Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

Michael Hoffman typed


I think maybe Mizter T means people *inside* the bus not requesting the
stop? Everywhere I have traveled by bus in Germany it has been necessary
to press a button to signal a stop.

I suspect he means both.

I know my partner has missed buses through failing to hail them, and
sailed through Harrow-on-the-Hill when he wanted to change buses there,
when he didn't ring the bell.


Rather than leave you all guessing as to what I meant I'll tell you!

I had in mind people at request bus stops who fail to hail the bus, and
just expect the driver to know via the power of psychic suggestion that
he should stop and let them on. Perhaps they're used to the bus
stopping to let people off, but occasionally there are no alighting
passengers so those at the bus stop will find their psychic powers have
stopped working.

I find the opposite situation, that of no-one on board the bus ringing
the bell, is a less common occurrence - and I remain amused that on the
approach to a major compulsory stop, one where the bus is absolutely
bound to stop (a major interchange for example), there is nonetheless
often a chorus of dings on the bell as if there was some danger the
driver would forget.

Like Helen's partner I've nonetheless managed to both fail to hail and
forget to ding and missed my bus/stop on a good few number of occasions!