On 9 Nov, 17:15, (Neil Williams) wrote:
On Sun, 9 Nov 2008 15:27:49 -0000, "John Holt" wrote:
And this is called 'progress' ????!!!!

Yes. *It's very useful to those who don't usebusesfrequently, aren't
familiar with the route or aren't paying attention to where they are
and reading the paper. *Or, for that matter, those who are blind.

On the majority of buses I've been on in the past few months, the
audio announcements have been turned off - whether by switch
on control panel or enraged driver applying a heavy object to the
PA amp I don't know.

The only thing I'd change about it is to have the route announcement
either removed or only announced every few stops, as it's that (not
the stop announcements) that does grate a bit.

It only plays after stops at which the bus has stopped... which is
of course when it's needed.

On-board stop displays and announcements have been used for years in
mainland Europe, and it was about time they made it to the UK. *More,
please.

Yes, but all the bus systems on the continent that I've been on seem
to travel a much greater distance between stops, so the frequency
of announcements is much less.
By contrast London crams in so many that off-peak there are quite a
few that the bus would have difficulty stopping at, if you waited for
the
spoken announcement ("Hampton Court Green - Cardinal Wolsey"
being one I use a lot, and just its name shows the problem).

Hth

Henry

wrote:

The U-Bahn in Hamburg also has external speakers, but normally it is
just the driver saying "zeuruck."

No such word in German. Do you mean "zurueck" (zurück = back)? Is that
their equivalent of "mind the doors"?
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:02:27 -0000, wrote:

Not surprising, considering that it Farringdon appears to actually be a
pretty important hub.

It is. But it doesn't make it necessary to constantly drone on about
minding the doors and moving down inside the carriages. In the
morning peak, almost every passenger was there yesterday and will be
tomorrow, so if they haven't learnt by now that walking to the end of
the platform often gets you a seat they aren't going to. The
announcements are completely and utterly superfluous.

I mean, besides FCC Thameslink, you have the Circle,
Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Line going through there. And I've
alsways found that the Met seems to get more attention than other lines in
terms of announcements.

I think it's an element of pride in their "big railway". It doesn't
stop it being grating and pointless, though.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:02:56 -0000, "Andrew Heenan"
wrote:

True 'nuff - except in the evening, when there's sometimes a 40min gap
between services.

There is that - I have waited at Aldgate for 30mins plus for one. All
the more reason they should start either there or at Tower Hill - I
think they get delayed by being caught up in traffic in the City
proper.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:07:27 -0000, wrote:

The U-Bahn in Hamburg also has external speakers, but normally it is just
the driver saying "zeuruck."

"zrkblbnt"[1] is what you usually get. It did strike me that this
(like the more verbose London version) is completely pointless now we
have hustle alarms.

[1] "Bitte zurueckbleiben" is what you're meant to get, but it took me
months to work out what it was because it is said so quickly.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:02:57 GMT, "Richard J."
wrote:

No such word in German. Do you mean "zurueck" (zurück = back)? Is that
their equivalent of "mind the doors"?

If the driver is doing it properly in Hamburg, you get:-

doors released

"Richtung Norderstedt-Mitte bitte einsteigen" (towards
Norderstedt-Mitte[1] please board)

"Richtung Norderstedt-Mitte bitte zurueckbleiben" (towards
Norderstedt-Mitte please stand away[2])

doors closed

[1] Old habits die hard...

[2] Literal translation would be "stand back", but "stand away" is a
far more common UK term, at least on the mainline in the days of
slamdoors.

Few of them do, though, so you just get a mumble.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:30:28 GMT, (Neil
Williams) wrote:

[2] Literal translation would be "stand back"

Sorry, "stay back".

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Mr Thant wrote

On 11 Nov, 10:01, Stephen Furley wrote:
Does anybody have a full list of the announcements available, other
than the
route, destination and next stop?

"Ticket inspectors operate on this bus" (I think I've only ever heard
it on bendies)

How about "A ticket check is about to commence, please have your
{tickets and passes ready for inspection}"

On a 411, single decker, at 1604 Saturday 13th Sept '08.

Nothing whatever happened.


--
Mike D

On 14 Nov, 22:50, "Michael R N Dolbear" wrote:
Mr Thant wrote



On 11 Nov, 10:01, Stephen Furley wrote:
Does anybody have a full list of the announcements available, other
than the
route, destination and next stop?
"Ticket inspectors operate on this bus" (I think I've only ever heard
it on bendies)

How about *"A ticket check is about to commence, please have your
{tickets and passes ready for inspection}"

On a 411, single decker, at 1604 Saturday 13th Sept '08.

Nothing whatever happened.

--
Mike D

I've heard that too, only a ticket check did commence.

I've just remembered the most annoying bus announcement, and it's not
iBus.

I think it's Route 133 to/from Liverpool Street. When someone presses
the bell to get off, this loud, asthmatic alarm sound starts, with a
stilted 'Bus. Stopping. At. Next. Bus. Stop. Please. Stand. (Well.?)
Clear. Of. Doors'.

Every single stop. For the entire journey.

In message
,
Railist writes

I think it's Route 133 to/from Liverpool Street. When someone presses
the bell to get off, this loud, asthmatic alarm sound starts, with a
stilted 'Bus. Stopping. At. Next. Bus. Stop. Please. Stand. (Well.?)
Clear. Of. Doors'.

Every single stop. For the entire journey.


It reminds me of a comment by Heinlen in one of his books. That if we
get to the point where we need to put instructions on packets of tooth
picks then every sane person should leave and go live in the wilderness
:-)

Now where did I put those bear traps ? :-)


--
Edward Cowling "It's a thief in the night to come and grab you
It can creep up inside you and consume you"