Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2017 6:38:19 GMT
Has anything happened to you or you've seen at a bus stop or on a bus that amazed, humiliated or embarrassed you that you want to confide with fellow enthusiasts.
Around about 1976 when I was 16 something happened to me that I'll never forget.
I was at a stop beyond Passingford Bridge on the Ongar Rd waiting I think for abus that went to Loughton via Abridge and Theydon Bois. Can't remember the route. The timetable informed me I had a 90 minute wait. It was a summer afternoon, so I sat on the grass turned on my transistor radio and waited. For some daft reason, please don't ask why, I decided to tie my right shoelace to a roughly six foot length of picket fence that someone had discarded by the roadside. I dozed off listening to cricket. I woke and noticed something extraordinary, I must have dropped a tic tac mint onto the grass, ants had swarmed over it, and had lifted it and were carrying it away. They thought it was an egg! Wow I couldn't resist it, I got another mint from the box and placed it down, more ants came and started carrying this one too.
It was fascinating. Then suddenly I heard TOOT TOOT TOOT. The bus was here hells bells. I jumped up picked my radio up and ran to the bus, passengers grinning at me as I forgot something...I was dragging a picket fence by my shoelace. I frantically untied it, got on the bus to applause, and sat red faced and humiliated. Will the memory ever fade? Probably not!!
|
|
|
|
Post by planesandtrains on Apr 27, 2017 7:28:25 GMT
Maybe not as extreme as yours, but when the driver of an Arriva the Shires One decided that he would not accept my intalink explorer claiming that they only sell single and return tickets. I obviously knew it was valid, yet the driver was just making a fuss about it, eventually gave up the fight and got a Carousel one. And since then I haven't returned to ATS. Or touched the intalink explorer. When there arn't any running days and I want to get out into the country, I prefer Southern England anyway. Oh and the Discovery Ticket is to die for, makes it possible to do huge trips down to the south coast.
|
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Apr 27, 2017 8:15:53 GMT
Two I can think of but not overly embarrassing. When on holiday in Rome I'd been out for a meal. I hadn't checked the weather forecast and it was chucking it down with rain when I left the restaurant - no coat or brolley. Given the old nature of the City it was a trek to the nearest bus route. By the time I got to a stop I was drenched. I got on the bus looking like a drowned rat and left a huge puddle on the floor of the Citaro I caught. The locals found this rather funny. Thankfully the bus ride wasn't too long ....  Second was having to take 5 minutes to explain to an Eastern National bus driver that I was boarding at the boundary stop for the Plusbus ticket I had. This was at Elmstead Market east of Colchester. I had taken the precaution of printing off and bringing as much info as possible to prove I wasn't cheating. I was eventually allowed on the bus without being charged an extra fare. It was ridiculous I had to go to that effort but it was the early days of Plusbus and I'd rightly guessed that the driver might not have been briefed on the ticket. Not too embarrassing, more a bit unnecessary really.  I'm sure there must be other things but those two come to mind. |
|
|
|
Post by Lewis J.N. on Apr 27, 2017 10:40:02 GMT
Maybe not as extreme as yours, but when the driver of an Arriva the Shires One decided that he would not accept my intalink explorer claiming that they only sell single and return tickets. I obviously knew it was valid, yet the driver was just making a fuss about it, eventually gave up the fight and got a Carousel one. And since then I haven't returned to ATS. Or touched the intalink explorer. When there arn't any running days and I want to get out into the country, I prefer Southern England anyway. Oh and the Discovery Ticket is to die for, makes it possible to do huge trips down to the south coast. I use Intalink Explorers quite often and 95% of the time it's fine with all relevant drivers. Only twice have I been refused, both on a 300 out of Aylesbury funnily enough. A couple more times I've been questioned about it but let on through benefit of doubt. My own embarrassing moments mostly involve my annoyingly bad spacial awareness - the amount of time I've walked into the driver's nearside wingmirror accidentally when boarding begs belief! |
|
|
|
Post by RandomBusesGirl on Apr 27, 2017 10:56:40 GMT
I have some from the "amazing" category  The embarrassing, I'll have to think about. Another pair of my earphones bit the dust so popped into Stratford Westfield's to get new ones. It was prior an afternoon exam, but I timed myself reasonably well. Although I always mix up exits there and emerged somewhere by the International Station, instead of Str City Bus Station. And what do I see? A 308 approaching… I run, dash, sprint for it. Missing it would not be the best given I had an exam I could not be late to, plus I still had to transfer onto a 56 next, and heck knows how far behind the next bus was. I think I was noticed. Typical - in that area the distance between the stops is quite big. And Stratford International was so far from the next one. It doesn't defer me from keeping to run though. The bus got to the target stop before me of course, but didn't need to wait too long. Upon me climbing on board, everyone clap (!) and cheer for me, and call me a marathon runner  I barely thank them, I'm so out of breath. Downed 3/4 of my water afterwards xD Oh hell, now that I wrote some stuff, I remember something quite bizarre. I was at Golders Green, nearly 1AM, trying to find the N13 stop (yup that was September 2016, prior the changes ). I find the N5 stop close to the bus station instead. But I back away and walk in the other direction almost instantly, as there turned out to be some couple, the guy without a shirt— I don't even wanna know what has gone on in there, but *cough* classy! ^_^ |
|
|
|
Post by croydonguy on Apr 27, 2017 11:20:13 GMT
Back in the day of when Metrobus had their 2003 OmniDekkas and I found out the hard way that once you reach a certain height, you basically have to walk like The Hunchback of Notre Dame to get out of the exit doors or if you want to sit downstairs at the back. Every time without fail I'd hit my head on something lol
|
|
|
|
Post by planesandtrains on Apr 27, 2017 12:03:17 GMT
Back in the day of when Metrobus had their 2003 OmniDekkas and I found out the hard way that once you reach a certain height, you basically have to walk like The Hunchback of Notre Dame to get out of the exit doors or if you want to sit downstairs at the back. Every time without fail I'd hit my head on something lol Every time I travel on a BVG Man Lions City DD in Berlin I overestimate the height of the bus. Bang my head every time when I arrive on the top deck. |
|
|
|
Post by vjaska on Apr 27, 2017 12:29:48 GMT
Back in the day of when Metrobus had their 2003 OmniDekkas and I found out the hard way that once you reach a certain height, you basically have to walk like The Hunchback of Notre Dame to get out of the exit doors or if you want to sit downstairs at the back. Every time without fail I'd hit my head on something lol Guilty! I done that many times - that and hitting my head when sitting on the rear of a Brighton Omnilink lol. |
|
|
|
Post by LT 20181 on Apr 27, 2017 14:44:29 GMT
Back in the day of when Metrobus had their 2003 OmniDekkas and I found out the hard way that once you reach a certain height, you basically have to walk like The Hunchback of Notre Dame to get out of the exit doors or if you want to sit downstairs at the back. Every time without fail I'd hit my head on something lol Guilty! I done that many times - that and hitting my head when sitting on the rear of a Brighton Omnilink lol. Same here with the VWHs on the 114/140 at the back in the lower deck! |
|
|
|
Post by rhys on Apr 27, 2017 14:46:07 GMT
Guilty! I done that many times - that and hitting my head when sitting on the rear of a Brighton Omnilink lol. Same here with the VWHs on the 114/140 at the back in the lower deck! Likewise on any B5LH, and I'm only 5'4 haha |
|
|
|
Post by thesquirrels on Apr 27, 2017 21:01:11 GMT
I came of age while exploring the wider London bus network - I had a few head-thump experience on low height deckers! The 'new' tridents on the Lea Bridge Road corridors were prime examples.
My silliest experience was heading home from Enfield one night after a 'heavy one' in every sense, on an N279, only to end up on diversion in Tottenham. The driver reached Spur Corner on West Green Road, threw a wrong turn which resulted in me running downstairs to offer (probably slurred) assistance. He realised he needed to back up and I offered my services as a banksman. Unfortunately for the first minute he was unable to back up as I was 18" behind the bus waving my arms back to the driver to back up - straight into me. He sounded his horn which made me realise what I was doing wrong! We got there in the end. One best left off the paperwork trail.
|
|
|
|
Post by 725DYE on Apr 27, 2017 21:24:49 GMT
Being tall myself, I have been wedged in many seats before lol . The old DWS Cadets were very bad, although strangely the DWLs from the 255 were just fine. Going on the X26 with YY13VKP and friends last Saturday reminded me how cramped the Gemini 2s are too. But personally my worst things that have happened on buses have been due to music. Being a trombonist, I often have to lug my case around with me all the time. croydonguy and vjaska if you think you have it bad, I once exited 437 on the 127 at Wallington Station with my case on my back, first hitting my head and then clipping the top of my case on the door . Its also very easy with a music case or big bag to easily hit someone if you're as clumsy as me. In short, I'm an absolute disaster on the buses |
|
|
|
Post by M1199 on Apr 27, 2017 23:06:25 GMT
Embarrassing:
I was waiting for a U3 once, as it approached, I stuck out my left arm to hail it down, as I lifted my arm, a bee stung me on my neck! poxy thing! It made me start shaking my head and left arm like I'm dancing to a dodgy 80's pop song, got on, show my pass to the driver and he gives me the dirtiest look as if to say "what a wierdo" all I could do was mumble that I'd been stung by a bee, as I walked to me seat, I got a funny few looks too!
Amazing:
In the sense that I'm suprised a garage let a driver out on a route without them knowing where it goes! I've actually posted this on here before! Quite a few years ago now, I was waiting for the U5 in Uxbridge Station one Xmas eve, bus pulls up, I tap my Oyster card and the driver asks me where I'm going, "Nags Head" I reply, where's that he said, "err, Appletree Avenue" I reply, he replies I've never driven this route before, can you show me the way there! So I was like ok! He'd been diven a line diagram and was told to work out the way using that! In the end, I went with him all the way to Hayes and back. Nice guy he was, transferred into UX from NP, always said hello after that until he went off to pastures new.
Another, not so amazing story, but is amazing when your drunk! - There was another UX driver I used to speak to quite with (he now works at OFJ) he would often be rostered to do the last U1. One Fri night, after a night on the lash, me and my mates jumped on his 'last' bus, got to Hillingdon Hospital (when the U1 used to terminate there), where he turfed all the stragglers off, who were hoping to go a few stops on towards the Dawley Rd/Lees Rd area, only for him to give me and my mates a lift home! My mates were well chuffed at that!
|
|
|
|
Post by sid on Apr 28, 2017 16:10:30 GMT
It didn't involve me personally but an amusing story I heard years ago when I was on the New Addington routes. There were horses grazing in a field where the Addington Village interchange now stands and a lady used to say to her young daughter "look at the gee gees" when they passed by on the bus. It seemingly became such a habit that she said it one day when she didn't have her daughter with her, resulting in a few strange looks from her fellow passengers  . Such was her embarrassment that she got off at the foot of Gravel Hill and waited for another bus into Croydon ! |
|
|
|
Post by thesquirrels on Apr 28, 2017 22:23:32 GMT
Another one that springs to mind, hailing a 32 in Hendon in the previous decade as a request to stop. The driver gives me a scornful look and says "Mate, you can't do that sort of thing". He thought I was throwing a Nazi salute.
|
|
The embarrassing, I'll have to think about.
I barely thank them, I'm so out of breath. Downed 3/4 of my water afterwards xD
.