11 May 2007

It was clear this morning that the 8:00am bus never materialised as the 8:15am was packed (of course, it was a single decker - a double decker would have meant seats for everyone) and I had to stand in the isle for the entire journey. What happens to the 8:00am buses? Is there a tear in the space-time continuum somewhere between Ilkley and Otley that it gets sucked into? First seem to be amazingly adept at using double deckers during less busy times and single deckers during the busiest times. Whoever plans the X84 buses should be put in stocks in Market Square and pummeled with locally grown produce.

2 May 2007

This morning's journey was textbook. Bus on time, seats for everyone (despite it being a single decker) and the driver actually stopped where i wanted him to. Marvellous!

1 May 2007

This morning's journey has left me furious! Not only was the 8:15 service 15 minutes late, but the driver decided to ignore the bell and drive past, not only my usual stop, but also the one after that, seemingly more concerned with where the young lady standing at the front of the bus watned to get off. I'm sure it was the same driver who sailed past my stop last week, again ignoring the bell. So, I was 20 minutes late this morning. I think FirstLeeds need to train their drivers in 'bus stop recognition'. Aaarrrgh.

Monday 30 April 2007

A dream journey this morning. The bus was on time AND a double decker so there were seats for everyone. It's clear that the person who designed the seats on the new-ish buses (the purple ones with the purple and blue fabric) never had to sit on them for 40-50 minutes. The one good thing about the older buses was at least the seats were comfortable.

Friday 27 April 2007

Mercifully, the 8am bus must have turned up this morning as the 8:15am had spare seats (but was still a single decker of course). Last night's journey home was fine.

Morning Journey 26 April 2007

A truly awful journey this morning. The 8am bus from Otley didn't turn up (for the second time this week; what happens to them?) and when the 8:15am turned up...it was a single decker. Why do FirstLeeds insist on putting on single decker buses during the busiest times in the morning??? As a result I had to stand for the entire journey into Leeds. The bus driver missed THREE stops despite the bell being rung in good time. He seemed unsure of which stops he could stop at as he admitted to an alighting, and angry, passenger. He also managed to block traffic by stopping on a crossroads. In his defence though, he was the only driver I've ever known who said 'good morning' as I got on.

Oh, for the days when we were blessed with double deckers in the morning!

Thursday 26 April 2007

Welcome. The purpose of this blog is to convey my experiences of being a regular commuter on the X84 bus service (Otley/Leeds). Such is the frustration of using this service that I felt I had to create a platform for my outpourings of rage and despair; not only about the standard of service but also about my general experiences and observations during my journeys on the microcosm of society that the bus often is.