Paul Corfield wrote:

It's standard practice in the area. The evening Shenfield Metro regularly
has a scrum to get on at Stratford, not helped by the appalling carriage
layout. Buses in the area have a reputation for not running to the stated
frequencies or even to the times announced on the indicators, whilst there
are also stories of drivers failing to stop at particular stops. It all
combines to discourage waiting for the next one.

All of this makes Stratford unique how? Sounds like the general
approach passengers take to getting on crowded trains anywhere in
London. I won't bore you with my experience of my local bus route when
it comes to divergence from the stated frequencies / timetable.

I've never seen or been in quite such an intense scrum on other lines at
peak hours. Maybe there are examples from exceptional circumstance days but
this is routine day in day out. One day there's going to be a serious
accident or worse.

And yes other buses may do similar but the advice to find an earlier bus
stop is contrary to most people's experience of buses on that route (and
maybe others). Many have found by bitter experience that the only places the
bus is guaranteed to stop at when busy are the big stops (e.g. Stratford
Broadway or Mile End) because there will always be someone wanting to get
off.