To think that some buses are a freak show on wheels?

[shadypines]

I hate hate Hate getting on buses these days.

Sat downstairs on bus with DH yest morning to have a nice day off trip into town. Not. Soon discover that sat behind us is a woman who was off her face on something and was loudly muttering aggression to the driver and then to us, who were the only other mugs on the bus. She muttered threats of violence to us so we just pretended she wasn't there (lifts eyes, purses lips and whistles as if oblivious).

Other than that it's the person having a very loud sweary conversation on their mobile, the content of which usually sounds like an episode of Jeremy Kyle. Doesn't matter who is in the vicinity of course, old ladies, children, they are all treated to the stream of extremely LOUD utterances.

Or it's the loud head banging music, why do they even wear earphones, what's the point?

I don't expect to get on a bus and be served tea and cucumber sandwiches but something resembling a civilised society would be quite nice.

This is a remarkably un-Mumsnetty thread.

Sadly our local buses are to unreliable for me to have gathered stories.

Ours were dreadful until the past year or so, Pico. The bus to Durham was only once an hour and so unreliable because of the other leg of its journey that I only caught it when I needed to. It's half hourly, now and doesn't go to the arse end of Hartlepool any more and is a lot more reliable - plus I can use the app to check it's running on time before I leave the house, so no more freezing my arse off for 20 minutes. In theory. It sometimes lies.

That said, most drivers have been lovely (though a couple are a little odd, trying to get commuters to join in a singathon!) and a lot of friendly old ladies have started up conversations/complimented me on DD, especially when she was tiny. It helped avoid PND for me, I think. Often the only adult conversation in a day.

There was this woman who looked at me and said 'I know you're a lesbian. Get away from me!'
and then she hit me.

Driver didn't bat an eyelid. I got off the bus and walked home.

Bad bus services are what finally pushed me to pass my driving test. I will (hopefully) not get on a bus again for a very long time.

The boys rather like catching the bus. Particularly DS1. Hence knowing more than is healthy about the various routes in the region and where to find out about them! It's bloody expensive, sometimes, though. Explorer tickets are great for when we need to catch buses run by different operators, but DS1's only costs a quid less than mine! There's not much change to be had out of £20 for the two of them.