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Post by southlondon413 on Aug 31, 2022 13:44:38 GMT
I’m only a passenger but that would annoy the poo out of me. It would be so jarring and offer no real benefit. It’s bad enough when they have those stupid comic relief things or the children in need ones by narcissistic celebrities who think we all love the sound of their voice as much as they do. Absolute no from me. You want to feel welcome take an Uber or another form of private hire. It’s a bus let’s just get from A to B, we’re lucky we even get voice announcements as it is. It would be the same announcement as you get now with the words "welcome to route.........." added. If you’re sat on a bus for 10+ stops it’s gonna get annoying really quickly. It would have zero benefit and seems an unnecessary way to thank somebody who feels entitled and out of touch with reality. If anything you should be welcoming and thanking the driver for doing their job. |
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Post by thelondonthing on Aug 31, 2022 13:45:32 GMT
You do know the cost of the "fancy enhancements" is pretty minimal (in context)? This stuff is public information. I know it dosen't fit the argument of some but it isn't a big deal, it's worth doing if you ask me. I didn’t ask you and I did ask you to keep out of my way but here we are again. It’s going to get very boring like it did with another member! Costs might be minimal but they soon add up! Just because a fancy 63 bus becomes a TikTok hit doesn’t mean a thing with a buses sits a stop for ten minutes so that an operator gets its bonus! I’m looking at you GoAhead! This is not about fitting any argument as you put it. I'm struggling to understand how going viral after specifying new buses with USB charging ports and glass roof panels can have any material impact on how long a bus waits at a stop. The costs of introducing such signage would indeed be marginal, potentially nominal, within the broader scale of TfL's production of other signage and notices across its bus, tube, rail, river and other transport networks. And I would think that the purpose of the signage is obvious: to make bus journeys just a teeny, tiny bit more pleasant. Seeing it won't make your day, or put a big beaming smile on your face, but it might be a nice touch for visitors, or even for the kind of occasional travellers that TfL is hoping will use the bus network a bit more often as it seeks to boost post-pandemic numbers. As part of a wider range of improvements to buses over the coming years - such as more zero-emissions vehicles, and broader implementation of the Future Bus spec - I'm sure it's hoped that all of these small enhancements will combine into a greater public sense that buses aren't completely terrible. A sticker on its own is obviously not going to transform anything, and I think we all know that, so let's not be silly about it. But it might just make things feel at least a tiny bit more... pleasant for some bus passengers at least; and with the minimal cost involved, it's a no-brainer to give it a try. And yes, even minimal costs do add up - for signs, USB ports, and everything else - but some money is worth spending, as it adds value (or 'pleasantness') to the passenger experience, making bus travel a little bit more appealing (or a little bit less sh!t, if you prefer). Operators have to improve the passenger experience from time to time, if only to justify the steady and inevitable increase in ticket prices. That's why provincial and even independent operators across the UK have been introducing features like Wi-Fi, leather seats, and even mood lighting on services for years - they understand that the quality of the onboard experience matters if you want people to use your bus services, and that often means introducing non-essential features and elements that simply make everything feel a bit nicer. Making such improvements to the vehicle specification has no relation to the running or reliability of the service (unless, of course, these features somehow directly cause a bus to be withdrawn from service). But if your bus arrives 10 minutes late because the service has been regulated, it's not because the operator specified a sunroof for the bus, or because there's a 'welcome aboard' sign by the driver. These things are completely disconnected, so I don't understand why you're equating the two. Indeed, it sounds like you have a separate grievance with the quality of service provided by a particular operator, which doesn't really belong in this discussion. Some of the latest additions to TfL's bus spec, such as USB ports - and even relatively trivial additions like 'welcome aboard' signage - may seem like frivolous, wasteful spending in lean times to those who can't understand that the passenger experience has to continue evolving, as well as to the embittered few who curse the spending of all public money on anything but the most austere and joyless essentials. But while some new features may not meet with everyone's approval, the fact is that new buses need to be ordered anyway, and the costs of adding such new features to bulk fleet orders is relatively small. And many of these costs are continuing to fall as operators in the UK and around the world make such features standard across their fleet renewals in growing numbers, facilitating greater economies of scale and increased savings. As any bus operator will tell you, spending a little bit extra here and there can go a long way to making passengers happy, and to attracting new ones - and in the long term, that's money well spent. |
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Post by LondonNorthern on Aug 31, 2022 13:51:59 GMT
It would be the same announcement as you get now with the words "welcome to route.........." added. If you’re sat on a bus for 10+ stops it’s gonna get annoying really quickly. It would have zero benefit and seems an unnecessary way to thank somebody who feels entitled and out of touch with reality. If anything you should be welcoming and thanking the driver for doing their job. I thought it was common practice to say thank you to the driver, I mean I've been saying that all my life. If I ever have my headphones in listening to something, when boarding or alighting I'll always stop it and say "Thank you driver". |
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Post by thelondonthing on Aug 31, 2022 13:59:36 GMT
If you’re sat on a bus for 10+ stops it’s gonna get annoying really quickly. It would have zero benefit and seems an unnecessary way to thank somebody who feels entitled and out of touch with reality. If anything you should be welcoming and thanking the driver for doing their job. I thought it was common practice to say thank you to the driver, I mean I've been saying that all my life. If I ever have my headphones in listening to something, when boarding or alighting I'll always stop it and say "Thank you driver". Me too - it's how my parents raised me!  |
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Post by astock5000 on Aug 31, 2022 14:24:13 GMT
I thought it was common practice to say thank you to the driver, I mean I've been saying that all my life. If I ever have my headphones in listening to something, when boarding or alighting I'll always stop it and say "Thank you driver". I'll always say "Thanks" while alighting from a single door bus, however unless it is very quiet the opportunity just isn't there when exiting further back. Never thought about this before, but from my experience thanking when boarding is only a common thing on provincial services when tickets have been issued. I can see how it could simply be said in advance of the journey but I've never witnessed that. Getting back to the welcome signs, similar notices are common on many provincial operators and I don't see any issue with the idea. Yes, the effect may be subtle and even somewhat subconscious but the expense will be low and there are no downsides to them (unlike adding a welcome message to the announcements which could irritate some people when hearing it repeatedly, resulting in them no longer listening to other announcements). I do however feel that the main square version's design is slightly cluttered and would have kept the graphics to one level - and also would have depicted a more modern vehicle type than a 1st generation E400. |
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Post by wirewiper on Aug 31, 2022 14:38:25 GMT
It would be the same announcement as you get now with the words "welcome to route.........." added. If you’re sat on a bus for 10+ stops it’s gonna get annoying really quickly. It would have zero benefit and seems an unnecessary way to thank somebody who feels entitled and out of touch with reality. If anything you should be welcoming and thanking the driver for doing their job. I wouldn't want it overdone, but occasionally after leaving major centres or traffic objectives would be a nice touch. As an example: on route 65, after leaving the town centres of Ealing, Richmond and Kingston, and possibly after Kew Gardens. |
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Post by vjaska on Aug 31, 2022 14:58:18 GMT
Agreed, an iBus announcement such as “263 to Barnet Hospital” sounds a bit bland, having a “welcome aboard this 263 to Barnet Hospital” every time the bus leaves a bus stop feels a lot more welcoming. More interchange announcements would be helpful, such as “Tally Ho Corner, change here for bus routes 13, 112, 125, 134, 221, 383, 460 & N20 in and around North Finchley” I’m only a passenger but that would annoy the poo out of me. It would be so jarring and offer no real benefit. It’s bad enough when they have those stupid comic relief things or the children in need ones by narcissistic celebrities who think we all love the sound of their voice as much as they do. Absolute no from me. You want to feel welcome take an Uber or another form of private hire. It’s a bus let’s just get from A to B, we’re lucky we even get voice announcements as it is. If that annoys you, surely I-Bus saying something like "65 to Ealing Broadway" would annoy you? I mean most trains have similar announcements like "Welcome aboard this Southern service to Epsom Downs" Lucky to get voice announcements? It's a natural and beneficial part of travelling on a London bus - there's no luck involved. This is one thing that actually provincial operators could take a leaf out of TfL's book (not often we can say that) - most similar systems to I-bus on buses outside of London are quite poor particularly when it comes to stop announcements |
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Post by M1104 on Aug 31, 2022 15:07:35 GMT
I’m only a passenger but that would annoy the poo out of me. It would be so jarring and offer no real benefit. It’s bad enough when they have those stupid comic relief things or the children in need ones by narcissistic celebrities who think we all love the sound of their voice as much as they do. Absolute no from me. You want to feel welcome take an Uber or another form of private hire. It’s a bus let’s just get from A to B, we’re lucky we even get voice announcements as it is. It would be the same announcement as you get now with the words "welcome to route.........." added. The "Welcome to...." message to people already on board would be somewhat reminiscent of Leslie Nelson's character on the comedy spoof movie Airplane...where he periodically opens the cockpit door to the pilot to say, "I just want to say good luck, we're all counting on you". If more words were to be added to the route announcement i would in comparison prefer something along the lines of: "This is a route 152 bus terminating at Pollards Hill" |
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Post by southlondon413 on Aug 31, 2022 15:15:53 GMT
I’m only a passenger but that would annoy the poo out of me. It would be so jarring and offer no real benefit. It’s bad enough when they have those stupid comic relief things or the children in need ones by narcissistic celebrities who think we all love the sound of their voice as much as they do. Absolute no from me. You want to feel welcome take an Uber or another form of private hire. It’s a bus let’s just get from A to B, we’re lucky we even get voice announcements as it is. If that annoys you, surely I-Bus saying something like "65 to Ealing Broadway" would annoy you? I mean most trains have similar announcements like "Welcome aboard this Southern service to Epsom Downs" Lucky to get voice announcements? It's a natural and beneficial part of travelling on a London bus - there's no luck involved. This is one thing that actually provincial operators could take a leaf out of TfL's book (not often we can say that) - most similar systems to I-bus on buses outside of London are quite poor particularly when it comes to stop announcements I do find it annoying, but at least you can somewhat drown that out. It gets on my tits when kids or grown adults mimic it when waiting for the bus. At least train announcements aren’t ever couple of minutes. Even on the tube you can barely here them these days because of the track noise between stations. I just don’t think we need so many long winded announcements, what’s wrong with a bit of quiet or being able to hear my music. We are lucky to have voice announcements, many cities across the world still don’t use them and they are really of benefit to the disabled community but we just don’t need as many. |
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Post by vjaska on Aug 31, 2022 16:00:33 GMT
If that annoys you, surely I-Bus saying something like "65 to Ealing Broadway" would annoy you? I mean most trains have similar announcements like "Welcome aboard this Southern service to Epsom Downs" Lucky to get voice announcements? It's a natural and beneficial part of travelling on a London bus - there's no luck involved. This is one thing that actually provincial operators could take a leaf out of TfL's book (not often we can say that) - most similar systems to I-bus on buses outside of London are quite poor particularly when it comes to stop announcements I do find it annoying, but at least you can somewhat drown that out. It gets on my tits when kids or grown adults mimic it when waiting for the bus. At least train announcements aren’t ever couple of minutes. Even on the tube you can barely here them these days because of the track noise between stations. I just don’t think we need so many long winded announcements, what’s wrong with a bit of quiet or being able to hear my music. We are lucky to have voice announcements, many cities across the world still don’t use them and they are really of benefit to the disabled community but we just don’t need as many. On a stopping service with lots of stations, it would be every few minutes - these train companies also still play Covid messages among other things. I listen to music on the train and the announcements don't affect my listening pleasure and I don't have noise cancelling earphones whilst your not going to get many rides on buses and trains in a city that are quiet - there will always be some sort of noise going on. We aren't lucky, it's a step in progress - just because many cities don't have it has nothing to do with luck. The stop announcements are not just a benefit to the disabled community - if your far away from the I-Bus screen and your unfamiliar with the stop you want but know the name, having an announcement is an obvious benefit. |
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Post by WH241 on Aug 31, 2022 16:07:07 GMT
If that annoys you, surely I-Bus saying something like "65 to Ealing Broadway" would annoy you? I mean most trains have similar announcements like "Welcome aboard this Southern service to Epsom Downs" Lucky to get voice announcements? It's a natural and beneficial part of travelling on a London bus - there's no luck involved. This is one thing that actually provincial operators could take a leaf out of TfL's book (not often we can say that) - most similar systems to I-bus on buses outside of London are quite poor particularly when it comes to stop announcements I do find it annoying, but at least you can somewhat drown that out. It gets on my tits when kids or grown adults mimic it when waiting for the bus. At least train announcements aren’t ever couple of minutes. Even on the tube you can barely here them these days because of the track noise between stations. I just don’t think we need so many long winded announcements, what’s wrong with a bit of quiet or being able to hear my music. We are lucky to have voice announcements, many cities across the world still don’t use them and they are really of benefit to the disabled community but we just don’t need as many. I know we are really drifting off topic but the worse announcements for me are the mixed gender ones when in person speaks and the other person finishes the message. Again this is just my view but think London is different to most places and just wants a basic bus! Everyone is always in such a rush all the time they just don’t notice things like notices or announcements. I know things progress but we manage fine up until the early 00s without things like IBUS. |
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Post by wirewiper on Aug 31, 2022 16:10:28 GMT
I do find it annoying, but at least you can somewhat drown that out. It gets on my tits when kids or grown adults mimic it when waiting for the bus. At least train announcements aren’t ever couple of minutes. Even on the tube you can barely here them these days because of the track noise between stations. I just don’t think we need so many long winded announcements, what’s wrong with a bit of quiet or being able to hear my music. We are lucky to have voice announcements, many cities across the world still don’t use them and they are really of benefit to the disabled community but we just don’t need as many. I know we are really drifting off topic but the worse announcements for me are the mixed gender ones when in person speaks and the other person finishes the message. Again this is just my view but think London is different to most places and just wants a basic bus! Everyone is always in such a rush all the time they just don’t notice things like notices or announcements. I know things progress but we manage fine up until the early 00s without things like IBUS. The audible announcements are for people who are visually impaired and cannot read the visual displays. Most of us managed fine without iBus (we are enthusiasts, we know our routes!) but for the wider public, not knowing where to get off the bus on an unfamiliar route can be deterrent to bus travel. |
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Post by southlondon413 on Aug 31, 2022 16:25:15 GMT
I know we are really drifting off topic but the worse announcements for me are the mixed gender ones when in person speaks and the other person finishes the message. Again this is just my view but think London is different to most places and just wants a basic bus! Everyone is always in such a rush all the time they just don’t notice things like notices or announcements. I know things progress but we manage fine up until the early 00s without things like IBUS. The audible announcements are for people who are visually impaired and cannot read the visual displays. Most of us managed fine without iBus (we are enthusiasts, we know our routes!) but for the wider public, not knowing where to get off the bus on an unfamiliar route can be deterrent to bus travel. Anyone who doesn’t do their research before going to an unfamiliar area frankly deserves what they get even if it just lost. |
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Post by LondonNorthern on Aug 31, 2022 16:37:29 GMT
The audible announcements are for people who are visually impaired and cannot read the visual displays. Most of us managed fine without iBus (we are enthusiasts, we know our routes!) but for the wider public, not knowing where to get off the bus on an unfamiliar route can be deterrent to bus travel. Anyone who doesn’t do their research before going to an unfamiliar area frankly deserves what they get even if it just lost. But what about if you are visually impaired? |
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Post by WH241 on Aug 31, 2022 16:38:09 GMT
I know we are really drifting off topic but the worse announcements for me are the mixed gender ones when in person speaks and the other person finishes the message. Again this is just my view but think London is different to most places and just wants a basic bus! Everyone is always in such a rush all the time they just don’t notice things like notices or announcements. I know things progress but we manage fine up until the early 00s without things like IBUS. The audible announcements are for people who are visually impaired and cannot read the visual displays. Most of us managed fine without iBus (we are enthusiasts, we know our routes!) but for the wider public, not knowing where to get off the bus on an unfamiliar route can be deterrent to bus travel. Must admit I didn’t consider visually impaired passengers as the discussion was about annoying announcements. That was a poor oversight on my part. |
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