I think it’s important to remember that being a bus driver is not just about driving a bus, though that is a big part of it. You have to contend with the public too, the majority are okay but there is always someone who will be rude, aggressive or unpleasant. It’s usually for trivial things too.
Sadly I think certain members of the public have turned quite nasty since the Pandemic. There has been a lot of cancellations lately and it is not the drivers fault but people feel the need to take it out on the driver - at least they turned up to work that day. They might stop turning up if people continue to abuse them though.
Then you have to factor in other road users who are aggressive drivers, badly parked cars (particularly in housing estates). It’s not as easy as it looks.
I also feel people in general treat people who work in all kind of public facing roles quite badly at the minute, whether that be shops, cafes, the Metro. This is probably one of the reason why there is a workforce shortage across all sectors.
It’s also sad that bus companies spend money on providing nice vehicles for the public but the public damages them, ripped seats, broken USB’s, graffiti, smashed windows. A lot of these nice additions aren’t on buses in London and people who come up here like the fact we have these things on our buses.
Don’t get me wrong a lot of the public are perfectly fine but it is the minority who spoil it.
RE: State Of The Fleet