Lots of bus drivers are perfectly lovely people.
Yesterday, however, I had a bad experience with an Oxford Bus Company driver.
I should have known that the guy was trouble when he got onto the bus at the beginning of his shift, relieving the previous driver. I and a bunch of other people were queueing to get on the bus, and yet the scowling, piggish creature before us did not seem aware of this fact. Slowly and leisurely did he fumble away, punching his ID number into their little electronic companion (a process he seemed to take longer than usual on) and idly pouring out baggies of change into the relevant receptacles. Eventually, he beckoned us onto the bus, at which point I put my pass into the scanner.
Which promptly ate it.
I pointed this out to the guy, and he immediately blamed me for having a damaged card (it wasn't damaged at all). Never once apologising in the ensuing exchange for the temperamental nature of the pass scanners on Oxford's bus system, he eventually told me I needed to give him my name and address and the pass would be sent back to me. I had no pen, he had no pen, I had to rely on a kind traffic warden lending me his pen.
I went to the back of the bus and sat down and thought that was the end of the matter. In fact, when we drove off the driver took the time to shout across the bus that another lady had had no problem scanning her pass, so the problem was with my card. (Never mind that the machines will accept a card one minute, reject it the next, and then accept it again ten seconds later.) Rude, brutish bastard. I thanked him for sharing our business with the entire bus and got off at my stop. I wish I could claim that I caught a strong whiff of alcohol from him as I got off, but alas, that would be a lie.
If I don't get my pass back tomorrow I'll be complaining. It shouldn't be hard for the Oxford Bus Company to work out who he is, given that I know the route, the time, and the fact that he was going onshift.
I should have known that the guy was trouble when he got onto the bus at the beginning of his shift, relieving the previous driver. I and a bunch of other people were queueing to get on the bus, and yet the scowling, piggish creature before us did not seem aware of this fact. Slowly and leisurely did he fumble away, punching his ID number into their little electronic companion (a process he seemed to take longer than usual on) and idly pouring out baggies of change into the relevant receptacles. Eventually, he beckoned us onto the bus, at which point I put my pass into the scanner.
Which promptly ate it.
I pointed this out to the guy, and he immediately blamed me for having a damaged card (it wasn't damaged at all). Never once apologising in the ensuing exchange for the temperamental nature of the pass scanners on Oxford's bus system, he eventually told me I needed to give him my name and address and the pass would be sent back to me. I had no pen, he had no pen, I had to rely on a kind traffic warden lending me his pen.
I went to the back of the bus and sat down and thought that was the end of the matter. In fact, when we drove off the driver took the time to shout across the bus that another lady had had no problem scanning her pass, so the problem was with my card. (Never mind that the machines will accept a card one minute, reject it the next, and then accept it again ten seconds later.) Rude, brutish bastard. I thanked him for sharing our business with the entire bus and got off at my stop. I wish I could claim that I caught a strong whiff of alcohol from him as I got off, but alas, that would be a lie.
If I don't get my pass back tomorrow I'll be complaining. It shouldn't be hard for the Oxford Bus Company to work out who he is, given that I know the route, the time, and the fact that he was going onshift.
posted by Arthur at 11:25 AM
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