to not want to be held hostage by a bus driver?

[LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary]

On the bus this morning. Gridlocked with other buses by the time we get to city centre. We are about 3 feet from the bus stop and stuck. About 15 of us want off. We wait ten mins then I ask the driver to let me off. He refuses as he's not allowed to open doors btween stops. And tells me if I open door he will call police.

Surely he HAS to let me off if I insist otherwise he is holding me hostage? After all I'm a grown up and can choose what risks to take.

busraintram Precisely. And I think you will find that it is not permissible to allow passengers off buses other than at registered bus stops (except where a route is registered as hail and ride) because THAT IS THE LAW. It is not the bus company just making up a policy to piss its passengers off, they are legally required to have that policy and ensure their drivers enforce it.

Ahem. You are aware that laws are required to be made by Parliament, or by common law. There is no such law as you claim. Because there is no statute to this effect and no case law. You are speaking nonsense. Please don't make up the law to suit wrongful statements you are going to make on the internet.

It is annoying but would you try to exit a train when not at a station, or a plane when not on the ground? You are FAR more likely to bit in in traffic getting off a bus. YOU may be happy to 'take the risk' but he, his employers and their insurers aren't

pebbletime I'll repeat again. Bus companies, and insurance companies, don't make laws. If they have entrenched practices, that doesn't make law. Suggesting that people are incapable of getting off buses between stops in case they get by traffic is farcical.

You should be aware that there is a whole line of case law where various train and bus companies avoided liability for passenger injuries because of the small print on the back of tickets, on signage, and so on. Since you are so ready to mis-state the law, I'm surprised you haven't bothered to familiarise yourself with it.

Don't let people bully you. If you are stuck on a bus in a ridiculous scenario for a lengthy period of time a few feet from a bus stop, being prevented from safe egress, in a residential area with traffic at a standstill, it is clearly a breach of Article 5 of the ECHR and coming close to false imprisonment (which has a legal meaning slightly more complex than the words suggest). I would suggest that the bus companies need to review their policies in line with Article 5 and inform themselves rather better. If their drivers are coming out with information that is wrong in law, it is obvious that they have not done so.

The idiot was arrested and charged with criminal damage, pebble. London bus drivers put up with a lot of shit like this (although I've never seen someone go through the doors before) and it's highly unlikely that the driver would have got in trouble for this. Especially as the video went viral when these lads put it up.

Tfl know that crap like this happens all the time. From what I've heard they're pretty supportive of their drivers, at least the driver on my usual route was very positive about them.

Putting on my hard hat. We all signed the city traffic law recently, it has endorsable ( points on your license type ) rules. One states you must be fully pulled into the stop, whole vehicle or you are fined and we've had one sacked for it and handed a 6 week driving ban on his bus licence. It's stupid and annoying but we have to

DH used to drive a bus until he was assaulted for the second time. (It's the driver's fault if you get on the wrong bus after a night out, so it's ok to punch him).
Some bus companies are really quick to discipline drivers, so drivers won't be flexible because it puts their job at risk.

Can someone please cite this law about it being illegal to alight between bus stops?

As for wheeling out the Nuremberg Defence of just following orders that's a bit lame isn't it?

Op yanbu. If it was safe to open the doors then he should have let you out. 3 feet from a bus stop in London would be considered actually at the stop in most instances, particularly if there is another bus in front at the stop.

As for planes and trains that's a bit different because you cannot physically alight between stops so comparing apples and oranges.

So what would a bus driver do if there was an adverse weather incident or bad crash blocking nearby roads? Keep the passengers on the stationary bus indefinitely, because 'there wasn't a designated stop'? Or find a reasonable stopping place and open the doors?

There is always drama on the Bedford buses too.

I've been on buses all over the UK - never had one refuse such a request or seen them refuse to do it for other people.

Maybe ssd had a point - if they are being like this is it because the police are pulling them up for it and the company policy is being enforced because of that?

I would hate to be a bus driver.
There was a report in the local paper about a boy who died after several years in a coma, after missing his bus stop, pulling open a door on a (stationery) bus, and tripping and banging his head on a parked car ( which would not have been there if it had been a proper bus stop.
Imagine how that bus driver must feel.
Would be better if it was like plane doors, or bank safes and the driver did not have discretion, then he would not get abuse form arsey entitled types.

im in south east london there is ften a madness on buses. young people often press the emergency button to get of the bus. but there are also loads of drivers that open the doors when the traffic is bad.

there is a bus driver that often serves the schools. but he some times does the standard bus routes as well. the school kids knick named him smiler he sings all the time really loud and adds all the sound effects etc. really cheers everyone up and makes it a nice journey. :)

Scremersford
Well, you can argue all you like but my H has a colleague who was up in Court re an incident just like this. It ruined his life.
Lesser option = lose your job.
For some twunt who cant wait two minutes

Have my first ever and do read Notasinglefuckwasgiven

I'd hate to be a bus driver too. Especially at night

I would hate to be a bus driver after reading all this.

I got off a bus once that opened its doors while not at a bus stop due to being stuck in a traffic jam. You could see the bus stop but it was a short distance away and the bus wasn't pulled in. As I stepped off a cyclist rode straight into me, knocking me onto the pavement and falling off his bike. Both of us ended up hurt so I can absolutely see why drivers aren't allowed to do this. A lot of them probably do anyway because they are sick of being verbally abused by entitled passengers.

All this nonsense about 'why should I be late for my appointment?' is just a fact of using public transport, or even just using the roads sometimes. I live in London and it's fairly common for the tube to have problems during rush hour, if you're late because you're stuck in a tunnel then so be it. Leave earlier.

I've also been stuck on an overhead train before due to a death on the tracks at the station ahead. I was stuck on that train for 90 minutes and was very unhappy but there was nothing I could do about it, life (and death) happens. What was more annoying in that situation was when the driver finally announced we were going back to the station we had just come from a passenger decided they weren't happy with that and opened the emergency door to let themselves off and presumably walk along the tracks to the next stop. Because they'd done this we were all stuck for a further 30 minutes while the driver and track staff had to perform security checks ensuring no one was on the tracks before the train was allowed to move.

People's self importance never fails to astound me, especially when it comes to public transport.

It's not lame to say they're following rules.
They have bills to pay and possibly families to provide for.
So if they 'just use common sense' and lose their jobs it's ok because atleast they thought for themselves?
I would not risk my job for anyone.
If i were a driver if you want to risk being run over, get a fine go for it.
I wouldn't open the doors either.
I wouldn't risk being fired or the pice catching me.
I've been stuck by my stop multiple times too!
I have never once had a go at the driver. I know it's not their fault.

NotASingle Putting on my hard hat. We all signed the city traffic law recently, it has endorsable ( points on your license type ) rules. One states you must be fully pulled into the stop, whole vehicle or you are fined and we've had one sacked for it and handed a 6 week driving ban on his bus licence. It's stupid and annoying but we have to

Oh for goodness sake. You don't sign laws. Parliament does that. You may have signed a contract.

Its impossible to contract out of the ECHR. Any contract terms in breach of it are illegal and unenforceable.6

Pebbletime if your colleague was in court for an offence, it would likely have been dangerous or careless driving and I would hazard a guess here that there was a hell of a lot more to it than letting people off a bus between stops after a long delay.

If bus companies really want to act in a way and spout information in the public domain which increases their standard of care towards passengers and possibly negates their own liability disclaimers on their tickets and signage, that's their business. Pretty dumb of them, and they may wish to clarify their own policies on that. They don't want to end up being liable in civil law for damages every time a passenger marginally injures themselves on a journey.

Would those giving out about it break the rules of their job just because someone wanted them? Would they do things that could get them fired because some entitled twat demanded they do it? No, you wouldn't. So why the fuck should anyone do it for you?

Whose job trumps whose Constance? The bus driver's, or the passenger who might lose their job for being late?

I agree with Constance. Most people don't lose their jobs for being late, once because of a bus being caught in traffic.

The bus driver, of course.

It's all immaterial anyway. 99.99% of the time a driver will let passengers out if there is any significant delay and it is safe to do so. If passengers want to leave the bus and the driver doesn't open the door, the passenger can push the button for themselves anyway, and take their chances. So no-one is a hostage, no-one is forced to stay on a bus. This is just a lot of ranting.
If you don't like the bus rules, don't get on the fucking bus.

If he let you off and you got run over he would be culpable. Surely you understand this? 15 people having a go at him doesn't sound like a nice way to treat a bus driver who probably gets a load of shit all day for things that aren't his fault.

Scremersford I know the case details in question. You don't. So you can believe me or not but that's an end to that discussion.
I expect you know better what Notasinglefuck has signed than they do too?

So, not only the bus drivers but the Companies themselves who are 'pretty dumb' to act safely.

Kali - if everyone had your common sense and fairness then bus driving might be a bearable job.

Every single profession uses the 'Nuremberg rules' when justifying itself.
Politicians and Lawyers in particular LOVE to quote the 'rule books' when challenged.
Only they get away with it and bus drivers end up unemployed or in Court.

I commuted by bus for so many years in London rush hour east to west and they would always let people off in gridlocked traffic.

So I'd be surprised if it was a disciplinary situation for London bus companies as all drivers I have seen are happy to do it. If you're almost at the stop then it would be classed as the stop anyway. I'd be frustrated as well if they wouldn't but would probably just push the button myself rather than enter into a debate about it - it isn't worth your energy when in that position people tend to stand their ground at all costs.

Sigh. DH is a bus driver and gets this all the time.

As everyone has said, it's for your health and safety, against the rules, sackable offence. And the driver is not to know you aren't an undercover inspector checking up on him/her.

pebbletime Scremersford I know the case details in question. You don't. So you can believe me or not but that's an end to that discussion. I expect you know better what Notasinglefuck has signed than they do too?

OK, give me the case reference number and I will look it up. It will be in the public domain if it makes law, as you claim.

I certainly know enough to hazard a guess that Notasginglefuck doesn't pass laws, and that members of the public aren't required to sign laws in order for them to have legislative force.