.

The conversation continued.

Me: Are you f***ing HSBC, then?.
Driver: You should've got up earlier to get some change.
Me: There isn't a bank in the village.
Driver: Then go to a f***ing shop.
Me: But they're not f***ing Barclays Bank either. And they aren't open yet anyway.
Driver: Well, you'll have to get off.
Me: Why? You have change.
Driver: No I don't.
Me: I've seen you put a £5 note in your tray.
Driver: I haven't got any change.
Me: Well, you're going to have a lot more passengers in the next hour. Could you just let me have the change if you have it when I get off the bus.
Driver: But I might not have it.
Me: That's fine.
Driver: It doesn't work like that.
Me: Fine, so just take the £10.
Driver: I told you: I haven't got change.
Me: I don't want change.
Driver: That's not the right fare.
Me: You can't turn down an overpayment!!! It's not your money or your decision!
Driver: You can either stay on the bus and we won't go anywhere or you can get off.
Me: Thanks. (I go to sit sit down.)
Driver: We're not going anywhere.
Me: That's okay - I'll have to wait an hour for the next bus anyway, so I'd rather do it in the warm.
Driver: You think you're really clever don't you?
Me: Well, I don't drive a bus for a living!
Driver: Oh yeah? Well I'm much harder than you. I could kick your head in without breaking a sweat.
Me: What?! Are you six years old? It doesn't matter anyway 'cos my dad's harder than your dad! (chuckle!)

The driver then leaps out of the driving seat, grabs me round the neck, puts his face 10cm from mine and threatens to break my legs, smash my face in, etc. Trying hard not to crap myself (!) I give the broadest, cheesiest grin I can muster and say, "Go on, then. I'd love to sue you for every penny you've got."

After another minute or so of threaten me, shoving his face in mine, and flinching as if he's going to punch me in the face, he walks back to his seat and turns off the engine.

Ten minutes pass and he calls the Arriva on his mobile. I hear half the conversation:

"Yeah - I know. Another problem for you."
"He tried to pay with a £10 note."
"No I haven't! I've run out!"
"Yes! Already!"
"No! I'm not putting my own money into the float!"
"He's sat down, reading a book."
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah."

He hangs up, turns round and shouts, "Well I hope you're pleased with yourself. I've got to take you into town for free, then go in to the office to see my manager again, and I'll lose my pay for the rest of the day."

Me: "That's wonderful news. When I woke up this morning, that's exactly what I was hoping would happen. I'm so pleased. Thanks for making my day!"

We pull away and drive up to the next bus stop in silence. He jumps out of his seat, and threatens to "do me in" if I don't get off the bus. I ignored him for five minutes, then realised that I could get a different bus from this stop so I could change and not be too late for work. So I got off.

The bus was parked, but when I crossed in front of it, the driver jammed it in gear, slammed his foot on the accelerator, and hit me with the front corner of the bus, knocking me out of the way and very nearly causing me to fall under the wheels.

So the driver had illegally threatened violence, disobeyed his manager's instructions, and driven recklessly and dangerously.

I'm sure that some uncharitable readers will assume that I'm some kind of chav that was running up and down the bus in a track suit, shouting abuse at passengers or whatever. Just to be re-iterate, I only wanted to pay the fair, sit down, read my book, and go to work. I even tried to pay double despite the fact that the driver had change and was just trying to be difficult. Of course, I could have been less rude, but I was so astounded at the rudeness of the driver that I wasn't prepared to just tolerate it. I have, quite simply, never been spoken to and snarled at in such an aggressive manner by anyone ever before. And I would never reply to someone in the way I did without a lot of provocation.

Anyway, he appeared to have been fired shortly afterwards and (much to the delight of the other passengers I would chat to each day, who also found him to be obnoxiously rude) hasn't been seen since. Good riddance.

Disclaimer: The conversation above has been typed from memory and whilst I have tried to write it as accurately as I remember, the conversation is not a verbatim transcript.

bcl999

Idiophreak wrote: »

My last run in with a bus driver is when I was out running and the driver tried to hit me with his bus. I lept in to a hedge and flipped him the bird. He stopped the bus, got out and yelled "this is a road, not a f***ing running track you tw*t". The bus company assured me that "internal procedures" would be followed. I regret not taking it up with the police.

Wel, if it was my local bus company, he would have been chosen as "Employee of the Month" and likely be an inspector now.

biscit

crazyguy wrote: »

Has no one seen on the buses then ?

Well it was on TV over 30 years ago.

biscit

ebayqueen wrote: »

I could be rude to you and say that you have used 'their' instead of using the correct word of 'they're' or they are!

That's not rude. I mean sure, you could say it rudely, but simply pointing out a gramatical mistake is not rude.

The post you are replying to (which I'll agree is nasty) mentions poor people, not uneducated, so I think you are jumping to conclusions with your prejudices.

harz99 wrote: »

I really don't see what's rude about that. The driver is making a point yes, but being rude no.

It could have been said rudely, but I agree when reduced to a written dialogue it's hard to say whether or not

esuhl

NCISROCKS wrote: »

things like that can really spoil your day.

...only if you let it!

So if people are upset or offended, it can only be their own fault for allowing themselves to feel that way?!

Are you saying that responses such as awkwardness, timidity, irritation, anger, etc. are all arbitrarily invented by the person experiencing them and that such emotions never have a correlation to events in the corporeal world? That doesn't really make any sense.

Delivery_Driver

If he was 5 minutes late already and you still had to run to catch it, maybe you should set your alarm clock earlier .

arcon5

I'm not sure whats worse for a bus driver..... a bunch of elderly people moaning he is '4 minutes late' or a bus full of rowdy collage kids writing on & sticking chewing gum to seats.

Not a job for the faint hearted!

michaelvintner

whatmichaelsays wrote: »

I thought being that rudeness, ignorance and an unjustifiably inflated sense of self importantance was a pre-requisite for being a bus driver.

Load of cr*p. How about getting up all hours to clock on for ever changing shifts for rubbish money. providing a service so that people can get to work in the morning.

Driving a bus is a job and you are going to get people who handle it differently from others.

Valli

Tuscan_Driver wrote: »

What else do you expect from a Bus Driver, their not the most intelligent bunch are they?
You'd think as the paying public they would be reminded of not resorting to bad manners to boarders but to be honest, the managerial staff are just like the drivers...all uneducated!

Well written, correctly spelled and accurately punctuated post, that.;)