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Post by VPL630 on Aug 6, 2021 6:00:40 GMT
More a question to bus drivers but I’d welcome a response from anyone who knows; is it worthwhile sending positive feedback through TfL to praise a bus journey I’ve had? I’ve wondered this for a while because if a driver gets recognised by the company for driving well I’d be more than willing to spend a few minutes filling out the form on the website. If it’s something that generally tends to not make a difference I don’t think there’s any point bothering. From working in the operations side, I have seen these emails come in and believe me they are taken seriously, I would urge anyone that’s had a good experience to make the effort to let TfL know about it, you have no idea how much a little recognition can go with a driver especially if they are dealing with something not so great at the moment. I remember a few years ago doing a N55, I let a drunk girl sit on my bus at Oxford Circus because a guy was harassing her and her or her friends even wrote in about it, last thing I was expecting
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Post by greenboy on Aug 6, 2021 7:32:53 GMT
More a question to bus drivers but I’d welcome a response from anyone who knows; is it worthwhile sending positive feedback through TfL to praise a bus journey I’ve had? I’ve wondered this for a while because if a driver gets recognised by the company for driving well I’d be more than willing to spend a few minutes filling out the form on the website. If it’s something that generally tends to not make a difference I don’t think there’s any point bothering. From working in the operations side, I have seen these emails come in and believe me they are taken seriously, I would urge anyone that’s had a good experience to make the effort to let TfL know about it, you have no idea how much a little recognition can go with a driver especially if they are dealing with something not so great at the moment. I remember a few years ago doing a N55, I let a drunk girl sit on my bus at Oxford Circus because a guy was harassing her and her or her friends even wrote in about it, last thing I was expecting I remember an incident at Putney Heath a few years ago, it had been a nice summers day until the heavens suddenly opened and a couple with children who had been out on the heath were running for cover when a driver on the stand opened the door and invited them to take shelter on the bus which was very nice of him. I didn't email TfL about it as it didn't involve me and it did occur to me that it might backfire and get him into trouble for letting people on at the stand!
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Post by galwhv69 on Aug 6, 2021 7:39:47 GMT
This has reminded me, can a driver get in trouble from positive feedback? As in, the driver has started to pull away but has come back to the kerb and stopped to let me on. Sometimes I want to put in some positive feedback for this (and general good driving etc.), but wouldn't want to land the driver in trouble, as drivers aren't meant to stop once they've started pulling away
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Post by dlroper on Aug 6, 2021 8:24:26 GMT
This has reminded me, can a driver get in trouble from positive feedback? As in, the driver has started to pull away but has come back to the kerb and stopped to let me on. Sometimes I want to put in some positive feedback for this (and general good driving etc.), but wouldn't want to land the driver in trouble, as drivers aren't meant to stop once they've started pulling away Very likely ................. for example often the N551 doesn't actually stop at the DLR Depot stop but somewhere definitely more convenient ............ I doubt that would viewed positively by "THEM"
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Post by ronnie on Aug 6, 2021 8:37:21 GMT
This has reminded me, can a driver get in trouble from positive feedback? As in, the driver has started to pull away but has come back to the kerb and stopped to let me on. Sometimes I want to put in some positive feedback for this (and general good driving etc.), but wouldn't want to land the driver in trouble, as drivers aren't meant to stop once they've started pulling away Very likely ................. for example often the N551 doesn't actually stop at the DLR Depot stop but somewhere definitely more convenient ............ I doubt that would viewed positively by "THEM" Yes that makes me wary at times as well - I have seen drivers at times being courteous and stopping for passengers outside of bus stops (eg - if they have just left and someone comes running / someone elderly or with kids / prams) but that may backfire. I have been the beneficiary myself a couple of times - once when a 135 had just left the stop at crossharbour Asda and my wife and I were with the pram and the driver was kind enough to let us on. The other one was funnier - we were coming back from a friend’s house one Saturday night; post 2am in barking and we see an N15 coming having left the stop at barking station. My wife started running (she doesn’t like to wait ….) and I had to run as well as and ended up being somewhat behind. The driver came to a smart stop on Cambridge road as he thought a woman was getting chased by a guy in the middle of the night! Did save us 10-15 min of waiting for the next bus
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Post by VPL630 on Aug 6, 2021 10:46:21 GMT
This has reminded me, can a driver get in trouble from positive feedback? As in, the driver has started to pull away but has come back to the kerb and stopped to let me on. Sometimes I want to put in some positive feedback for this (and general good driving etc.), but wouldn't want to land the driver in trouble, as drivers aren't meant to stop once they've started pulling away Something like that, I wouldn't worry about, we've had examples of 'driver saw me running and stopped before/after the stop for me...' etc etc, I'm sure there is also a way that you'd be able to reword it if for example there isn't something you want to be mentioned, being dropped off somewhere you shouldn't (made sure I got to exactly where I needed), driving very spiritedly (drove in a very professional manner with great care taken to ensure a smooth, safe and efficient journey, etc etc
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Post by rugbyref on Aug 6, 2021 16:41:17 GMT
A young person boarded the bus I was on this morning. She was not wearing a mask, but might have been exempt? She picked up a free paper, opened it and spread it on the seat before sitting down. She then tore a piece of the paper and used that to press the bell. If she was that scared, surely a face shield at the very least would have been appropriate?
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Post by redbus on Aug 6, 2021 18:42:09 GMT
A young person boarded the bus I was on this morning. She was not wearing a mask, but might have been exempt? She picked up a free paper, opened it and spread it on the seat before sitting down. She then tore a piece of the paper and used that to press the bell. If she was that scared, surely a face shield at the very least would have been appropriate? The funny thing about this is how does she know the paper didn't have Covid on it!!! Perhaps she took a paper from the middle of the pile rather than the top one to reduce that risk? At the start of the pandemic there was much worry about picking up Covis from touching things, so many took these kind of precautions and some still do. It is far easier to scare people in this way then tell them there really isn't a problem. My understanding is that it is very very unlikely, but not impossible, to pick up Covid by touch. It is only a problem if you then touch your nose / mouth etc with your hand that touched Covid. Once you clean your hands with anti-bac the danger is gone, so by all means touch things, but if you are worried then just clean your hands with anti-bac. As for your point about not wearing a mask, I am lost for words, although to be fair masks protect others from you rather than you from others. My view is that it makes sense to wear masks on tubes and buses, given ventilation, the length of time you may be on board and critically the confined space. It really needs better enforcement, far too many are not wearing masks against the numbers that are likely exempt. You can't expect bus drivers to enforce these rules, some other method needs to be found, it is only by people expecting enforcement that they will then obey the rules.
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Post by YX10FFN on Aug 6, 2021 21:22:19 GMT
This is not a rant, rather the opposite of one but I wasn't sure which thread to put it in. We are always so negative on this forum (myself included) about operators, types, performance data, drivers etc so I wanted to ask a positive question.
Which route do you think is the best operated route in London? As in the operator does a brilliant job in every way? Even better if its a challenging, high PVR route.
My nomination is the 65. Very reliable and a very professional group of drivers, FW make this challenging route look like a piece of cake. The 65 is a route that is relied on by so many but also has plenty of obstacles to a smooth service, whether that be Kingston, Kew Bridge, Ealing Broadway etc. Curtailments are dished out when required but not overdone, and helpfully usually to only two places (Ham and Great West Road, Ealing Road). For the enthusiast, It's also had an interesting mix of iconic types over the years. I truly believe RATP deserve this new contract and can't wait to see where this route goes next. I could go on for hours about how brilliant this route is!
I'm interested to hear your responses.
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Post by Eastlondoner62 on Aug 6, 2021 21:33:20 GMT
This is not a rant, rather the opposite of one but I wasn't sure which thread to put it in. We are always so negative on this forum (myself included) about operators, types, performance data, drivers etc so I wanted to ask a positive question. Which route do you think is the best operated route in London? As in the operator does a brilliant job in every way? Even better if its a challenging, high PVR route. My nomination is the 65. Very reliable and a very professional group of drivers, FW make this challenging route look like a piece of cake. The 65 is a route that is relied on by so many but also has plenty of obstacles to a smooth service, whether that be Kingston, Kew Bridge, Ealing Broadway etc. Curtailments are dished out when required but not overdone, and helpfully usually to only two places (Ham and Great West Road, Ealing Road). For the enthusiast, It's also had an interesting mix of iconic types over the years. I truly believe RATP deserve this new contract and can't wait to see where this route goes next. I could go on for hours about how brilliant this route is! I'm interested to hear your responses. I'd say Arriva on the 29, Go Ahead on the 5 and Stagecoach on the 25 are all really good examples of routes doing well. While they are frequent, you can pretty much always rely on them to turn up and take you where you need to be. All three are among the busiest routes in London so the operation on these routes really shows.
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Post by galwhv69 on Aug 6, 2021 21:33:54 GMT
This is not a rant, rather the opposite of one but I wasn't sure which thread to put it in. We are always so negative on this forum (myself included) about operators, types, performance data, drivers etc so I wanted to ask a positive question. Which route do you think is the best operated route in London? As in the operator does a brilliant job in every way? Even better if its a challenging, high PVR route. My nomination is the 65. Very reliable and a very professional group of drivers, FW make this challenging route look like a piece of cake. The 65 is a route that is relied on by so many but also has plenty of obstacles to a smooth service, whether that be Kingston, Kew Bridge, Ealing Broadway etc. Curtailments are dished out when required but not overdone, and helpfully usually to only two places (Ham and Great West Road, Ealing Road). For the enthusiast, It's also had an interesting mix of iconic types over the years. I truly believe RATP deserve this new contract and can't wait to see where this route goes next. I could go on for hours about how brilliant this route is! I'm interested to hear your responses. 969 - Just generally amazing 424 - WS's 👎, and often unreliable due to traffic hotspots all around, but the drivers are great, they recognise you, have a chat or give greetings, and often drop you off right where you need to be (even if not strictly on a H&R section ) 315 (Mostly under GAL, only sampled the route under Abellio once), can be unreliable and crowded, however again, the drivers are usually great, and the SEN's, whilst painfully slow up hills, could actually get a small hammering out of on the H&R sections. Drivers would also often let you on at the stand . Under Abellio, polite drivers, and much more nicer presented vehicles
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Post by thesquirrels on Aug 6, 2021 22:10:59 GMT
This is not a rant, rather the opposite of one but I wasn't sure which thread to put it in. We are always so negative on this forum (myself included) about operators, types, performance data, drivers etc so I wanted to ask a positive question. Which route do you think is the best operated route in London? As in the operator does a brilliant job in every way? Even better if its a challenging, high PVR route. My nomination is the 65. Very reliable and a very professional group of drivers, FW make this challenging route look like a piece of cake. The 65 is a route that is relied on by so many but also has plenty of obstacles to a smooth service, whether that be Kingston, Kew Bridge, Ealing Broadway etc. Curtailments are dished out when required but not overdone, and helpfully usually to only two places (Ham and Great West Road, Ealing Road). For the enthusiast, It's also had an interesting mix of iconic types over the years. I truly believe RATP deserve this new contract and can't wait to see where this route goes next. I could go on for hours about how brilliant this route is! I'm interested to hear your responses. I'd say Arriva on the 29, Go Ahead on the 5 and Stagecoach on the 25 are all really good examples of routes doing well. While they are frequent, you can pretty much always rely on them to turn up and take you where you need to be. All three are among the busiest routes in London so the operation on these routes really shows. Another vote for the 29, encounters some pretty awful traffic along the length of the route but seems well run for it. WN have had it for decades and I've no doubt the quality of the service is down to how much expertise and experience is tied up in the day to day operation. It can be delayed by traffic and made unpleasant by some of the clientele, but you can be assured any problems aren't Arriva's doing.
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Post by VPL630 on Aug 7, 2021 18:06:33 GMT
I'd say Arriva on the 29, Go Ahead on the 5 and Stagecoach on the 25 are all really good examples of routes doing well. While they are frequent, you can pretty much always rely on them to turn up and take you where you need to be. All three are among the busiest routes in London so the operation on these routes really shows. Another vote for the 29, encounters some pretty awful traffic along the length of the route but seems well run for it. WN have had it for decades and I've no doubt the quality of the service is down to how much expertise and experience is tied up in the day to day operation. It can be delayed by traffic and made unpleasant by some of the clientele, but you can be assured any problems aren't Arriva's doing. I can’t help but think they only reason you see the 29 run so well is because WN can chuck endless buses at it as it starts in the garage, this is why the 55 used to run so well as we could easily put extra buses on it and the majority of jobs were 1 break 1
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Post by Green Kitten on Aug 7, 2021 19:57:11 GMT
I can vouch for the 29, very dependable.
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Post by vjaska on Aug 7, 2021 21:15:24 GMT
This is not a rant, rather the opposite of one but I wasn't sure which thread to put it in. We are always so negative on this forum (myself included) about operators, types, performance data, drivers etc so I wanted to ask a positive question. Which route do you think is the best operated route in London? As in the operator does a brilliant job in every way? Even better if its a challenging, high PVR route. My nomination is the 65. Very reliable and a very professional group of drivers, FW make this challenging route look like a piece of cake. The 65 is a route that is relied on by so many but also has plenty of obstacles to a smooth service, whether that be Kingston, Kew Bridge, Ealing Broadway etc. Curtailments are dished out when required but not overdone, and helpfully usually to only two places (Ham and Great West Road, Ealing Road). For the enthusiast, It's also had an interesting mix of iconic types over the years. I truly believe RATP deserve this new contract and can't wait to see where this route goes next. I could go on for hours about how brilliant this route is! I'm interested to hear your responses. Vast majority of routes in my area are well run but I'd say the 2 is head and shoulders the best run one over it's entire Cowie and Arriva tenure. I honestly can't remember a long wait even when it suffered two notable diversions during my time using it (the one via Croxted Road & Lancaster Avenue to avoid multiple burst water mains on Norwood Road in the early 00's & the one via Rothschild Street/Chapel Road, Knights Hill & Crown Dale due to Elder Road being shut for works). The drivers at N are friendly enough and even curtailments are kept a minimum
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