Re: Road rage bus driver caught on camera!

Brimstone wrote:
> Douglas Hall wrote:
> > "Brimstone" <brimstone@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> >>
> >> Whether or not the complainant deserves an apology surely depends on
> >> what provoked the outburst?
> >
> > Does it? Why?
> >
> > Isn't it a reasonable expectation that professionals working in a
> > service industry don't behave that way?
>
> Quite so, but what about everyone behaving as they expect other people to
> behave?

Oh absolutely - I like the thinking.

Unfortunately, for the general public, you can't demand it - merely
encourage it.

However, for a "professional" in a service industry, that's why I
believe the apology should be unmitigated and absolute - provocation or
otherwise.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see the driver hung, drawn and
quartered - or even necessarily face harsh discipline with his job.
However, I do believe that the importance of being professional,
especially with passengers on board, and to other road users needs to
be firmly stressed.

> > He was driving a bus with passengers on, has anybody considered that
> > his state of mind and behaviour were apparently manifest whilst
> > conveying the public, behind the wheel of a rather large vehicle.
>
> Quite possibly it was some the passengers that provoked him initially and
> this car driver was simply the final straw?

Possibly.

But if dealing with that sort of treatment isn't possible without
losing his cool, whilst driving a large vehicle, on public roads, with
numerous passengers, and everybody else's safety at mind, then perhaps
questions need to be asked about suitability for the job.

> >> If you read the MEN's forum the bus driver has
> >> already admitted that he was OTT. In what way or for what reason do
> >> "the public" deserve an apology?
> >
> > Because at the time he was in charge of a large vehicle, containing
> > passengers, when he apparently lost his rag. Not a private motorist,
> > but a professional.
>
> The relevance being? Or do you expect different behaviour from people
> dependant solely on the job they do?

Absolutely, especially when it's a service industry, and the general
safety of both passengers and other road users is at stake - to say
nothing of customer service and relations.

> Do you ride a motorcycle, or have you ever ridden one?

Nope.

But not terribly sure I see the pertinence.

I expect you have your reasons, though.

> > Would you opt to be a passenger on one of those buses, on that route,
> > with the possibility that this driver may well lose his cool whilst
> > you were on-board?
>
> That would depend on the reason for the outburst.

Well that's your prerogative.

Me, I don't care what the reasons. I'd expect the _driver_ to take it
in his stride. And if not, I wouldn't want to be a passenger, or in the
vicinity. But that's just me.

> Bus drivers are not
> supermen,

No, and I'm not expecting that. And I realise that like many in service
industries, they regularly have to deal with difficult customers,
abuse, and trying situations.

> in fact given that most bus companies pay their drivers quite
> poorly and don't treat them particularly well I would hazard a guess that
> they don't get the pick of the crop. Presumably you're familiar with the
> phrase "Pay peanuts" etc.

Indeed.

Does that mean society should just let it slide, though?

In the same way as if CCTV had caught passengers abusing the driver,
I'd expect there to be action taken.

But by action taken, I'm not so judgemental as to suggest he forfeits
his job for the behaviour, just that something needs to be done - and
done on all counts, for both the abuse they have to sustain, and for
how they choose to deal with it.

Sometimes, though, from a drivers perspective (and they can be like
taxi drivers where this is concerned) I frequently find they do
themselves no favours. When they must need to lose time, they _appear_
quite happy to drive quite slowly compared to the prevailing speed of
traffic, and _appear_ unconcerned about the inconvenience to the
traffic behind them. However, when it appears they have to make up
time, they seem rather impatient and bullish with traffic that's
travelling at reasonable speeds.

"Professionals" like this, sometimes appear that their cause is
automatically of higher priority, and whether that means inconvenience
to other traffic, or showing their frustration when merely traffic and
reasonable speeds hold them up. I'm not suggesting that's
representative, but it's something I fairly regularly observe.

.

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