Wokkers bus last night

[cheeryoleary]

Stagecoach bus departs at 10:08 last night minus quite a few people. Attempts to get on the A33 towards J11 then stops right slap bang in the middle of the fecking roundabout whilst one of the passengers has a conversation along the lines of "you've left to early, and there are people still there who need to get home".

Conversation ensues for at least two minutes... all the time the bus is stationery ON the roundabout ON the A33, with traffic passing on both sides.

Eventualy, the driver decides that it might be a good idea to head back and pick up the stragglers. Benny Hill style moment then follows as the stragglers run back to catch the bus.

STAGECOACH. IT IS NOT A VERY GOOD IDEA TO STOP YOUR BUS IN THE MIDDLE OF A ROUNDABOUT JUST TO ARGUE THE TOSS. YOU UTTERCNUTERS.

[M Brook]

The timetable clearly states the bus leaves at 22 00. It did not leave early. On the contrary, it was almost 10 minutes late. If people - there were in fact just 3 stragglers - can't get out of the stadium and back to the bus stop in ten (or in fact eighteen) minutes then that's their problem. Everyone else managed it!

It was not Stagecoach's fault. Rather it was caused by the bully who threatened to get the driver sacked if he didn't drive back round the roundabout. He should have been thrown off the bus but the driver did the decent thing despite the objectionable/threatening tone of the bully/arsehole.

[cheeryoleary]

Okay... you're a driver and a passenger gives you grief. Do you:

a) Pull over to the side of the road in order to have a conversation
b) Stop in the middle of a roundabout and have a conversation

The bloke giving grief should know better than to distract the driver.
The driver should know better that to stop in the middle of the roundabout.

My beef is with Stagecoach as they are a professional outfit who are entrusted with the safety of their passengers, and other road users.

[Dirk Gently]

Why didn't all the other passengers intervene and tell this twat to sit down and shut up instead of bullying the driver?

Or was there suddenly something very interesting to look at out of the window, and a nice tune to whistle....?

[M Brook]

Quite a few people did suggest that he resembled a male appendage!

[M Brook]

Okay... you're a driver and a passenger gives you grief. Do you:

a) Pull over to the side of the road in order to have a conversation
b) Stop in the middle of a roundabout and have a conversation

The bloke giving grief should know better than to distract the driver.
The driver should know better that to stop in the middle of the roundabout.

My beef is with Stagecoach as they are a professional outfit who are entrusted with the safety of their passengers, and other road users.

That's unfair. Under the circumstances the driver had little option. He was faced with a difficult situation where he had to use his discretion. I am sure he took care when he stopped the bus - the traffic was hardly moving after all - and, as I said, he did the decent (and sensible) thing and returned for the stragglers. I bet they wont be late the next time they use that bus! The guilty party was the bully/arsehole. Your anger should be directed at him.

[cheeryoleary]

Unfair - perhaps. My point is that a vehicle should only be stopped in such a dangerous place in the case of an emergency due to the risk caused to other road users. People were undertaking the stationery bus on a roundabout.... not the safest of manouvers.
Was it an emergency? I wouldn't class an irate passenger as an emergency - just an annoyance.

[amdocsroyal]

The Wokkers Bus on a midweek evening - always a story to tell
Its certainly a step above the usual saga of negotiating the Winnersh Triangle roundabout / Lights complex coming home! - "will he - wont he - yes / no - go left - go right etc !!"

Its still the best way to and from the ground tho .. its just touch and go to catch the bus home in time from the East Stand whilst the 'safety gate' is used.

[M Brook]

Unfair - perhaps. My point is that a vehicle should only be stopped in such a dangerous place in the case of an emergency due to the risk caused to other road users. People were undertaking the stationery bus on a roundabout.... not the safest of manouvers.
Was it an emergency? I wouldn't class an irate passenger as an emergency - just an annoyance.

Whether it was an emergency or not it was a situation that had to be dealt with and, to my mind, the driver dealt with it the best he could. Like you, I was annoyed at the delay and found the bloke speaking to the driver an objectionable arse, but, he had to be dealt with.

Did the individual concerned get off at the same stop as you at the Pheasant?

[Honest Guv]

The timetable clearly states the bus leaves at 22 00. It did not leave early. On the contrary, it was almost 10 minutes late. If people - there were in fact just 3 stragglers - can't get out of the stadium and back to the bus stop in ten (or in fact eighteen) minutes then that's their problem. Everyone else managed it!

It was not Stagecoach's fault. Rather it was caused by the bully who threatened to get the driver sacked if he didn't drive back round the roundabout. He should have been thrown off the bus but the driver did the decent thing despite the objectionable/threatening tone of the bully/arsehole.

There were about 10 people who did not make the bus. My seat is in the middle of the east stand, over 2/3 of the way up. I left at the final whistle and only made the bus by about 30secs. It can take considerable time to get out of the ground and walk all the way around. Although the reacton of that guy was over the top, the bus left too early.

[bobby1413]

The timetable clearly states the bus leaves at 22 00. It did not leave early. On the contrary, it was almost 10 minutes late. If people - there were in fact just 3 stragglers - can't get out of the stadium and back to the bus stop in ten (or in fact eighteen) minutes then that's their problem. Everyone else managed it!

It was not Stagecoach's fault. Rather it was caused by the bully who threatened to get the driver sacked if he didn't drive back round the roundabout. He should have been thrown off the bus but the driver did the decent thing despite the objectionable/threatening tone of the bully/arsehole.

There were about 10 people who did not make the bus. My seat is in the middle of the east stand, over 2/3 of the way up. I left at the final whistle and only made the bus by about 30secs. It can take considerable time to get out of the ground and walk all the way around. Although the reacton of that guy was over the top, the bus left too early.

The driver left when the driver and the bus was supposed to.

If that is too early for some people to get out of the ground then the company needs to be told to move the bus departure time to 10 minutes later.

[weybridgewanderer]

Did the wokers bus leave before all the other Stagecoach buses or at the same time?

If it left at the same time then why did all the other buses not have the same problem?

If it left before them then it probably left too early

[M Brook]

It left just after the Farnboro bus which was parked in front.

[Honest Guv]

The timetable clearly states the bus leaves at 22 00. It did not leave early. On the contrary, it was almost 10 minutes late. If people - there were in fact just 3 stragglers - can't get out of the stadium and back to the bus stop in ten (or in fact eighteen) minutes then that's their problem. Everyone else managed it!

It was not Stagecoach's fault. Rather it was caused by the bully who threatened to get the driver sacked if he didn't drive back round the roundabout. He should have been thrown off the bus but the driver did the decent thing despite the objectionable/threatening tone of the bully/arsehole.

There were about 10 people who did not make the bus. My seat is in the middle of the east stand, over 2/3 of the way up. I left at the final whistle and only made the bus by about 30secs. It can take considerable time to get out of the ground and walk all the way around. Although the reacton of that guy was over the top, the bus left too early.

The driver left when the driver and the bus was supposed to.

If that is too early for some people to get out of the ground then the company needs to be told to move the bus departure time to 10 minutes later.

Ok, I meant too early for people to make it who were towards the top and/or near the south end of the east stand.

[weybridgewanderer]

It left just after the Farnboro bus which was parked in front.

Did the farnborough but have the same problem and have to go back for stangglers?

[The 17 Bus]

The buses are not there for the convenience of the fans using them, they are there to maximise the profit of the companies that run them. My dad has the misfortune of having to use the buses at many times, and as he can't walk fast has to leave 5 mins early.

I can see that it might be a pain for those on the bus, however put yourself in the position of an elderly person stuck at the ground late at night, and not being up to modern technology, frightening to say the least.

[The 17 Bus]

This is really pissing me off now, why cant they hand out a returnable ticket?? there is a limit to how may can get on the bus, so hand them out then count them back in, as soon as all are in drive off, now I know that means that if one person has a problem, there is a rela worry, but something needs to be done to make the whole system work better.

[Royal Lady]

Stories such as this might just account for the "idiots" who leave the match before the final whistle then? We wouldn't have made the bus if it left dead on 10.00pm, it can take us a good 5-10 mins to get out into the concourse from our seats and then having to walk around the stadium to get to the roundabout takes an age, what with dodging cars who are desperate to get to the front of the queue so they can be first to leave when they're allowed to, not to mention fans coming in the opposite direction, not to mention being forced onto the pavement/side of the road when the away coaches come down the hill....

[Jerry St Clair]

This is really pissing me off now, why cant they hand out a returnable ticket?? there is a limit to how may can get on the bus, so hand them out then count them back in, as soon as all are in drive off, now I know that means that if one person has a problem, there is a rela worry, but something needs to be done to make the whole system work better.

I use the Stagecoach bus from Basingstoke and the driver always counts everyone back on.

No idea why the Wokkers one can't.

[Billy The Fish]

Unbelievable! So now I understand why people leave before the end of the game. I'm at the back of the East stand in the middle of a block and it would always be difficult to reach the buses in eighteen minutes or whatever it is. And what if there'd been extra time last night? So the club want to encourage people to use public transport do they? If you do miss the bus, what then?