On 19 Aug 2006 17:18:19 -0700, "Mizter T" wrote:

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

Joe Patrick ty ped


I seem to remember reading that during certain times, all stops operate
by request, but I can't find such information on TfL's Buses site.

But on my recent visit to London, I was observing buses at a compulsory
stop in Holborn - all Arriva buses simply sailed past the stop (yes,
those buses *Do* stop there), and all (former) Stagecoach buses did stop.

Are all stops now request stops 24Hr/day, or are some companies
enforcing the rules more strictly than others?

Compliance with this rule is decidedly haphazard. I think it is
something that needs to be sorted out - especially as there can be so
many buses at stops that if they did not queue up and wait their turn it
is impossible for people to hail the bus they want. This is particularly
true if it is the last bus that then decides to whizz past everything
already at the stop.

Buses form an orderly queue in Hong Kong so that every bus lines up at
its stop. This can cause considerable delays in you are on a very busy
corridor but it is extremely rare that people miss a bus in HK if they
are in a queue or at a stop - the bus will pull in. I have to say it is
very reassuring; in London we have the worst of all options as it is a
complete lottery.

IME if you do not treat all bus stops as request stops all the time, you
will either miss your bus or your stop.

This is the only way round it. However I have witnessed two instances in
a week where people were at a stop, hailed the bus and in both cases the
bus drove straight pass for no good reason. Both were Arriva
interestingly.

I don't quite know how things work now that many of the night buses
that exactly follow the routes of their daytime equivalents have lost
their 'N' prefix and have instead been subsumed into 24-hour a day
routes - perhaps there's some official timescale that defines when they
should & shouldn't adhere to compulsory stops. But forget the theory -
stick out your hand/ ding the bell whatever!

There is a rule but I cannot remember it.

The practice in some other parts of the country seems to be the
complete opposite - at least when it comes to hailing the bus at a bus
stop. In Newcastle for example no-one seemed interested in sticking
their hand out, and lo and behold the bus would stop nontheless - there
was a visual clue to the driver of people shuffling towards the kerb.
Despite a few posters up in buses trying to encourage people to stick
their hand out, on subsequent journeys I fell into line with the local
practice rather than stick out like a sore thumb! I think I've observed
a similar lack of enthusiam for hailing in other parts of the country,
though perhaps not quite as pronounced.

I'm very surprised by the comment about Newcastle. The only compulsory
stops I can think of are in bus stations - which is a bit obvious
anyway. Having been brought up there I always stuck my hand out for a
bus - regardless of operator. Perhaps the desperate search for
passengers brought on by deregulation has changed behaviours in that
buses will stop to see if anyone wants to board a bus rather than
running the risk of leaving people behind?
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!