With the Olympic Games opening ceremony taking place today, I thought it good to mention how I was affected by the Olympic Torch Relay at some point during its parade around the country. To be fair, though, the problems surrounding road closures and curtailed journeys weren't too bad - my company had unusually done their homework and had quite a tight set of schedules in operation and had given a good fortnight's notice of the changes on both their website and on board their vehicles.
Of course there are still going to be people who are caught out. That's life. I suppose you could shoot them all in the head, but suddenly your employer would notice a reduction in revenue, as so many thick people use the bus.
On the day I was affected I had to operate a wholly different route within this suburb of a much larger town. The diversion saw me use a parallel road to the one I'd normally use. Unfortunately for me, I was driving the diversion as the crowds that had gathered to watch the Olympic Flame pass by were heading home both on foot and by car. The linear road was a like an assault course of parked cars that I needed to weave in and out of, with lots of cars parked on either sides of the road.
There are no bus stops along this road as buses don't use it normally and passengers had been told the hail the bus at a safe point. No one hailed me that I knew of and as I got to the end of the road I had to stop at some traffic lights. I heard a very loud knocking at my doors. A guy was stood there so I let him board.
"Didn't you see me stood back there?" he said, breathlessly.
"No. Where were you stood?"
"Opposite the supermarket. There aren't any bus stops down her you know!"
"Oh right. Did you put your hand out?"
"I didn't think I needed to!"
Now that says at all. Baring in mind over 1,000 people were returning home from watching the torch, the majority of which were using this road, and this guy thinks he can just stand by the kerb and the bus driver will somehow psychically know that he wants the bus.
Common Sense Solution: You have to ignore people like this. If common sense doesn't dictate to you that you need to physically hail a bus to stop it on a diversionary route with no bus stop signs amidst 1000 people milling about then are you really equipped with sufficient life skills to get on in life? Some people simply are not. Does this guy have kids? If so how does he keep the fact that Santa and the Tooth Fairy do not exist? How does he pay his bills on time, organise his life, pass an interview? It's all very amusing really.
