Bus driver on the phone

[Cyril Haearn]

Yesterday I observed a bus driver holding his phone in his hand while driving, he was approaching a red light

I was carrying a lot of stuff, else I would have sprinted over to the bus, hammered on the door and shouted at him. He would have been so shocked that he would have dropped his phone which would have shattered. I hope

Later it occurred to me that I could have hit the emergency stop button thus stopping the offence. What happens when the button has been pressed? Can the motor be started again immediately?
What should I do next time?

[Paulatic]

A couple of weeks ago on Mway a coach pulled out,without much attention to traffic, to overtake some HGV's. When I passéd the coach I looked across to witness driver holding phone in right hand in a reading a txt position. Coach full of passengers on a Mway
I emailed the Carnforth company and after a week I'd had no reply. Emailed them again and copied in the Traffic Commissioner for the NW. Had a reply within the hour!

[Cyril Haearn]

A couple of weeks ago on Mway a coach pulled out,without much attention to traffic, to overtake some HGV's. When I passéd the coach I looked across to witness driver holding phone in right hand in a reading a txt position. Coach full of passengers on a Mway
I emailed the Carnforth company and after a week I'd had no reply. Emailed them again and copied in the Traffic Commissioner for the NW. Had a reply within the hour!

You had a reply, did anything happen, was he punished? Or are you still waiting?

[Paulatic]

A couple of weeks ago on Mway a coach pulled out,without much attention to traffic, to overtake some HGV's. When I passéd the coach I looked across to witness driver holding phone in right hand in a reading a txt position. Coach full of passengers on a Mway
I emailed the Carnforth company and after a week I'd had no reply. Emailed them again and copied in the Traffic Commissioner for the NW. Had a reply within the hour!

You had a reply, did anything happen, was he punished? Or are you still waiting?

Traffic Commissioner has it duly noted and builds up cases. Coach firm feeble excuse they had several coaches on the road that morning so can't identify driver. This is despite me giving exact time and position and it being the only coach in their livery I saw that morning. I also gave a good description of the driver and the colour of his phone. The driver didn't clock me studying him as he was too busy looking at his phone.
It's a family owned company and I find it's initial lack of concern distressing but take heart from TC reply and I suspect they've a few hoops to jump through at next renewal.

[simonineaston]

On my daily commute I see more motorists using their mobile while driving than I can count... (and pedestrians too). It's now the norm. Even more addictive, so it seems, than alcohol. The new drink-drive. So, we wait 'till society decides it's not on. I refer interested parties to the time interval between the first drink-drive legislation and the appearance of evidence that The Great Unwashed took the message on board; decades, maybe.
C'est la vie - or la mort, depending...

[Annoying Twit]

Not specifically bus drivers, but there are strong penalties for using phones while driving. So, the laws are there waiting. The problem is going to be enforcement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39118523

Hundreds of drivers caught, despite crackdown. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40079382 Examples include a school minibus driver.

With coach drivers, I wonder if the same driver will drive the same route at the same time, in some circumstances. Such that it might be worth going back with a camera.

In the case of Paultastic's reply, would the traffic commissioner take a dim view of a coach company that can't identify a driver? You would think that standard working practices would make it easy for them to do so, and in the case of records not being kept would this in itself be something that the traffic commissioner would be interested in?

[squeaker]

What should I do next time?

Tell the bus co. with as much info as possible.
This from a local company after I spotted the driver of an oncoming single-decker using a phone:

Hi. We have finally managed to identify the driver in question and he is coming into the office for disciplinary action as it is not acceptable. I just wanted you to thank you for bringing this to our attention and to let you know what action we are taking with the driver.

Debbie Gifford
Customer services
Compass Travel

I'll try and remember to copy the local traffic commissioner in next time

[SilverBadge]

Later it occurred to me that I could have hit the emergency stop button thus stopping the offence. What happens when the button has been pressed? Can the motor be started again immediately?
What should I do next time?

I've never done it, but I would imagine it is an electrical kill switch which needs to be physically reset but causes no permanent disablement. I've driven prototype vehicles where such a system is installed, for the driver's use in an emergency.

[MikeF]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9QjYLINGdo This driver wasn't on the phone. An alleged close pass.

[chris_suffolk]

In the case of Paultastic's reply, would the traffic commissioner take a dim view of a coach company that can't identify a driver? You would think that standard working practices would make it easy for them to do so, and in the case of records not being kept would this in itself be something that the traffic commissioner would be interested in?

If you had the Reg Number, and the company can't identify the driver, then the Police would be very interested indeed.

[Paulatic]

Not specifically bus drivers, but there are strong penalties for using phones while driving. So, the laws are there waiting. The problem is going to be enforcement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39118523

Hundreds of drivers caught, despite crackdown. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40079382 Examples include a school minibus driver.

With coach drivers, I wonder if the same driver will drive the same route at the same time, in some circumstances. Such that it might be worth going back with a camera.

In the case of Paultastic's reply, would the traffic commissioner take a dim view of a coach company that can't identify a driver? You would think that standard working practices would make it easy for them to do so, and in the case of records not being kept would this in itself be something that the traffic commissioner would be interested in?

I copied the TC into my mail after, I felt, being totally ignored for a week over my concern. Interestingly a search for the company throws up a couple of headline coach/school bus incidents . Probably not unique but interesting. Also worth noting is that none of the directors or transport managers display their email address. Contact is only visible through a web form. I had to guess what their emails might be using their domain name. Most were undelivered but I hit the jackpot with one!
I imagine if visited by the TC anytime in the future they'll be quizzed on their policy of dealing with reported incidents, and their ability to identify drivers.

[Mattyfez]

Bus drivers do seem to be a bit special sometimes, just this morning I was walking to work, In a city, I was standing on the traffic island half way across a pedestrian crossing waiting for a gap in traffic. To my right was a yellow cross hatched no stopping box junction.

A bus stopped blocking my way, and also about 6 feet into the box as there was stationary traffic on the far side.

Seeing as he was going nowhere and had blocked the crossing, I walked around the front of the bus, across the box junction he was partially parked in and continued on, only to get screamed at 'don't walk in front of the bus!' and he started driving forward.


Unbelievable.

[squeaker]

Bus drivers do seem to be a bit special sometimes, just this morning I was walking to work, In a city, I was standing on the traffic island half way across a pedestrian crossing waiting for a gap in traffic. To my right was a yellow cross hatched no stopping box junction.

A bus stopped blocking my way, and also about 6 feet into the box as there was stationary traffic on the far side.

Seeing as he was going nowhere and had blocked the crossing, I walked around the front of the bus, across the box junction he was partially parked in and continued on, only to get screamed at 'don't walk in front of the bus!' and he started driving forward.


Unbelievable.

High stress job - it's all them cyclists

[Cyril Haearn]

Bus drivers do seem to be a bit special sometimes, just this morning I was walking to work, In a city, I was standing on the traffic island half way across a pedestrian crossing waiting for a gap in traffic. To my right was a yellow cross hatched no stopping box junction.

A bus stopped blocking my way, and also about 6 feet into the box as there was stationary traffic on the far side.

Seeing as he was going nowhere and had blocked the crossing, I walked around the front of the bus, across the box junction he was partially parked in and continued on, only to get screamed at 'don't walk in front of the bus!' and he started driving forward.


Unbelievable.

All too believable. He should have applied the parking brake

I almost never travel by bus, but what if I had observed the crime as a passenger? Should I have siezed the phone, is that theft?

[Cyril Haearn]

What should I do next time?

Tell the bus co. with as much info as possible.
..

Then he might get a talking to weeks later

Next time I shall hammer on the door to wake him up and shock him. Hope he would not dare attack me in view of passengers