Faceless

I worked a service that ran just after the '0930 phenomonen' had kicked in - the first that those not wanting to pay to travel opt to use as they can use their bus pass. I carried over 60 people on my 40-something seater single decker bus. The passengers got on at various locations and I had over 35 minutes to go when I started to have standing room only.

One of the passengers on board was known to me. I know him purely down to the frequency that he travels. My communication with his extends to about 20 seconds or so when he boards and he may come to the front either 1 or 2 stops before the one he leaves at, but that's about it. Communication is somewhat hampered on our buses thanks to the assault screen, but we've started having ones with movable sections fitted, so I can lift the bottom part up to communicate better with the public (and drop it back down if a chav or someone with a stinking cold gets on).

After 5 minutes, this chap - 'Dave' - realised the bus was going to be completely full, so he gave up his seat to an OAP and for the next few minutes, guided any other frail passenger who boarded to one of the remaining seats. He then came and stood at the front and was head of the standees.

With over 60 on a 40-seater you can't drive like a dick head and the timetable has to go out the window. Such is life. I spoke with 'Dave' for the remainder of the journey, all the time he was stood behind me, but at the front of the aisle. A few stops before the terminus in town, a lady in a pink coat got off. I know her and she knows my name and said that she thought I should be warned that 'an old lady back there is slagging you off something rotten for having him stood at the front chatting to you'.

I thanked her for letting me know so as the people got off my bus in the terminus bus station, I made a point of using psychology to see if the complainant had the bottle to say anything. I did this by facing my public and purposefully saying very clearly and politely "Thanks!" and "Cheers!" and "Thank you!" and "Bye now!" as each and every passenger got off.

And, as I suspected, not a single passenger said a word. Gutless. Faceless.

I find it staggering that some old woman could criticise me for having someone stood at the front when there were almost 20 standees on the bus. What would she prefer? To leave everyone after the first few standees had boarded and to order them all to stand at the back of the bus? These people were carried in accordance with my maximum legal capacity, in a safe and comfortable manner and in a cheery and polite fashion, as ever.

I suspect the faceless wonder knew this and was probably why she stayed quiet.

Common Sense Solution: Sadly, there isn't one. Perhaps the possibility of passengers having a sign on their foreheads that only the driver can see should be looked into by the Department for Transport. A bit like prison, they should be branded with "Trouble" or "OK".