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?

Someone's had a bad day.

YANBU. Email the bus company to complain. Any customer-facing role will include customers doing annoying things, but most employees in any such job know they're supposed to remain polite at all times (not easy!)

Definately not a London bus driver, Lueji?

The last time I took a London bus, as I got on I turned around to wave bye to the person I'd just spent the day with (not time before as the bus arrived as I reached the stop) - the driver started shouting that I was holding him and the passengers up, and everybody was trying to get somewhere. He had quite a rant.

DS2 asked "Is he cross with us?" I said loud enough for him to hear, "No, he's just rude."

A lady then offered to move seats so the 3 DC and I could all sit together, restoring my faith in human nature.

The last bus I went on was in B'ham last week. The driver announced "The next person to ring the bell is in BIG trouble when they get off" The parents could tell he was only joking, but the children couldn't and they all sat very still and wide eyed whispering "who was it?".

Oh, London bus drivers can be horrible. I have met a few.

Only they don't get so annoyed at little things like pressing the button too many times.
Otherwise they would lose it all the time. :-)

I was taught the three rings thing at school (1970s/1980s) but now I'm doubting myself - the only reference I can find is this

www.gmts.co.uk/museum/trivia.html

which says it is 4 rings is an emergency stop. So sorry if I'm wrong but having a way to signal the bus driver in an emergency with the ring would make sense.

I think you should report him.

Where I live in south london some bus drivers seem to have a particular problem with mothers and young children. I got thrown off the bus once because I walked on with the pram with my shopping in it rather than my child (she was refusing to get in and wanted to walk). I parked the pram in the allocated section and sat on the seat next to it (with her on my knee). He stopped the bus and goes "either your kid gets in the pram or you get off the bus". I asked him why he was saying this to me as it isn't policy and he said "my bus my rules". He then said that's for a wheelchair user and when I pointed out there were no wheelchair users on the bus and I was only going two stops he chucked me off the bus and shouted quite agressively!

Quite a few friends that live in my area have problems with some drivers demanding they get on at the back, some having a go and saying they should get on at the front etc. It's all just bad tempered unprofessional nonsense! At the end of the day they are paid to do a job and it's really not your fault if he's taken x amount of shit that day he's got no right to take it out on you and your kids.

bus drivers are mean people. end of

bobbledunk wow you sound just as nice as the bus driver the OP is referring to

porcamiseria
"bus drivers are mean people. end of"

Yes almost as mean as the 2 drunks who gave my DH a kicking at the end of the route when they realised that they had got on the wrong bus and were in N London instead of South ...
or
the kids who threw a brick at the window of the bus showering passengers with glass
or
the guy smoking crack at the back of a bus on a Sunday afternoon
or
the blokes who decided to have a punch up (over someone playing loud music) on the top deck of the bus on a Saturday afternoon when I was coming back from shopping with my children.

Hope you dont/didnt report him OP. Youve both overreacted majorly to this.

I feel very sorry for (most, there are some right twats I agree) bus drivers having to put up with bells being buzzed constantly by excited children, buggy wars, priority seat carnage, people moaning about the traffic, moaning that they are never on time, moaning if someone opens the window, moaning if someone shuts it, giving the driver a £20 note for a £1.60 fare and then moaning when all the change is in £1 coins, dithering about where their stop actually is, moan moan moan

HairyLemon a lot of people have much more stressful jobs than bus drivers but are still expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and would be held to account if they didn't.

You're right Degroote, my job for one is alot more stressful than a bus drivers if I say so myself, but when I think about some of the shite that goes on in those carriages of hell I can understand why sometimes they have a bit of an outburst. Christ on the odd occasion Im on a bus and a gaggle of kids is on it pressing the buzzer I feel like telling them to pack it in you cretinous children of Satan please stop doing that

This makes me wish I had emailed our bus company to compliment our driver - lovely, pleasant man, smooth drive despite the roads and the bus - great!

There used to be one driver on our route that I dreaded. I never complained about him, but he was truly a nasty piece of work, a little tyrant that eg if a family got on and the kids went ahead he would stop the queue and insist that all the kids come back, line up and interrogate the parent to see if any had slipped by - and it was always unfounded when I saw it (often!).

One year it was snowing and I had been waiting for a bit, but I still refused to get on the bus with him. Not only was he a nasty bully, but he took every corner on two wheels. I refused to get on and waited for the next one, as I genuinely didn't know if it would be safe with him driving the bus. Not long after that he seemed to disappear, and I was very grateful.

One bus driver kept his temper when a lady who was standing had her bag repeatedly banging into the bell and ringing it. She didn't realise. The driver just looked a bit fed up. I think that's reasonable.