(27 Aug 2014, 9:02 pm)56everyday wrote Bit of a story here, make a cup of tea before enjoying.
I had it dead set in my mind that I was going to get the 73 from Concord to Sunderland the other day.
I had a bit of time to kill, you see, and was already at Washington Galleries. Two birds, one stone I thought. Let's give the 37 a go from here to Concord. Service arrived three minutes late, operated by the Enviro 200. Lovely bus I might add. The interior was nice and bright with Urban 90 seating. I'm quite fond of Urban 90s I might add too. Anyhow, it pulled onto stand... well not quite, it pulled near the vacant stand - And then it started. Brrrrrrrrvrrrrrrrrrrgrrrrrrrbrrrrrrrrrrrrhrrrrrrqrrrrrrwrrrrrerrrrrrrrrrrrrtrrrrryrrrrrurrrrrrrrirrrrrrorrrrrrrrrrrrprrrrrrrrrrarrrrrrrrrrrrsrrrrrrrdrrrrrrrrrfrrrrrgrhrrrrrrrrrrrjrrrrrrrrkrrrrrrrrrlrrrrrrrrzrrrrrrrrrrrxrrrrrrrrrrcrrrrrrrrrvrrrrrrrrrrbrrrrrrrrrrnrrrrrrrrrrmrrrrr.
Oh (enter swearword here) I thought! The vibration was uncomfortable and deafening. Particularly around the emergency exit area... where I sat. Pulled away... silence...
Sometimes I see the bus enter the Teal Farm Estate, today we didn't... Bad driver! Driver then missed stop when passenger pressed bell before A1231 slip road, passenger had to stay on to next slip road due to driver error as he was "fully committed to entering the motorway with no safe, suitable, or sizeable location to stop the vehicle in a safe manner for the passengers or other road users". Got to Concord and was thrilled to be off...
What bus next I thought as I waited at the bus stand... Enviro 200 comes back around the corner... same driver, same racket, this time its on 73s... I swore mentally. Bus went straight past the stand. I went chasing after it, one for myself, and two for a woman on crutches. Got on the bus... driver began to drive as my first foot touched the floor of the vehicle. I asked him where he was going, he asked me where I was going. I said Sunderland, he said not this bus, that bus is coming round now. I said you're blind is wrong then. I got off, went back to original stand.
Driver pulled out of Concord, turned right, then right again, pulled onto stand, now blinded 73 Concord. Drivers changed. I was pleased. We departed. Turned left out of Concord, genuinely nearly knocked previous driver over... Missed Teal Farm again. Got to Sunderland... just...
We had a few paying customers on both journeys, maybe five, each paying £2.80 in three £1 coins to drivers incredibly short of change...
I will be sending Nexus a complaint regarding most aspects of my journey, they are really not doing a good job. Also I saw the Versa the other day... with a massive gash on the left side, looked rather worrying!!
Have you met Davey Bowyer?
