Monday 24 April 2017

Hold Tight Please!

I've noticed that, increasingly, younger bus passengers remain in their seats until the bus comes to a stop, even when sitting at the back or upstairs. Meanwhile, more elderly passengers struggle down the aisle to reach the entrance so as to be ready to alight as soon as the bus comes to a stop, even when laden down with shopping or other baggage.
In days gone by we were all expected to do this so as not to delay the bus a moment longer than necessary, and if we stumbled or the bus jolted us we just thought we must be more careful next time.

Of course, it could be that younger people actually read - and obey - the various notices now found on buses telling them to stay in their seats.  Here's one I saw on a Stagecoach bus recently - it's quite clear that passengers should stay seated until the bus stops, presumably because to do otherwise is dangerous.  What it doesn't explain is what the 24 STANDING passengers are supposed to do!

Of course, if everyone obeyed these notices, buses would spend so long at stops that they'd never get anywhere on time!

1 comment:

SteveB said...

I've noticed the same thing on the buses around Swindon - that the younger generation tend to 'sit it out'.

I don't think our Stagecoach service (No. 55) has the same Elf & Safety notices, but in the last couple of weeks we've had a few imports from other parts of the Stagecoach empirethat might already have these notices. I'll have to check.

Swindon's former municipal bus company Thamesdown has just been taken over by the Go-Ahead group, and it looks like the next couple of months will produce a battle-ground as the big combines try to carve out new territory - or will admit defeat. Our bus services from Royal Wootton Basset to Swindon will double in frequency following the May timetable change. Perhaps it may be safer to stay sitting down until the bus stops while these battles are being fought.