Why are London bus drivers predominantly miserable and rude?

Answer 1

i am riffraff trying to dodge their fare and the nice ones are the ones that just say nothing.
Most of them are pretty good its jsut you only notice the orrible ones...
Its only one in ten or twenty or so that wont let you off on a freezing cold sunday morning at 5am with the travelcard from saturday night.....

Answer 2

I don't think they start out miserable and rude - they just become like that due to the pressure of the job. Unless you are a saint would you remain cheerful at all times if you had to cope with: 1. London traffic.
2. People ringing the bell time after time for the same stop (even if it's a compulsory stop and the 'bus stopping' sign has lit up anyway).
3. Riff-raff trying to dodge their fare.
4. Few people saying please or thank you.
5. Stupid, aggressive and intimidating passengers.
6. Idiots parking at bus stops/in bus lanes/blocking narrow roads.
7. Idle people standing up blocking the doors and gangway downstairs when the top deck is half empty.

No, I thought not! I'm surprised so many drivers are as polite and cheerful as they are!

Answer 3

Some of them aren't too bad...well maybe 2 in every hundred bus drivers are nice....others are quite sadistic and evil. But it's like if they have to deal with all the negatives of being a driver, then why be one?

I especially hate it when they close the doors before everyone gets off and still drive off even though they can hear some poor soul demanding to get off...and I hate it when they switch the engine off just because the bus gets too full and peeps get on at the back. Or well...

Answer 4

Because they take abuse all day from kids not willing to show their oyster cards and pensioners who are the same. When they go into the centre they have to argue with all the tourists who don't realise they have to pay before they board. They work 68 hours a week to make £300 and that includes working the night bus routes where they have drunks throwing up on the seats and knives drawn on them. They break up fights and sort out arguments from mothers who should know better fighting over the pushchair spaces. I would be miserable too....

Answer 5

It's a requirement of the job. Also, they must wait at an empty bus stop for two minutes and then, as they spy someone running for the bus, they must then pull away and drive off leaving the puffed out pedestrian waiting another 20 minutes for the next one.
Another requirement is to have an in-build herding instinct, i.e. to wait until there are five of you, on the same route, and then arrive at once. Then all drive off at once (preferably with lots of pedestrians running to catch the bus and just missing you by yards), leaving them to wait 30 minutes for another five to arrive at once.
Oh yes, find all the bumps in the road and go over them fast. Oh yes, find the bus stops and park in the middle of the road so no cars can get by you when you are stationary. Fiddle with the change machine for as long as you can so that you have a nice build up of stationary traffic as far as you can see.

Answer 6

Well they do the same route everyday when they do their job and have to put up with children crying, mums shouting, arrogant people graffiti, gum underseats and people that are trying to getawaywith paying less. But I do agree they don't have to take it out on normal people! The bus drivers in Scotland are a bit better I must say!

Answer 7

I think having too put up with a bunch of misery's catching the bus who never greets and have the right change ready save time has something to do with it. I have no problems with them when i am in London with my Daughter.:))

Answer 8

i think its in the job description. If it makes you feel any better, just think about how many people must throw up on the night buses, when i get a nasty pommy bus driver, i always tell them to have a nice day (but in my head it sounds like more like, i hope someone pukes all over the front seats in your bus tonight). ahh, do what you can to keep smiling in this stinking city :)

Answer 9

i'm a bus motive force and in the morning i start up satisfied then I could p.c.. up rude ignorant passengers who attempt to get loose rides or cant probably get replace till now getting on the bus then site visitors holds you up and we would desire to continually hear them ***** which makes us later you do this for fifty hours each and every week and notice in case you nonetheless smile and be polite

Answer 10

Try driving around London once. Plus some of the older people just don't bath and it can be nasty on a hot day.