'Lost' Drivers

[Matt.N0056]

Driver on the 957 heading for Solihull thought he was a 900 and missed the turn at the Wheatsheaf and tried to do a sharp turn onto slip road and got stuck and had to do a lot of manoevering to get onto slip road correctly 4906 Holly May was the Bus I've recorded a vid of some of her moves when I've uploaded the vid I'll post the link

Would it not have been easier to go to the Arden Oak and do a U Turn, and come back up the Cov Rd, rather than messing about and reversing?

I thought that when I was witnessing it :)

Did he chuck the passengers off while reversing? The bus looks empty and there seem to be people standing on the central reservation at the very end of the video

[Rob H]

Driver on the 957 heading for Solihull thought he was a 900 and missed the turn at the Wheatsheaf and tried to do a sharp turn onto slip road and got stuck and had to do a lot of manoevering to get onto slip road correctly 4906 Holly May was the Bus I've recorded a vid of some of her moves when I've uploaded the vid I'll post the link

Would it not have been easier to go to the Arden Oak and do a U Turn, and come back up the Cov Rd, rather than messing about and reversing?

I thought that when I was witnessing it :)

Did he chuck the passengers off while reversing? The bus looks empty and there seem to be people standing on the central reservation at the very end of the video

Yes the passengers did get off

[Liverpool Street]

Driver on the 957 heading for Solihull thought he was a 900 and missed the turn at the Wheatsheaf and tried to do a sharp turn onto slip road and got stuck and had to do a lot of manoevering to get onto slip road correctly 4906 Holly May was the Bus I've recorded a vid of some of her moves when I've uploaded the vid I'll post the link

Would it not have been easier to go to the Arden Oak and do a U Turn, and come back up the Cov Rd, rather than messing about and reversing?

I thought that when I was witnessing it :)

I really hope that poor, confused driver doesn't get in trouble for that. Shame we even have to think that way. A real shame.

Driver on the 957 heading for Solihull thought he was a 900 and missed the turn at the Wheatsheaf and tried to do a sharp turn onto slip road and got stuck and had to do a lot of manoevering to get onto slip road correctly 4906 Holly May was the Bus I've recorded a vid of some of her moves when I've uploaded the vid I'll post the link

Would it not have been easier to go to the Arden Oak and do a U Turn, and come back up the Cov Rd, rather than messing about and reversing?

I thought that when I was witnessing it :)

Did he chuck the passengers off while reversing? The bus looks empty and there seem to be people standing on the central reservation at the very end of the video

I really hope so. Saloon lights were off by the looks of things..

[notepanel]

Driver on the 957 heading for Solihull thought he was a 900 and missed the turn at the Wheatsheaf and tried to do a sharp turn onto slip road and got stuck and had to do a lot of manoevering to get onto slip road correctly 4906 Holly May was the Bus I've recorded a vid of some of her moves when I've uploaded the vid I'll post the link

Would it not have been easier to go to the Arden Oak and do a U Turn, and come back up the Cov Rd, rather than messing about and reversing?

I thought that when I was witnessing it :)

I really hope that poor, confused driver doesn't get in trouble for that. Shame we even have to think that way. A real shame.

Driver on the 957 heading for Solihull thought he was a 900 and missed the turn at the Wheatsheaf and tried to do a sharp turn onto slip road and got stuck and had to do a lot of manoevering to get onto slip road correctly 4906 Holly May was the Bus I've recorded a vid of some of her moves when I've uploaded the vid I'll post the link

Would it not have been easier to go to the Arden Oak and do a U Turn, and come back up the Cov Rd, rather than messing about and reversing?

I thought that when I was witnessing it :)

Did he chuck the passengers off while reversing? The bus looks empty and there seem to be people standing on the central reservation at the very end of the video

I really hope so. Saloon lights were off by the looks of things..

I should imagine he'd be out of a job. There is a complaint on the National Express (coach) Facebook page about the incident.

Going the wrong way (if it's not a regular thing!) is obviously not ideal, but could easily have been rectified without a fuss (and probably without complaint if he apologised). But this driver has dealt with it completely wrong and put other roadusers and his passengers at risk, no doubt annoying them but also many other motorists stuck behind as well.

According to the Facebook post he flattened the 'Keep right' marker, which I did notice on Friday morning was twisted out of position.   

[Liverpool Street]

Driver on the 957 heading for Solihull thought he was a 900 and missed the turn at the Wheatsheaf and tried to do a sharp turn onto slip road and got stuck and had to do a lot of manoevering to get onto slip road correctly 4906 Holly May was the Bus I've recorded a vid of some of her moves when I've uploaded the vid I'll post the link

Would it not have been easier to go to the Arden Oak and do a U Turn, and come back up the Cov Rd, rather than messing about and reversing?

I thought that when I was witnessing it :)

I really hope that poor, confused driver doesn't get in trouble for that. Shame we even have to think that way. A real shame.

Driver on the 957 heading for Solihull thought he was a 900 and missed the turn at the Wheatsheaf and tried to do a sharp turn onto slip road and got stuck and had to do a lot of manoevering to get onto slip road correctly 4906 Holly May was the Bus I've recorded a vid of some of her moves when I've uploaded the vid I'll post the link

Would it not have been easier to go to the Arden Oak and do a U Turn, and come back up the Cov Rd, rather than messing about and reversing?

I thought that when I was witnessing it :)

Did he chuck the passengers off while reversing? The bus looks empty and there seem to be people standing on the central reservation at the very end of the video

I really hope so. Saloon lights were off by the looks of things..

I should imagine he'd be out of a job. There is a complaint on the National Express (coach) Facebook page about the incident.

Going the wrong way (if it's not a regular thing!) is obviously not ideal, but could easily have been rectified without a fuss (and probably without complaint if he apologised). But this driver has dealt with it completely wrong and put other roadusers and his passengers at risk, no doubt annoying them but also many other motorists stuck behind as well.

According to the Facebook post he flattened the 'Keep right' marker, which I did notice on Friday morning was twisted out of position.   

He's gotten of been a new driver, real shame.

Have you got a link to that comment, note panel?

[Liverpool Street]

Never mind. Found it. Has that guy ever driven a bus? If you're a new driver its so easy to panic and over react. Especially if he's not familiar with the area.

I can't help but know first hand that if this had been a lorry doing such a maneouver [sp], no one will have blinked an eye.

Sucks.

[Kevin]

I can't help but know first hand that if this had been a lorry doing such a maneouver [sp], no one will have blinked an eye.

Sucks.

Alas it is the way of the world, people perceive bus drivers (and buses) differently to lorry drivers (and lorries). Buses being very public people would be quick to report anything that goes wrong, possibly because they find it funny and have complete disrespect for the drivers themselves, but would not necessarily do the same for lorry drivers despite the vast majority of lorries having a sticker on the back saying "how's my driving?"

[Liberator9]

Very harsh to insult the driver by calling him a numpty. Everyone makes mistakes and it is fairly easy to miss a turning; fine he made the mistake of turning the wrong area but apart from delaying the traffic, no one was injured so really nothing wrong.

[Liverpool Street]

Very harsh to insult the driver by calling him a numpty. Everyone makes mistakes and it is fairly easy to miss a turning; fine he made the mistake of turning the wrong area but apart from delaying the traffic, no one was injured so really nothing wrong.

Yeah but I bet if a coach did the same, no one would blink an eyelid. I seen a Dudley's Coaches today do a 3point turn right in the middle of the Bristol Road (between Priory & Belgrade), and additionally a Johnsons coach blocking up Bromsgrove street has he did a wrong turn.. did some Do Gooder brownnosing whinger complain? No!

And I notice on Twitter someone saying 1) one of our buses having a headlight out & 2) one of our drivers being "potentially rude"... how, um, call me old fashioned but, what can be "potential?" About it? People have a serious problem against bus drivers and they wonder why we're all miserable?

(And I use the word 'our' and 'we' as I still feel a part of NX, eben though I've been long gone. Hell, if I didn't, I wouldn't be here)

[Liberator9]

I agree with you completely; people do seem to have a problem with drivers at times. Some poor driver on the 76 was waiting time at one of the stops a few weeks ago and some lady shouted "come on bus driver!" The rudeness and ignorance to do this amazes me at times. I always ensure I'm polite and more often than not if I say hello or good morning I'll get a reply. There are also some very considerate drivers at NXWM, including one this evening on the 6 who decided to wait for me running from the 11 to interchange with the 6. It was kind of him to do so and meant I avoided time in the cold! I really can't blame some drivers for being miserable with the attitude of some; I noticed that some of the Stagecoach drivers whilst down in Devon (Exeter) seem much happier and more enthusiastic than the west midlands mainly because of the conditions and I assume passengers better attitudes down there.

[Stu]

Some poor driver on the 76 was waiting time at one of the stops a few weeks ago and some lady shouted "come on bus driver!" The rudeness and ignorance to do this amazes me at times.

Same goes for those people who start repeatedly pressing the Stop bell button while a driver is waiting at a stop to make up time, as if they think that'll get the bus moving again...

[Liberator9]

Same goes for those who press it repeatedly; I know one driver who I knew, once on the NXWM S2/S3 service had the problem of Arden kids pressing the stop bell repeatedly. He got out of the cab, stood at the front of the bus and said that if the bell was faulty, then he would have to take the bus out of service. That shut them up, till they got in a dispute with someone from another school at Dorridge station. He managed to stop that as well by dropping the Arden kids away from the station. I remember saying to him when I was talking to him as I always did, how eventful that service was!

[MrBevan2000]

One golden rule never ask students or kids to direct you on school services I would rather get lost and eventually they either help or will be on the bus a lot longer I am being paid so I did not care plus miss a few trips on the service you should be on next... result plus again route training should be better regardless of whatever company the big boys (NXWM and ARRIVA) have no excuse theyhave decidicated driver trainers and a school

That's unless the kid is a Bus Vegger like me who knows most the routes around my area like the back of my hand ;)

[John]

A 952 this morning, it was on Thornbridge Avenue, heading up to the terminus, but instead of turning left off Thornbridge onto Hassop Road, it carried straight in passed the Beeches Pub, and down to the island with Haddon Road (The 424 terminus). It then done a U-turn around the island and drove back up to the Hassop Road junction and turned right back onto the normal line of route. Quite funny watching it off route