I felt like Keith Hill today whilst I was sat on the bus..

I had an important appointment in town this morning, to speak with the council about an housing issue (long, boring story), and as I dont drive, I often have to use public transport.
My appointment was for 11am, and travelling from Carlton I was at the bus-stop for 10:15.
Unfortunately I hadn't remembered there was a strike on, so after waiting until about 10:40, I was gobsmacked that no bus had come in either direction. And also grown pretty frustrated. Couple that with not being able to get through to the council to let them know I was likely to be late, and Andrew was a very angry man by 10:50.
Hallelujah though by five to the hour, as a number 57 finally arrived. I always get it in my head that Im going to have a go at the driver when climbing aboard the bus, but I rarely do in actuality.
And so I sat there throughout the journey making numerous attempts to contact the council - each to no avail.
Anyway, and here comes the Hilly reference, the bus eventually made it to the interchange for 11:15. But as it snaked round the yard, and got towards the rail-crossing, I heard a barrage of boos, obscene remarks and general abuse, all very loud, very agressive. I turned to the window to see around 50+ blokes in high-vis jackets hurling said abuse, with faces ready to explode with fury. I felt like Keith and the players after the Boro game.. but me being a tad slow on the uptake, I still didnt realise what it was all about. But I heard a bloke say sumat about pickets, and then I clicked on. I didnt have time to faff about so toddled off to my appointment at the civic.
Lo and behold, they couldnt see me, I was late.. and my excuse - the bus strike - held no sway with the jobsworth on reception.
So thanks Stagecoach, and Stagecoach strikers. I missed an important meeting, got abused by a baying crowd, and Im also blaming you for my decision to go to Bill Hills, and lose a tenner on the nags..
Fcukin' striking over pay is one thing, but to hurl grief at bus passengers is just unreal. And YES they were aiming it at US, as well as the driver. I can still remember the moronic faces of one or two of em.
And having read Gloucesters last post in his thread, you wont get sympathy from me.

 

I am afraid you get no sympathy from me either.
You have know for long enough that the buses were on strike, yet you did not make any other arrangements to get into town for what you said was an IMPORTANT meeting, you used a scab bus service to get into town, then you blame the striking workers for your ineptitude at failing to plan ahead.
No sympathy at all mate, if the meeting was important then you should have got it sorted.

Also the reference to it being like the Boro` game, how do you make that out?
Was the driver absolute gash at his job ? Or was it just that the driver was strikebreaking and that is why they were jeering and booing, because people like yourself were backing SCABS?

 

Sorry, but why should we as the public have to take criticism from anybody for using public transport? Pretty sure the whole point of it being there is to get people from a to b who don't own their own car and don't want to fork out for a taxi. And to be frank, if people are willing to go out on strike then they have to accept that there's probably hundreds of people who'd kill for that job, particularly in the current climate! No sympathy with going on strike then acting like a bunch of socialist martyrs thanks

 

I'd say the fundamental mistake you made was leaving yourself 45 minutes to get from Carlton to town on public transport for 'an important ' meeting.

 

Bit off that mark. They have no right to expect public support.

 

Still 1984 in Barnsley I see.

 

You're being really unfair with some of those comments Mark. I think Whitey has made a valid point and the Keith Hill parallel was in context; well I understood the point anyway.

 

Well using the Keith Hill thing thereI would say that would have been a game he deserved to lose,poor pre match prep, bad use of subs (could've brought a taxi in there) and not leaving enough time toprepare for the unexpected. Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

Whitey my friend, i gave warning on this forum almost 2 weeks ago about the up coming strikes so let me repeat, in the absence of further talks, watch my lips, THERE ARE 2 MORE STRIKES 2ND & "3RD DECEMBER and if there's no solution then, an all out strike. I can assure you the demonstration wer not agaainst you passengers and I would have thought reading your many posts on here you, you of all people were sensible enough to know that, my comments about the travelling public were formulated after I got home.
You say you live in Carlton, re my other comments, Arriva 194 runs via laithes Lane and Tates run thru Carlton 2 alternatives for you.

 

So is the 57 a Stagecoach bus ?

Whitey yer soft apeth. You should've left earlier and avoided scab labour bus. There's folk fighting for their livelihoods here.

 

Cheers for the support Extremely Northern, the last thing I would want to do is get contributers to this forum at each others throats.

 

Unfortunately mate we've built a society where we're only bothered if something affects us directly and personally.

Not directed just at Whitey cos I'm sure he was wound up at missing his meeting, but if something like this can happen - or is allowed to happen unchecked at your firm then similar things can happen anywhere. Get rich quick merchants treading on folk. Genuine honest business owners get tarred with that pillocks brush as well. With any luck he'll get fed up, sell it and bugger off.

 

here here

 

Correct, I cannot see why he was upset about it.

 

At least now he's seen how upset the Stagecoach workers are about their situation. I hope his meeting can be rearranged - I hope the council treats him better than it's been alledged the drivers have been by Stagecoach.

 

I really hope that you never have any cause for complaint at your place of work mate! The current climate has got nothing to do with being treated poorly by the bosses at any company. No-one should be scared or bullied at work just because there are others that will do the work! We should not have to accept bad working conditions and practices just because there are 3 million unemployed.

 

the council?.... Don't bet on it!

 

Not keen are tha ?

 

Unfortunately people will always quote "There's always plenty a'll tek the job if you don't want it" as will ****coach if that was true we would never be understaffed.

 

If that's the attitude of any manager/employer then they'll soon run out of 'willing' employees.

But it all depends how you view employees I suppose - as people or as a.n.other commodity.