Mait001 wrote:
And, yes, I do want a seat, preferably near a window, and preferably
upstairs, and preferably not on the sunny side of the bus.

Ideally yes, but on a busy service you can surely not expect such
luxury?

I do not regard, for example, being the 10th person in a queue
equating with being the 10th person to get on the bus as a "luxury".

I was referring to your expectation that at busy times you would be able to
choose a shady window seat upstairs, rather than just getting on the bus.

I expect it as a matter of course, and am, frankly, surprised that
any civilised person would expect to get an advantage in such a
situation just because he happened to have pre-paid his ticket.

The problem is that queuing for buses became standard when fares were
collected by the conductor after boarding. In those circumstances, it's
sensible that the queuing order should determine who boards first and who
gets first choice of seats. But now we have some people who have pre-paid
and some who need to pay the driver, and without a conductor the boarding
process takes longer, thus slowing down the journey. The circumstances have
changed.

If the bus is near to capacity, then it's up to the driver to decide how
many people can get on, and to regulate boarding if necessary. But
otherwise, I think it's more civilised for the boarders to get on as quickly
as possible. If you are so concerned about sitting in your favourite seat,
get a Travelcard or travel outside the peaks.

Incidentally, your boarding would be slightly quicker (and your journey
cheaper) if you bought a Bus Saver from your local ticket agent instead of
handing over cash every time.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)