Free travel on London busses
 

so it says:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9470161.html

I got on at the front door and tapped my card this morning

tim

Free travel on London busses
 

tim... wrote:
so it says:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9470161.html

I got on at the front door and tapped my card this morning


But, like many bus passengers, you were presumably travelling free? In any
case, the new policy hasn't started yet:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

Free travel on London busses
 

On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

--
Ria in Aberdeen

[Send address is invalid, use sipsoup at gmail dot com to reply direct]

Free travel on London busses
 

On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:25:46 +0100, MissRiaElaine
wrote:

On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

Same here in Somerset on my local buses (which are sometimes high
floor dual use vehicles not pure buses. The double deck park and ride
buses in Bath are also single door (or they were back in early March).

I'm not even sure all London buses have dual doors. I thought I'd seen
some single door single deckers back in January.

Free travel on London busses
 

On 17/04/2020 17:01, Graham Harrison wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:25:46 +0100, MissRiaElaine
wrote:

On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

Same here in Somerset on my local buses (which are sometimes high
floor dual use vehicles not pure buses. The double deck park and ride
buses in Bath are also single door (or they were back in early March).

I'm not even sure all London buses have dual doors. I thought I'd seen
some single door single deckers back in January.

most London buses now have 2 doors, and the boris buses 3 doors, there
are afew single door single deckers but they are usually only in service
when there is nothing else available

--
Martin

Free travel on London busses
 

On 17/04/2020 17:01, Graham Harrison wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:25:46 +0100, MissRiaElaine
wrote:

On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

Same here in Somerset on my local buses (which are sometimes high
floor dual use vehicles not pure buses. The double deck park and ride
buses in Bath are also single door (or they were back in early March).

I'm not even sure all London buses have dual doors. I thought I'd seen
some single door single deckers back in January.


Yes there are a few single door single deckers, but I don't think they
have many.

--
Ria in Aberdeen

[Send address is invalid, use sipsoup at gmail dot com to reply direct]

Free travel on London busses
 

"Recliner" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:
so it says:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9470161.html

I got on at the front door and tapped my card this morning


But, like many bus passengers, you were presumably travelling free?

only to me

my ride is still "accounted for" in order to work out how much my LA should
pay - as part of an averaging process, not directly for that ride.

tim

Free travel on London busses
 

On 17/04/2020 18:38, Martin Smith wrote:
On 17/04/2020 17:01, Graham Harrison wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:25:46 +0100, MissRiaElaine
wrote:

On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily
introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

Same here in Somerset on my local buses (which are sometimes high
floor dual use vehicles not pure buses. The double deck park and ride
buses in Bath are also single door (or they were back in early March).

I'm not even sure all London buses have dual doors. I thought I'd seen
some single door single deckers back in January.

most London buses now have 2 doors, and the boris buses 3 doors, there
are afew single door single deckers but they are usually only in service
when there is nothing else available


I have never seen the 394 route with anything but a single door bus.
And I must have seen them in operation several hundred times given I
walked along part of the route 2 or 3 times a week on average until the
lockdown.

--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

Free travel on London busses
 

On 17/04/2020 17:01, Graham Harrison wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:25:46 +0100, MissRiaElaine
wrote:

On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

Same here in Somerset on my local buses (which are sometimes high
floor dual use vehicles not pure buses. The double deck park and ride
buses in Bath are also single door (or they were back in early March).

I'm not even sure all London buses have dual doors. I thought I'd seen
some single door single deckers back in January.


There are some single door buses but I'd have thought they could be
rested while operating reduced services - assuming operators can borrow
from others and/or ask other operators to take over pro tem.

--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

Free travel on London busses
 

MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

Edinburgh was introducing them when I was there last Summer, along with
on-board videos very carefully (and ludicrously for someone used to London)
explaining and demonstrating how to board the bus using the front, and how
to leave the bus using the middle.

However, even with double doors, they still perform the peculiar Edinburgh
ritual of letting people off before the stop, but refusing to let people on
until the bus in front has left and the driver can pull up to the stand
proper. This does rather reduce the benefit of having double doors.

Lew

Free travel on London busses
 

On 17/04/2020 22:23, Lew 1 wrote:

Edinburgh was introducing them when I was there last Summer, along with
on-board videos very carefully (and ludicrously for someone used to London)
explaining and demonstrating how to board the bus using the front, and how
to leave the bus using the middle.

However, even with double doors, they still perform the peculiar Edinburgh
ritual of letting people off before the stop, but refusing to let people on
until the bus in front has left and the driver can pull up to the stand
proper. This does rather reduce the benefit of having double doors.

It's not specific to Edinburgh, we were certainly told not to let people
on (or off, for that matter) away from stops when I started driving in
Birmingham in 1998.

Something to do with insurance cover they said, whether it was bs or not
I don't know, anyway a lot of drivers still did it, although I never did
if I could avoid it.


--
Ria in Aberdeen

[Send address is invalid, use sipsoup at gmail dot com to reply direct]

Free travel on London busses
 

MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 17/04/2020 22:23, Lew 1 wrote:

Edinburgh was introducing them when I was there last Summer, along with
on-board videos very carefully (and ludicrously for someone used to London)
explaining and demonstrating how to board the bus using the front, and how
to leave the bus using the middle.

However, even with double doors, they still perform the peculiar Edinburgh
ritual of letting people off before the stop, but refusing to let people on
until the bus in front has left and the driver can pull up to the stand
proper. This does rather reduce the benefit of having double doors.

It's not specific to Edinburgh, we were certainly told not to let people
on (or off, for that matter) away from stops when I started driving in
Birmingham in 1998.

Something to do with insurance cover they said, whether it was bs or not
I don't know, anyway a lot of drivers still did it, although I never did
if I could avoid it.

But this isn’t away from stops, it’s specifically at stops. The driver will
pull up behind a bus already at the stop and open the doors to let people
off, then shut the doors and wait until the bus (or two, or three!) in
front have moved off before pulling forward to the stand to let the queue
of people on.

It just seems to be a rule that each stand can have no more than one bus
loading at any time, but the same limit doesn’t apply to offloading. The
way it slows down a bus’ progress is maddening if you’re behind a busy
route and you constantly have to wait for everyone on the bus in front to
get on and pay and sit down before your driver will pull forward to find
no-one to let on at all. Cue the same at every. Single. Stop.

Lew

Free travel on London busses
 

tim... wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:
so it says:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9470161.html

I got on at the front door and tapped my card this morning


But, like many bus passengers, you were presumably travelling free?

only to me

my ride is still "accounted for" in order to work out how much my LA should
pay - as part of an averaging process, not directly for that ride.

It's only accounted for as a way of divvying up a fixed budget. It doesn't
affect TfL's income.

Free travel on London busses
 

On 17/04/2020 23:06, Lew 1 wrote:
MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 17/04/2020 22:23, Lew 1 wrote:

Edinburgh was introducing them when I was there last Summer, along with
on-board videos very carefully (and ludicrously for someone used to London)
explaining and demonstrating how to board the bus using the front, and how
to leave the bus using the middle.

However, even with double doors, they still perform the peculiar Edinburgh
ritual of letting people off before the stop, but refusing to let people on
until the bus in front has left and the driver can pull up to the stand
proper. This does rather reduce the benefit of having double doors.

It's not specific to Edinburgh, we were certainly told not to let people
on (or off, for that matter) away from stops when I started driving in
Birmingham in 1998.

Something to do with insurance cover they said, whether it was bs or not
I don't know, anyway a lot of drivers still did it, although I never did
if I could avoid it.

But this isn’t away from stops, it’s specifically at stops. The driver will
pull up behind a bus already at the stop and open the doors to let people
off, then shut the doors and wait until the bus (or two, or three!) in
front have moved off before pulling forward to the stand to let the queue
of people on.

It just seems to be a rule that each stand can have no more than one bus
loading at any time, but the same limit doesn’t apply to offloading. The
way it slows down a bus’ progress is maddening if you’re behind a busy
route and you constantly have to wait for everyone on the bus in front to
get on and pay and sit down before your driver will pull forward to find
no-one to let on at all. Cue the same at every. Single. Stop.

Lew


not like that here in south london, one of our local stops which is an
interchange between 7 routes has road markings going back far enough for
4 buses and there are times when people are boarding 4 different buses
at the same time, its somewhat complicated by the fact that 2 of the
routes sometimes change driver there as well which causes extra delays

--
Martin

Free travel on London busses
 

"Recliner" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:
so it says:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9470161.html

I got on at the front door and tapped my card this morning


But, like many bus passengers, you were presumably travelling free?

only to me

my ride is still "accounted for" in order to work out how much my LA
should
pay - as part of an averaging process, not directly for that ride.

It's only accounted for as a way of divvying up a fixed budget. It doesn't
affect TfL's income.

I know

I thought that was what I said (albeit a long way round)

but OTOH, of they aren't taking money for paying punters, the deficit that
has to be made up will be greater

Free travel on London busses
 

On 17/04/2020 15:25, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

London was sensible in keeping them - after a wobble in the 90s. Much
of the country, especially in the larger urban areas, had dual-door
buses decades ago as you will remember, and IMO changing that was a
mistake. Some forward-thinkers are bringing them back (Brighton,
Bristol, Oxford in the past, and now Dublin, where the bad idea also
spread), but I didn't expect *this* to be an argument in their favour.

London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this decision
earlier (or if more passengers had listened to sense and stayed at
home). It's still no use for the routes that need the smallest buses, I
don't think any London operator has the shortest Enviro200 for instance
(8.9 m) with a second door. A standard bus may not fit round the
corners of these routes. I can only think of the X26 that has standard
size buses with only one door, there may be a few others.

Richard.

Free travel on London busses
 

tim... wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:
so it says:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9470161.html

I got on at the front door and tapped my card this morning


But, like many bus passengers, you were presumably travelling free?

only to me

my ride is still "accounted for" in order to work out how much my LA
should
pay - as part of an averaging process, not directly for that ride.

It's only accounted for as a way of divvying up a fixed budget. It doesn't
affect TfL's income.

I know

I thought that was what I said (albeit a long way round)

but OTOH, of they aren't taking money for paying punters, the deficit that
has to be made up will be greater


I don't think there are many would-be paying punters at the moment, so it
hardly matters if their fares are collected or not.

Free travel on London busses
 

On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47:40PM +0100, Richard wrote:

London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this decision
earlier ...

Very little, I would think, given that drivers are separated from
passengers by a plastic screen rather more substantial than the plastic
screens that are popping up in places like pharmacies. This change is
just an attempt to stop the public transport unions behaving like
bell-ends when management have more important things to worry about.

--
David Cantrell | A machine for turning tea into grumpiness

Seven o'clock in the morning is something that
happens to those less fortunate than me

Free travel on London busses
 

On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:07:36PM -0000, Recliner wrote:

I don't think there are many would-be paying punters at the moment, so it
hardly matters if their fares are collected or not.

20% of normal numbers, as of a week and a bit ago.

12% on provincial buses, 5% on rail, according to
https://www.cityam.com/coronavirus-r...-restrictions/

--
David Cantrell | A machine for turning tea into grumpiness

Eye have a spelling chequer / It came with my pea sea
It planely marques four my revue / Miss Steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a quay and type a word / And weight for it to say
Weather eye am wrong oar write / It shows me strait a weigh.

Free travel on London busses
 

David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:07:36PM -0000, Recliner wrote:

I don't think there are many would-be paying punters at the moment, so it
hardly matters if their fares are collected or not.

20% of normal numbers, as of a week and a bit ago.

12% on provincial buses, 5% on rail, according to
https://www.cityam.com/coronavirus-r...-restrictions/


And many of those remaining bus passengers will be travelling free anyway.

Free travel on London busses
 

On 19/04/2020 16:47, Richard wrote:

London was sensible in keeping them - after a wobble in the 90s.Â* Much
of the country, especially in the larger urban areas, had dual-door
buses decades ago as you will remember, and IMO changing that was a
mistake.Â* Some forward-thinkers are bringing them back (Brighton,
Bristol, Oxford in the past, and now Dublin, where the bad idea also
spread), but I didn't expect *this* to be an argument in their favour.

Birmingham tried them very briefly in the 70's but withdrew them almost
immediately as the local "yoof" found that boarding via the middle door
meant they bypassed the driver and the ticket machine.


--
Ria in Aberdeen

[Send address is invalid, use sipsoup at gmail dot com to reply direct]

Free travel on London busses
 

On 19/04/2020 22:27, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47:40PM +0100, Richard wrote:

London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this decision
earlier ...

Very little, I would think, given that drivers are separated from
passengers by a plastic screen rather more substantial than the plastic
screens that are popping up in places like pharmacies. This change is
just an attempt to stop the public transport unions behaving like
bell-ends when management have more important things to worry about.

Those plastic screens are less than useless if a yob decides to have a
go at you. Glass has more strength to it, although back in the day I was
once driving a Metro double decker which had a glass screen. A friendly
local decided he didn't want to pay his fare and when I challenged him
he punched the screen with such force that his hand went straight
through it. This was 1/4" thick glass, remember.

He then got off and walked away like nothing had happened. Never did
find out if he hurt himself..!!


--
Ria in Aberdeen

[Send address is invalid, use sipsoup at gmail dot com to reply direct]

Free travel on London busses
 

MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 22:27, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47:40PM +0100, Richard wrote:

London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this decision
earlier ...

Very little, I would think, given that drivers are separated from
passengers by a plastic screen rather more substantial than the plastic
screens that are popping up in places like pharmacies. This change is
just an attempt to stop the public transport unions behaving like
bell-ends when management have more important things to worry about.

Those plastic screens are less than useless if a yob decides to have a
go at you. Glass has more strength to it, although back in the day I was
once driving a Metro double decker which had a glass screen. A friendly
local decided he didn't want to pay his fare and when I challenged him
he punched the screen with such force that his hand went straight
through it. This was 1/4" thick glass, remember.

He then got off and walked away like nothing had happened. Never did
find out if he hurt himself..!!



The screens are for virus, not yob, protection.

Free travel on London busses
 

On 19/04/2020 23:54, Recliner wrote:

The screens are for virus, not yob, protection.

Not with holes in so you can hear people talk. Well maybe they are now,
but they weren't back in the 90's when I started on the job.


--
Ria in Aberdeen

[Send address is invalid, use sipsoup at gmail dot com to reply direct]

Free travel on London busses
 

MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 23:54, Recliner wrote:

The screens are for virus, not yob, protection.

Not with holes in so you can hear people talk. Well maybe they are now,
but they weren't back in the 90's when I started on the job.

The holes have been covered now.

Free travel on London busses
 

On Sun, 19 Apr 2020 16:47:40 +0100
Richard wrote:
On 17/04/2020 15:25, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 17/04/2020 13:44, Recliner wrote:

"Free travel and middle door-only boarding will be temporarily introduced
from Monday to protect drivers and keep passengers safe from the
coronavirus, the operator said in a statement."

This is all very well, but London is one of the few places in the UK
where buses have middle doors, they certainly don't up here. I'm not
sure how many places other than London do, ISTR York does, but it's been
a while since I was last there.

London was sensible in keeping them - after a wobble in the 90s. Much
of the country, especially in the larger urban areas, had dual-door
buses decades ago as you will remember, and IMO changing that was a
mistake. Some forward-thinkers are bringing them back (Brighton,
Bristol, Oxford in the past, and now Dublin, where the bad idea also
spread), but I didn't expect *this* to be an argument in their favour.

London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this decision

Sod all I should think. The drives who got it almost certainly got it elsewhere,
not through a thick plastic screen via people who walk past in seconds.

Free travel on London busses
 

On Sun, 19 Apr 2020 23:46:37 +0100
MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 22:27, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47:40PM +0100, Richard wrote:

London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this decision
earlier ...

Very little, I would think, given that drivers are separated from
passengers by a plastic screen rather more substantial than the plastic
screens that are popping up in places like pharmacies. This change is
just an attempt to stop the public transport unions behaving like
bell-ends when management have more important things to worry about.

Those plastic screens are less than useless if a yob decides to have a
go at you. Glass has more strength to it, although back in the day I was
once driving a Metro double decker which had a glass screen. A friendly
local decided he didn't want to pay his fare and when I challenged him
he punched the screen with such force that his hand went straight
through it. This was 1/4" thick glass, remember.

He then got off and walked away like nothing had happened. Never did
find out if he hurt himself..!!

When he sobered up be probably realised he'd broken half his knuckles.

Free travel on London busses
 

On 20/04/2020 09:33, wrote:
On Sun, 19 Apr 2020 23:46:37 +0100
MissRiaElaine wrote:

Those plastic screens are less than useless if a yob decides to have a
go at you. Glass has more strength to it, although back in the day I was
once driving a Metro double decker which had a glass screen. A friendly
local decided he didn't want to pay his fare and when I challenged him
he punched the screen with such force that his hand went straight
through it. This was 1/4" thick glass, remember.

He then got off and walked away like nothing had happened. Never did
find out if he hurt himself..!!

When he sobered up be probably realised he'd broken half his knuckles.

We can but hope..!


--
Ria in Aberdeen

[Send address is invalid, use sipsoup at gmail dot com to reply direct]

Free travel on London busses
 

On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 11:46:37PM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 22:27, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47:40PM +0100, Richard wrote:
London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this decision
earlier ...
Very little, I would think, given that drivers are separated from
passengers by a plastic screen rather more substantial than the plastic
screens that are popping up in places like pharmacies. This change is
just an attempt to stop the public transport unions behaving like
bell-ends when management have more important things to worry about.
Those plastic screens are less than useless if a yob decides to have a
go at you.

But this isn't about yobs deciding to have a go at you, it's about
accidentally catching a disease from passengers who aren't deliberately
trying to pass it on.

--
David Cantrell | top google result for "topless karaoke murders"

Arbeit macht Alkoholiker

Free travel on London busses
 

On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 10:20:53PM -0000, Recliner wrote:
David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:07:36PM -0000, Recliner wrote:
I don't think there are many would-be paying punters at the moment, so it
hardly matters if their fares are collected or not.
20% of normal numbers, as of a week and a bit ago.
12% on provincial buses, 5% on rail, according to
https://www.cityam.com/coronavirus-r...-restrictions/
And many of those remaining bus passengers will be travelling free anyway.

I'd expect the proportion that are traveling for free to be much
reduced, as that's mostly elderlies and others who are diseased and
hence even more monk-like than the rest of us.

--
David Cantrell | A machine for turning tea into grumpiness

It's my experience that neither users nor customers can articulate
what it is they want, nor can they evaluate it when they see it
-- Alan Cooper

Free travel on London busses
 

On Mon, Apr 20, 2020 at 02:54:21AM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 23:54, Recliner wrote:
The screens are for virus, not yob, protection.
Not with holes in so you can hear people talk.

A screen with some holes in will provide a great deal of protection.
Obviously not perfect, for that you need to wear a space suit.

--
David Cantrell | London Perl Mongers Deputy Chief Heretic

You know you're getting old when you fancy the
teenager's parent and ignore the teenager
-- Paul M in uknot

Free travel on London busses
 

David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 10:20:53PM -0000, Recliner wrote:
David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:07:36PM -0000, Recliner wrote:
I don't think there are many would-be paying punters at the moment, so it
hardly matters if their fares are collected or not.
20% of normal numbers, as of a week and a bit ago.
12% on provincial buses, 5% on rail, according to
https://www.cityam.com/coronavirus-r...-restrictions/
And many of those remaining bus passengers will be travelling free anyway.

I'd expect the proportion that are traveling for free to be much
reduced, as that's mostly elderlies and others who are diseased and
hence even more monk-like than the rest of us.


Agreed

Free travel on London busses
 

David Cantrell wrote:
On Mon, Apr 20, 2020 at 02:54:21AM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 23:54, Recliner wrote:
The screens are for virus, not yob, protection.
Not with holes in so you can hear people talk.

A screen with some holes in will provide a great deal of protection.
Obviously not perfect, for that you need to wear a space suit.


The holes have now been covered anyway.

Free travel on London busses
 

On 20/04/2020 21:45, David Cantrell wrote:
On Mon, Apr 20, 2020 at 02:54:21AM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 23:54, Recliner wrote:
The screens are for virus, not yob, protection.
Not with holes in so you can hear people talk.

A screen with some holes in will provide a great deal of protection.
Obviously not perfect, for that you need to wear a space suit.

I have vivid memories of pulling up at a bus stop somewhere in east
Birmingham about 15 years or so ago. There were two teenagers (I'm
guessing about 13 or 14) waiting, they looked ok(ish) so I stopped and
opened the doors.

Without attempting to board, they let fly with the contents of a large
box of raw eggs. Enough of the goo made it through the holes to give me
a very good start on an egg shampoo.

I wouldn't have minded so much but the first words of the controller
when I called on the radio to report it were not "are you ok" or "do you
want the police" or anything, all he said was "can you carry on in
service..?"

"Erm, let me think... I'm sitting here with my hair and half my uniform
covered in egg goo, what do you think..?"

Incidentally, I have also been spat at on more than one occasion through
those holes.



--
Ria in Aberdeen

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Free travel on London busses
 

On 20/04/2020 21:40, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 11:46:37PM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 22:27, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47:40PM +0100, Richard wrote:
London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this decision
earlier ...
Very little, I would think, given that drivers are separated from
passengers by a plastic screen rather more substantial than the plastic
screens that are popping up in places like pharmacies. This change is
just an attempt to stop the public transport unions behaving like
bell-ends when management have more important things to worry about.
Those plastic screens are less than useless if a yob decides to have a
go at you.

But this isn't about yobs deciding to have a go at you, it's about
accidentally catching a disease from passengers who aren't deliberately
trying to pass it on.

They're still worse than useless. Like those idiotic face masks which
only work if you know how to put them on and take them off, do so
regularly and don't touch them while you're wearing them. Going around
looking like you're about to perform surgery does nothing.


--
Ria in Aberdeen

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"Recliner" wrote in message
...
David Cantrell wrote:
On Mon, Apr 20, 2020 at 02:54:21AM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 23:54, Recliner wrote:
The screens are for virus, not yob, protection.
Not with holes in so you can hear people talk.

A screen with some holes in will provide a great deal of protection.
Obviously not perfect, for that you need to wear a space suit.


The holes have now been covered anyway.

as you no longer walk past them

this issue is moot

tim

Free travel on London busses
 

"MissRiaElaine" wrote in message
...
On 20/04/2020 21:40, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 11:46:37PM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 22:27, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47:40PM +0100, Richard wrote:
London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this
decision
earlier ...
Very little, I would think, given that drivers are separated from
passengers by a plastic screen rather more substantial than the plastic
screens that are popping up in places like pharmacies. This change is
just an attempt to stop the public transport unions behaving like
bell-ends when management have more important things to worry about.
Those plastic screens are less than useless if a yob decides to have a
go at you.

But this isn't about yobs deciding to have a go at you, it's about
accidentally catching a disease from passengers who aren't deliberately
trying to pass it on.

They're still worse than useless. Like those idiotic face masks which only
work if you know how to put them on and take them off, do so regularly and
don't touch them while you're wearing them. Going around looking like
you're about to perform surgery does nothing.

it might do nothing to stop you from catching it

but it must do something to stop you passing it on

It won't be perfect at that, but a 50% reduction is well worth having

tim

Free travel on London busses
 

tim... wrote:


"Recliner" wrote in message
...
David Cantrell wrote:
On Mon, Apr 20, 2020 at 02:54:21AM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 23:54, Recliner wrote:
The screens are for virus, not yob, protection.
Not with holes in so you can hear people talk.

A screen with some holes in will provide a great deal of protection.
Obviously not perfect, for that you need to wear a space suit.


The holes have now been covered anyway.

as you no longer walk past them

this issue is moot


Not quite. There may still be passengers standing near the front, not far
from the screen, unless they've closed off the whole front area.

Free travel on London busses
 

tim... wrote:


"MissRiaElaine" wrote in message
...
On 20/04/2020 21:40, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 11:46:37PM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 19/04/2020 22:27, David Cantrell wrote:
On Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 04:47:40PM +0100, Richard wrote:
London's move to board by the middle door comes about a month after it
was done in several other European bus networks, I wonder how much
illness and worse could have been avoided if TfL had made this
decision
earlier ...
Very little, I would think, given that drivers are separated from
passengers by a plastic screen rather more substantial than the plastic
screens that are popping up in places like pharmacies. This change is
just an attempt to stop the public transport unions behaving like
bell-ends when management have more important things to worry about.
Those plastic screens are less than useless if a yob decides to have a
go at you.

But this isn't about yobs deciding to have a go at you, it's about
accidentally catching a disease from passengers who aren't deliberately
trying to pass it on.

They're still worse than useless. Like those idiotic face masks which only
work if you know how to put them on and take them off, do so regularly and
don't touch them while you're wearing them. Going around looking like
you're about to perform surgery does nothing.

it might do nothing to stop you from catching it

but it must do something to stop you passing it on

Yes, that's the whole point of simple face masks. It's why masks may soon
be compulsory on public transport, at least in London. They already are in
shops and PT in many other countries, even some US states.


It won't be perfect at that, but a 50% reduction is well worth having


Yup

Free travel on London busses
 

On Mon, Apr 20, 2020 at 10:51:38PM +0100, MissRiaElaine wrote:
On 20/04/2020 21:40, David Cantrell wrote:
But this isn't about yobs deciding to have a go at you, it's about
accidentally catching a disease from passengers who aren't deliberately
trying to pass it on.
They're still worse than useless.

I'll take my local pharmacist's word for it over yours.

--
David Cantrell | Bourgeois reactionary pig

It wouldn't hurt to think like a serial killer every so often.
Purely for purposes of prevention, of course.