Pete Fenelon wrote:

The ticket machine's crashed on both of my ftr rides so far -
unfortunately after I'd got on and successfully bought a ticket...

Bad software, then...probably either a rush job or too cheap.

Overall... not much difference between ftr and a normal bendybus,
although I can't see how the driver being isolated behind smoked glass
will make passengers feel any safer... (wasn't one of the objectives of
ftr to make bus travel less unappealing to women?)

I find that the fact that MK Metro *don't* have screens of any kind[1]
protecting the drivers to be much more reassuring, as the only reason
they don't is because they don't need them, because bus driver assaults
are pretty much unknown.

[1] A very small number (3 I think) of the very new full-size single
deckers do, but they are always left fully open. I think they were
provided because they were standard rather than necessary, especially
as Metro are now Arriva owned[2] so probably procure through them.

[2] You'd never know, as there hasn't been a rebranding, and Arriva
have actually openly stated they don't plan to, possibly because Metro
has a very good local identity (almost like a municipal, even though
they've never been one) and generally seem to be liked.

Neil