The minimum a driver should know, when responding to a passenger query

[Westy]

How much should a driver tell a passenger for commercial reasons?

Just got off a 51 in Brum.

Passenger asks driver, 'Do you go anywhere near Bescot Stadium?'

Driver replies, 'You have a long walk from my nearest stop(Bell Inn, I guess?) or go into Walsall & catch a ...405?(At this point I corrected him, it was the 45 now)'

To be honest, I wouldve said bus to West Bromwich(74 / 75) then a 45 from West Brom.
Or a direct train.

How much local (& commercial) knowledge is a driver is supposed to have?

Would your average Walsall driver be aware of the 74 & 79?


Im sure theres lots of other instances.

[notepanel]

How much should a driver tell a passenger for commercial reasons?

Just got off a 51 in Brum.

Passenger asks driver, 'Do you go anywhere near Bescot Stadium?'

Driver replies, 'You have a long walk from my nearest stop(Bell Inn, I guess?) or go into Walsall & catch a ...405?(At this point I corrected him, it was the 45 now)'

To be honest, I wouldve said bus to West Bromwich(74 / 75) then a 45 from West Brom.
Or a direct train.

How much local (& commercial) knowledge is a driver is supposed to have?

Would your average Walsall driver be aware of the 74 & 79?


Im sure theres lots of other instances.

The driver here I believe has quoted the correct and quickest route. I previously have done this journey and the quickest route Traveline suggests is the X51 and then 401E/45 which takes just over an hour (bus only). Obviously the train is quicker here, however the driver is employed by National Express and has answered the question asked by the passenger. 

I guess it's down to the driver and how much they take in and care about the company and customer service. For example, a driver on the 51 should most probably never go into Bradford Place, so may very well be unaware about a WB service operating from there. The easiest way perhaps of solving this, is to provide drivers with network maps and updated paper versions of timetables to assist such queries.

Likewise it depends where the driver lives and how often they drive that service. For instance, there used to be one return journey on the 340/1 that was operated by a driver off the Bloxwich rota. I wouldn't expect them to know about a side-street off the route in Bentley (although I would expect them to know about the roads they drive along), but I wouldn't think it would be unreasonable to expect them to know of the roads around Beechdale. Having said that though, you're average passenger wouldn't be aware that they weren't a regular driver on the service.

[Lukeee]

There was a driver a couple months ago on the 7 (PB) who gave a passenger directions to West Brom, the only problem was he suggested the 74/79 instead of the 74/75.

[andy]

I think there's some very romanticised views of the job of a bus driver here.

A few points. Firstly, drivers don't have time to sneeze anymore, let alone sit there chatting to someone about the 4 different ways they can get to West Brom. You're lucky if you can get onto your stop, unload and reload without becoming 5 minutes late or getting a sharp nudge from behind from another bus who wants your space.

Secondly, there was a time when there was a certain amount of reliability and permanence about what bus went where and how, but that isn't the case anymore...frequent service reviews, renumberings, stop changes, diversions and timetable changes mean that not many people can know it all anymore, however interested they are.

As for carrying copies of timetables and maps? Can you imagine? I would only expect a driver to have the timetable for the service they are on. And that brings me onto the next point, NX have a curious policy of sticking drivers on one route all the time and not teaching them the others. So I am not surprised they woudln't know anything about the others.

As a driver the safest thing to do is refer people to inspectors, websites and travel shops as you can never be sure you have the right up to date information.

What's more, in my experience most passengers will generally ignore any advice you give them and run off and do whatever they intended to in the first place!

[wbdriver]

As for carrying copies of timetables and maps? Can you imagine? I would only expect a driver to have the timetable for the service they are on. And that brings me onto the next point, NX have a curious policy of sticking drivers on one route all the time and not teaching them the others. So I am not surprised they wouldn't know anything about the others.

NX don't have a policy of same drivers same routes. if a garage wants to improve a route,ie make it more reliable, they want the same drivers day in day out on it all the time, at the driver's choice.

At WB there are currently two routes that do this, 40 and 5 (old 410 and 451). all drivers on these routes went on voluntarily and all other drivers do their own rotas which are a mixture of routes.

All drivers can learn new routes at any time for overtime reasons. lately, at WB at least, we don't get paid for learning new routes except for new routes at the garage or changes to current routes at the garage, and nearly all drivers know at least 4 or 5 other routes on different rotas.

Example: i drive the number 5. i also know the 74, 75, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47/A, 53, 121, 289. if a passenger needed to catch one of these routes, i can tell them where to get off.

[j_rp_wright]

As a driver.... I drive the bus, I will try and help people but people should plan their journey before leaving home. Drivers pick up knowledge of their route over time... Mainly because the same questions are asked day in day out....

[Ex BC driver]

My first week in service, I'm driving the 24 route, a passenger gets on asking if I go to a certain road in Woodgate Valley. I tell him that I go to Woodgate Valley North, however the 23 goes to Woodgate Valley South. He then tells me that I'm a bus driver and should know. He shut up when I told him it was my first week on the road.

[Westy]

Should said passenger done his research beforehand?

I would have done personally.

How many would be passengers possess a smartphone or similar, to do research 'on the move'?

I might have done personally.

Me & my sister had to look for somewhere in the City Centre & luckily my smartphone with Google Maps & GPS found the place easily.

[Ashley]

Most of the geographically inept people possess smartphones which just makes them additionally stupid. The one I see alot of is "how much is it to...." when when NXWM buses pull up, theyre presented with a clear, well presented, simple to understand fare banner in the window, i'm theone with the eyesight problems yet sometimes feel like handing them my glasses lol