To have reported this bus driver?

[Duckypoohs]

Ok so we were on the bus home this afternoon after a trip to the park. As we were nearing our stop I said to ds1 press the button, this resulted in a minor scrum, with all 3 children trying to press the button at once. The button happened to be pressed 3 times, the bus driver then shouted at us to stop pressing the button. I accept that he was right to do so, he needs to concentrate on the road etc.

A couple of minutes later the only other passenger on the bus, an older lady pressed the button again, bus driver then launches into a rant at us, properly shouting and threatening to ??? (didn't find out what the threat was because I did shout that it wasn't actually us)

Poor Lady looked sheepish and said sorry to us, bus driver muttered something under his breath as we got off.

The bus was very empty and I did feel a bit threatened tbh, I hate any kind of confrontation and tend to either cry or shake.

If you are going to get that irate about children dinging the bell a few times I don't think you are suited to be a bus driver.

Why the fuck am I still thinking about it now? Why the fuck does some random grumpy bus driver shouting at me make me feel so wretched?

He might have been having a bad day. Just chalk it up to experience and move on.

Bus drivers are grumpy.

It is the natural order of things.

Butler from 'On the buses' is the only chirpy bus driver in the history of the profession*

*There's no actual evidence for this, but it is still a fact.

I don't care if he was having a bad day, I have worked in lots of places with horrible customers, I would never have gotten away with shouting at them, why the fuck should he be different. Funnily enough if it was my Dp I doubt he would have been so aggressive, funny that.

I'm just a little bit sick of angry little men taking it out on randoms atm

i think bus drivers have to put up with a lot of shit and have to be stern

you can be stern without being rude though.

i dont accept that bus drivers are grumpy and thats the waay it is - fking law unto themselves they are - well its not on.

1. the bus is moving - you should have know better re: the kids

2. you could have apologised for scum button debacle.

3. he shoud have watched his tone

4. he could have apologised too

I would complain. Surely hearing the bell dinging is part and parcel of being a bus driver? And it was only 3 times, not 30! There is no excuse ever for threatening someone, bad day or not.

It was three in one go not line someone taking tge piss. If you feel strongly tgat his manner rather than his message needs addressing then go ahead. But email or write.

You felt threatened because he shouted to stop pressing a button?

Threatened? Really?

Pressing the bell three times in succession is to tell the driver to do an emergency stop.

How would you have felt if he had? Would you be complaining about him being rude if one of your children was thrown through the windscreen?

30 is annoying, 3 is telling him to do something.

I think you should just leave it.

sashh really? I ride the bus every day and had no idea of that. Our button often gets pushed more than once as they often don't work both upstairs and down or they don't work at all. So, even when they do work, they often get pushed several times in a row.

And I do find quite a few grumpy bus drivers. But some are lovely as well.

The bell three times thing is probably from the days when buses had conductors and the conductor wanted the bus stopped immediately. But yes, it does mean 'emergency stop'. But buses should be designed so that the bell should only ring once, no matter how many times the button is pushed. There is a light fitted on the dashboard to remind the driver the bell has been rung, so there is no need for the bell to be rung more than once.

I think there is a lesson to be lerned here. Draw up a rota (alphabetical perhaps) of who will be the one to ring the bell on the bus each time.

*learned

I think you need to calm down. I have come across some truly dreadful bus drivers who I wouldnt hesitate to report, but tbh it sounds like you're over reacting a little. A 'minor scrum' is not safe in a moving vehicle. The driver could have handled it better but you shouldn't let your kids do that on a bus

"Pressing the bell three times in succession is to tell the driver to do an emergency stop."

Really??? I've been travelling by bus all my life and I didn't know this!

I am very fussy about my DC takng turns to press the button and whilst this driver was out of order, you should be able to ensure that your DC don't all press it. If my argue then I press it myself.

I didn't know that about the light, Pseudonym. I think people do worry that the driver hasn't heard the bell, or will forget. I know I used to (years since I've been on a bus )

I think it would be a good idea to have a sign - I'm trying to think of the name of them. Digital. Like in hospitals to tell you how many hours late your consultant is running and in train stations to tell you how many hours late your train is running...

Which says BELL HAS BEEN PRESSED. BUS WILL STOP AT NEXT STOP

Although they'd have to find another word for one 'STOP' cos I don't think that reads well

And then people would probably not feel the need to keep pressing and it keeps the ability for the bell to be rung repeatedly if one of its functions is to alert the driver to an emergency or something.

I think the driver is in the wrong job if he thinks it's acceptable to rant and threaten paying customers, even if they are being a bit annoying. He could have just asked her to be a bit more careful with the button pressing in future.

I would write in about this so he got a word in the ear and had to tone it down in the future.

But I would keep my kids away from the bell in future as well.

We have one that just says Stopping on ours. Lights up, not even anything fancy

The bus driver was wrong and was taking out his bad mood on you and your DCs.

From the moment buses have had bells children have been doing all they can to press them.

Parents do what they can to stop them doing it.

If a bus driver cannot stand the sound of bells and doesnt like kids he should get another job.

But I dont think you should report it.

Try this : the bus driver has forgotten this incident. He doesnt remember you or your kids. He doesnt know what you look like and has not given you another thought. It was a non event to him.

If you remember the above it might help you not to feel so upset about it. I used to fret about things for days before I learnt that bit of cognitive behavioural thinking.
My life is so much easier now

Have a nice Sunday.

But I agree, no matter how bad a day you've had, it is unacceptable to shout at and threaten customers.

Yes, but complaining is not about retribution, or it shouldn't be. It about identifying where something falls short, and asking managers to remedy the situation for other people.

Oh, MrsD - that would make it SO much worse for me.

Someone upset me or was unfair to me and I mattered so little that they've already forgotten all about me and don't even recall that they were rude to me.

I'd prefer to think they were racked with guilt about treating me badly

Best thing is surely to depersonalise it and see it as a business failure issue?

Hecate

On some of our buses there's a sign that says 'Bus Stopping' or something like that.

OP The bus drive shouldn't have shouted at you like that.