mrcheerful . wrote:
"Kev" wrote in message
oups.com...

Had a run in with a nice employee of Arriva this morning who called me
a ****ing moron because I didn't know that PSV drivers aren't allowed
to reverse. Now I am not an expert on the law regarding PSV drivers so
can somebody confirm that it is a fact that they are not allowed to
reverse. Seems bonkers to me.
Whether thay can or can't reverse I take it that they can't call
members of the public ****ing morons or threaten to punch them in the
face.

Kevin


So, you have tried to get a bus to reverse to let you through? Presumably
you have told him to reverse? I am not surprised he told you your fortune.
The safety of a bus reversing manoeuvre on a crowded street is clearly not
good.

All bus drivers are told not to reverse except in the depot (unless with
helper, policeman or whatever)
I have always been aware of that, I would say it is common knowledge.

No-one should foul mouth anyone, but in a heated situation it is quite a
common occurrence and is better than getting thumped.

Let it go and move on, learning from the experience.


One thing that may cause misunderstanding is that a bus driver has to
make decisions far earlier than a car driver and has to brake earlier
and more gently. Having committed himself to driving past a gap between
cars, on the assumption that a car coming the other way will give way,
he cannot change the plan and pull in and stop as easily as a car - if
the oncoming car does the unexpected and continues on.

I would imagine that this was the situation. The bus driver reckoned
that the OP would give way and committed the bus to going past the gap.
When he realised that the OP was continuing on - it was already too late
for him to use the gap, even if he hadn't reached it yet.

That could have looked to the OP like the bus driver deliberately went
on past a gap - knowing that would cause a problem.

That could explain how the two vehicles ended up with both drivers
feeling agrieved at the other. And with the OP thinking that the bus
driver was "in the wrong" and should back up. And the driver being
annoyed at himself for reading the situation wrong and annoyed at the
driver for "being a pratt"...

It doesn't excuse the bus driver's reaction. But demanding that a bus
reverses isn't reasonable - however the bus arrived at that situation.

--
Sue