Transport for London, not very good from my experience

trinidadone

hello all,

This is a rant!!

I was driving in town today, to get some cheap fruit. Drove the car down a quiet residential road. Came to the junction, to turn right into a main shopping road. A lovely red london bus arrived from my right, and turned left in my quiet road.

As the road was small, the bus was unable to get passed. I was also blocked because of the angle of the bus, and the fact, he had also blocked traffic on the main road I was turning into.

I told the driver, that was not smart, and asked him to back up. The driver response was to turn his engine off.

I backed up a little, and he restarted his engine. The driver refused to converse with me, kept silent throughout. he had a bus, he drived there every day, and I was in the way, mmmmmmmmmmm

Ended up backing up a few more times, and at one point, I had to mount the pavement, It must of been the doggy sun glasses, he was using.

Complained to TFL (I just wanted the driver to be spoken to, as he could of handled this far better). I was transferred from one advisor to another Asked TFL to email me the reference number.

Got home, to find no reference number in the email box, telephoned to chase up. after being passed from one advisor to anther again and repeating the same story (you know they never let each other know) i finally spoke to a manager.

It has turned me right off, TFL, and the bus company involved. Both have been rubbished.

globalds

should have turned your engine off

trinidadone

globalds wrote: »

should have turned your engine off

To be honest, i thought of that, but decided to be the bigger man and move back. Not even a thank you, he just refused to communicate with me, its very frustrating, when you talking to a professional driver and you receive no contact back.

I would hate to be on his bus, if thats how he treats other moterists

wealdroam

trinidadone wrote: »

It must of been the doggy sun glasses, he was using.

Doggy sunglasses?

Have you got a pic?

trinidadone

yeah, big round sunglasses. Proberly should of taken a picture of him, as it may of caused a reaction to speak to me

Coopdivi

wealdroam wrote: »

Doggy sunglasses?

Have you got a pic?

Here they are:



http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/10/1068329485114.html

marlot

Many bus drivers are forbidden to reverse without a banksman

Horseunderwater

Actually the law when bus driving & passengers on board is no reversing unsupervised at all. Inspectors/cops/traffic wardens are the only ones permitted to supervise too. The other road user is expected to get out of the way as the bus has priority on the road, but 99% of car drivers ignore this. He was right not to speak to you & legally there is no complaint. Also had you gone forward & turned a little & waited he would have driven the bus out of the way & you both could have continued on your way.

Bollotom

Had the police arrived they would have seen if you could back up safely and told you to back up. Next time you see a bus driver reversing without a pilot, video it and send it to the bus company who will be only too pleased to talk to the driver. Not an ideal situation but there may well have been cyclists behind that bus, or a mum with a push chair. It's a suck it up situation I'm afraid, not the driver's fault, more the planning people who route buses down narrow roads. :cool:

Shelldean

If you had turned your engine off the bus driver would've simply called the police.

And the police would've 'helped' you move.

This happened to us, despite us being half way through a width restriction that we had priority over and traffic up our rear. The bus driver decided he was going first and that was that. Result was huge standoff huge queue of traffic both ways (busy road)
Yet the police still made us and the car behind us back up so the smug smirking in the wrong bus driver could proceed.

trinidadone

marlot wrote: »

Many bus drivers are forbidden to reverse without a banksman

thankyou, that is interesting to know