When this route was Connex operated, the driver of the bus I was on
braked suddenly and I was thrown to the floor, scarring my leg. I
complained, and got a letter from Connex denying any knowledge and
requesting that I advise the details again. This was despite the bus
having CCTV and the incident taking place at a CCTV covered junction.
The reply? A letter from an insurance company, with a photocopy of a
letter from the DSS stating that at no time had I claimed sickness
benefit after the accident.

Some other people I have spoken to (with no knowledge of my accident)
have called the Number 3 the kamikaze journey... so I was wondering if
anyone else has experience of this service...

I was on a number 3 about 18 months ago when the driver accelerated
into the back of a car that had just overtaken him. The driver then
refused to open the doors to let anyone off (the bus was full to the
point of people standing on the stairs) until the police arrived so we
could give statements.

Maybe the drivers on the 3 are not the most customer oriented people in
the world, but the other side of that is that the buses tend to get you
to places very fast.

Hold on tight!

Matt Ashby wrote:
I was on a number 3 about 18 months ago when the driver accelerated
into the back of a car that had just overtaken him. The driver then
refused to open the doors to let anyone off (the bus was full to the
point of people standing on the stairs) until the police arrived so
we could give statements.

Isn't there an emergency release lever by the rear doors? If so, I
would certainly have used it in those circumstances. Did someone do so
in this case, or did you all patiently wait to give your statements.
"Yes, officer, the driver deliberately accelerated so as to ram the car
...."
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

"Matt Ashby" wrote in message
oups.com...
I was on a number 3 about 18 months ago when the driver accelerated
into the back of a car that had just overtaken him. The driver then
refused to open the doors to let anyone off (the bus was full to the
point of people standing on the stairs) until the police arrived so we
could give statements.

Maybe the drivers on the 3 are not the most customer oriented people in
the world, but the other side of that is that the buses tend to get you
to places very fast.

Hold on tight!


I would have just hit the emergency buttons above the doors and got off.

Had the driver insisted that I give a statement I would have said that he
deliberately drove into the back of the car!!!!

ONscotland wrote:

Some other people I have spoken to (with no knowledge of my accident)
have called the Number 3 the kamikaze journey... so I was wondering if
anyone else has experience of this service...

I use it daily, and in my opinion it is one of the worst bus routes in
London. It has got very slightly better since Travel London bought out
Connex (who didn't seem to do any maintenance on the vehicles, or train
their drivers at all), but the buses are still scruffy and falling to
bits and the same old drivers still seem to have the same cavalier
attitude to the passengers on their (frequently overcrowded) buses. The
former Connex operation has recently lost the franchise for the 322
(which was even worse) to London General, and I very much hope the same
happens when the 3 comes up for tender next year.

I have read some of the comments made and as a bus driver myself I agree
with some of them.

But maybe if the bus companies increase wages to an acceptable level the
rogue drivers could then be weeded out of the system.

Before privatisation bus drivers used to get paid more than a tube driver.
Now tube drivers get at least £10,000 more than bus drivers.

Low pay, no moral, long working hours, and buses that are not roadworthy
does not help.

Oh yes, bus companies do put buses that are not safe in service so they
don't lose their 'mileage'.

I was suspended and almost lost my job because I refused to drive a bus with
a serious defect.

Thank goodness I won on appeal!

Drumbago

"Rupert Candy" wrote in message
oups.com...
ONscotland wrote:

Some other people I have spoken to (with no knowledge of my accident)
have called the Number 3 the kamikaze journey... so I was wondering if
anyone else has experience of this service...

I use it daily, and in my opinion it is one of the worst bus routes in
London. It has got very slightly better since Travel London bought out
Connex (who didn't seem to do any maintenance on the vehicles, or train
their drivers at all), but the buses are still scruffy and falling to
bits and the same old drivers still seem to have the same cavalier
attitude to the passengers on their (frequently overcrowded) buses. The
former Connex operation has recently lost the franchise for the 322
(which was even worse) to London General, and I very much hope the same
happens when the 3 comes up for tender next year.

Isn't there an emergency release lever by the rear doors?
If so, I would certainly have used it in those circumstances.

There was. I used it. The driver shouted at me that he was going to get
me arrested. I and all the other passengers got on the next bus that
came while the car driver phoned his solicitor.


Matt Ashby

Just to add some pointless input - I love a ride on the N3 from Dulwich
to central London, it is better than a roller coaster ride on the top
deck! And you don't half get to where you want to go fast! More bus
routes should be like this....

Adam

Matt Ashby wrote:
Isn't there an emergency release lever by the rear doors?
If so, I would certainly have used it in those circumstances.

There was. I used it. The driver shouted at me that he was going to get
me arrested. I and all the other passengers got on the next bus that
came while the car driver phoned his solicitor.


Matt Ashby

On 18 Jun 2005 15:35:49 -0700, "gogogadam"
wrote:

Just to add some pointless input - I love a ride on the N3 from Dulwich
to central London, it is better than a roller coaster ride on the top
deck! And you don't half get to where you want to go fast! More bus
routes should be like this....

Going off on a tangent... do night buses have speed limiters? On some
it certainly seems like they don't!

Going off on a tangent... do night buses have speed
limiters? On some it certainly seems like they don't!

Night buses are just day buses with a different part of the destination
blind showing, so it will depend entirely on whether it's fitted to
that particular bus. Don't all London Buses have speed limiters now
anyway?