In message , Roland Perry
writes
In message , at 21:02:56 on Sat, 24 Nov
2012, Malcolm Loades remarked:
It may surprise you, but I promise it's true, that once passengers
realise that you will stop by request their requests become ever more
demanding. You drop one passenger and just as you pull away another
request is made for 'the next corner, please' which is less than 100
yards further on! It can become quite ridiculous but you can't then
start inventing rules like stops must be at least 800 yards apart!

You could always stipulate that the stops must be at marked bus stops.

OK. So you want me to announce to everyone before leaving the station
that I'll stop wherever they wish so long as it is at a bus stop? My bus
is a double decker normally used on fare stage work so there is no PA
which means that I must leave the cab and face all those sitting
downstairs, catch their attention and then tell them this very loudly.
Next I must go upstairs and repeat the process?

Or if there are only three people on the bus at the time, not be so
pedantic.

Of course it would be totally different if there were only 3 people on
the bus. I'm talking about typical loadings on typical days. Who's
being pedantic?

I'll leave you with one final thought. If you expect the replacement
bus to stop at the most convenient place for you do you expect the same
service from the train driver when there's no need of rail replacement?
When I use a train from London to get home it rattles through my nearest
station ( a mile from my house) at umpteen miles an hour and then stops
at the city's main station 8 miles further on. If you are consistent
and not just looking to make an argument you need to reassure us that
when the guard refuses to have the train stopped where you want he's
also told that he's unreasonable and a prat, just like you're calling
bus drivers.

Malcolm