(29 Jan 2014, 8:09 pm)Davey Bowyer wrote There are some good drivers in Ashingtom Depot actually. The X15 was running late by 10 or so minutes so I got of the 43 and jumped on that one and he drove it like the wind and was even brave enough in his coach to overtake a Volvo B10 ALX 300 near Barras Bridge. Excellent driving!

I like the drivers from both GNE and Arriva who:
- Close the doors on time
- Drive quickly whilst being safe
- Don't take pitty on people who turn up at the last minute and start banging on the door
- Have a good moan at the inconsiderate little muppets who turn up with 10 and 20 quid notes for a £1.40 fare during peak times

I remember once this right old school driver from Blyth with a deep voice was driving the 308 and he gave two of the Benfield Road crowd at St Mary's stick. One for running at the last minute with no fare ready and farting around in his bag holding the bus up. And the girl who got on after due to him holding the bus up, trying to pay the £1.40 fare to Benfield Road with a note. I was thinking good on him for doing so and he was spot on. I can totally understand how the good drivers feel though at times.

I've said it before, but people don't deliberately turn up with notes to pay for a fare. Firstly operators don't list their single/return fares, so how can they expect customers to have the correct change when it can't be referenced in advance? Secondly I'm yet to find a cash point that will dispense your withdrawal in cash? I'd love to see one though. The majority of people pay with notes as a last resort. Would you expect to get a mouth full if you paid for your shopping with a note?

I wouldn't expect a driver to drive quickly or slowly. I'd expect them to drive to timetable to the best of their ability. I understand roadworks and congestion causes issues at times, but that isn't an excuse to race around like a lunatic.

As for "having a good moan". It's completely unacceptable in what essentially is a customer facing role. The impression a customer gets from a driver "having a good moan" is the impression they will have of that company as a whole - not the driver. It doesn't do company reputation any good at all.