h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

... this one sent to Stagecoach (the bus company)...

Dear Sir,

I have just arrived back home after waiting for longer than 30 minutes past the prescibed time at my local bus stop. Being generally unhappy wth public transport as it is, and knowing that the fares charged are exorbitant (especially considering the poor state of the busses and generally unfriendly manner of the drivers), I usually avoid the 'service' at all costs, but unfortunately no other route was open to me besides walking (which would be unrealistic and rather silly given the season), so I attempted to make use of the local bus service.

I arrived at the bus stop a little more than five minutes before the prescribed time (the 1542 from Geddington to Kettering, for completeness)- I give this information only to allay the inevitable response that I obviously missed the bus through my own impromptness- obviously arriving early is entirely my own fault and nothing to do with the company.

However, around thirty minutes later, I gave up waiting because the cold was beginning to bite, and had the bus come at that point, I would have been late for my appointment anyway.

I write only to register my annoyance at the inconvenience caused, and suggest that the unreliability inherent in the public transport system and its policies be incorporated into whatever method is used to predict the arrival times of busses so that those who rely on them may do so without being continually disappointed (I'm not so paranoid as to believe the busses are only late as a personal vendetta against myself, so it must happen regularly to everyone else as well). It is unsettling that I have never experienced a satisfactory bus journey in the local area.

Thank you for your time,

Thomas Briggs

Sock it to 'em...

Stupid Stagecoach.

*whooshes past*

Is that one of those British words for bus. Stagecoach sounds like something from the 19th century.

Is this intercity service or intracity service? Here in the colonies they are very different. Our intracity service is very prompt and gives good service at a good price, but the intercity service usually something called Greyhound (a private company) is very much like the service you write about not only that but it is only the poorest of the people that ride such transport and just being around these people makes the ol' skin crawl.

Actually our train system ratea about that low also. "Amtrak" is a subsidized rail service that constantly loses money is always being threatened with cutbacks yet never manages to be totally cutoff.

Stagecoach is the name of the bus company.

It's Geddington-to-kettering. I don't live in a city, so it couldn't be classed as either inter or intra that. About ten minutes in the car, if that helps.

TK[1]

Ten minutes in a car could be anything from 5km if the road is full of commuters to nearly 30km if you can go fast enough. But I think I understand this bus system.

Do you just stand on the side of the road and hold your hand out for them to stop? That would lead me to understand why they might be usually late. Our bus system will only stop at regular places with published times

Here in the colonies we all have our own cars (more or less) we dont like to depend upon others for getting around, our rebellious streak you know.

Keep those complaints coming, life can be so unforgiving and the more we complain the less that gets done.

To catch a bus, you (in theory) stand at a bus stop at the prescribed time. Most people here have their own cars too, but I can't afford one just yet, being currently jobless an' all.

TK[1]

Did you get any response to your letter of complaint? It was so well written that they probably don't have any staff with a good enough grasp of English to understand it

The bus service run within the town where I live is excellent (probably because it was never fully de-regulated and is still subsidised by the Borough Council). However, some of the rural services leave a lot to be desired. I once waited an hour in the rain for a bus that didn't arrive and missed a job interview as a consequence (however, given the bus service, I wouldn't have been able to get there to work anyway). When I phoned the bus company (then Eastern Counties, now First Group), the woman who answered the telephone wasn't a bit interested in what I had to say. I insisted on some sort of explanation and was eventually told that the bus had broken down but would be leaving soon!

If you live in a large town on an intercity rail link like I do, then public transport is great and I can easily manage without a car (and have done for 11 years). That is why I moved in to town 11 years ago - I could no longer aford to run my car and I knew that I couldn't manage without one in the country.

Liz
~

Nah, I had no reply. I rarely do. I just use my semi- frequent complaint- sending to keep my flippancy and sarcasm skills up to scratch. Glad you think it's well- written

You may like to look back over some older journal entries to find a complaint I sent to Boots. That has a reply with it (the basic gist is that I was lying, lol).

TK[1]

The one time I wrote a letter of complaint I got a snotty reply back telling me to talk to my father (who then was a local politician working with transport providers). I was not impressed.

Aw, that's crap... I'd have gone over the cheeky bugger's head...

TK[1]