On the Buses

[A fool and his money.....]

2 hours ago, forestboy said:

Shirkers. 

You reap what you sow. First Bus drivers were told they were overpaid and their pay and conditions reduced, now it seems they're not being paid overtime for working overtime.

Making the effort to get into work when you're not feeling great or going out of your way to cover sickness are examples of goodwill. It's hardly surprising there's little goodwill left within the workforce if they've been treated like that, is it?

[Tinpot]

Six people off at our workplace a few weeks back out of a workforce of less than 30.

It’s not unusual for an illness to spread through a workplace, especially if it’s something like a stomach bug.

Not sure how you define them as shirkers based on one small bit of information.

I would imagine a new school term also sees the drivers exposed to all sorts of nasties (and I am not talking about the children) as well.

[John Wright]

3 hours ago, Blade Runner said:

 

Mooragh prom in the North is not a Dual Carriageway just because it is separated by a bit of grass.

 

You could class the bit of tarmac outside the Airport as one....

 

The IOM Road traffic regs are still back in the dark ages, Ask your mate Derek but Mooragh Prom is NOT A DUAL CARRIGWAY.

 

Follow best UK RULES, if no rules are in place on your rock, as I am sure you have heard before in Court John.............

 

 

They are both, de facto, dual carriageways in Manx Law.

[Roger Mexico]

Yet more cancellations today, though it's worth pointing out that these lists aren't that reliable.  I was twice hit by buses not turning up last weekend - neither was on the relevant list.  But when a service is stretched to its limit, anything can have a knock-on effect and cause further problems.

Manx Radio had a story yesterday based on a Written Question submitted by Faragher.  It's worth looking at in full (which isn't very fully):

What operational issues have resulted in the cancellation of bus services; how long he expects them to last; and whether they are linked with the fulfilment of private contracts.

[Question W-202401- 1232 published on 11 09 2024; Answer received on 01 10 2024]

The Minister for Infrastructure (Mr Crookall):

It is important to note that the vast majority of Services have operated as normal.

The operational issue for bus vannin is recruitment. Driving staff only need to give two weeks notice. The recruitment process and training take considerably longer than this.

Low level loss of service will continue until new recruits become operational. At this point it is not possible to give a date.

The cancellation of core bus services is not linked to the fulfilment of private contracts.

You'll notice that it took them 20 days (just under the maximum allowed) to reply with these few unhelpful and illiterate words (it's almost as if Crookall actually wrote it himself).

And it's also untrue.  The main problem clearly isn't recruitment but retention.  If you're complaining that people can resign quicker than you can train them, then your problem is them resigning.  Rather than acknowledge that the employment model they have been using in recent years has predictably failed, they are just reducing services more and more and keeping on doing the same things hoping for a different outcome.

 

Edited to add:  When waiting for one of the non-arriving buses last weekend, I got in conversation with a passer-by who turned out to be a former bus driver who would no longer work for them, even for casual work on his free times.  Why?  "Bad management".

Edited Thursday at 12:27 PM by Roger Mexico

[Non-Believer]

1 hour ago, Roger Mexico said:

...and keeping on doing the same things hoping for a different outcome.

And we all know what this is the definition of.

[Tinpot]

28 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

And we all know what this is the definition of.

Marriage?

[woolley]

2 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

 I was twice hit by buses not turning up last weekend -

Contradiction in terms, Mexico.

[Happier diner]

One thig I have noticed about our buses is that they don't seem to have starter motors fitted. They must start them on a morning and that's it for the day. Always buses waiting outside schools (possibly for swimming) and they invariably sit with their engines running for over 15 minutes. At the same time as we are looking at investing in hybrid buses with e start and stop start technology so that we are not poisoning people at the bus stop whilst all the while we are poisoning our kids and wasting fuel every single day. 

Des anyone know why they do this?

[The Phantom]

2 hours ago, Happier diner said:

 with e start and stop start technology so that we are not poisoning people at the bus stop whilst all the while we are poisoning our kids and wasting fuel every single day. 

Des anyone know why they do this?

My car does this and it drives me mad.  I have to manually over-ride it most days, as I stop for 10 seconds in traffic and it turns the engine off.  It then puts additional strain on your starter motor and battery which has to do a load more work and obviously wear out earlier. 

It's also nearly killed me at junctions where I've wanted to make a quick merge into traffic and it decides to turn off as I've been stationary for seconds. 

Turning off if sat for minutes makes sense.  Not for seconds.  It would be interesting to cost benefit of pollution and saved fuel versus the cost of more regular replacement of parts. 

[The Voice of Reason]

On 9/30/2024 at 4:31 PM, John Wright said:

Really?

Where? 

Two carriageways up, one down, no central reservation.

Yes OK Richmond Hill is not a dual carriageway by the definition you quoted, having to have a central reservation.

But it’s a stupid definition. Two carriageways side by side makes it a dual carriageway to me.  Why is it only a dual carriageway if it has a central reservation?

There is nothing in the words “ dual carriageway “ to imply that such a reservation is necessary to make it such

Edited 20 hours ago by The Voice of Reason

[John Wright]

28 minutes ago, The Voice of Reason said:

Yes OK Richmond Hill is not a dual carriageway by the definition you quoted, having to have a central reservation.

But it’s a stupid definition. Two carriageways side by side makes it a dual carriageway to me.  Why is it only a dual carriageway if it has a central reservation?

There is nothing in the words “ dual carriageway “ to imply that such a reservation is necessary to make it such

You’re confusing “carriageway” with “lanes”. That’s why. Richmond Hill is a single carriageway with three lanes. It’s the central reservation that differentiates a single and dual carriageway.

[Happier diner]

43 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

My car does this and it drives me mad.  I have to manually over-ride it most days, as I stop for 10 seconds in traffic and it turns the engine off.  It then puts additional strain on your starter motor and battery which has to do a load more work and obviously wear out earlier. 

It's also nearly killed me at junctions where I've wanted to make a quick merge into traffic and it decides to turn off as I've been stationary for seconds. 

Turning off if sat for minutes makes sense.  Not for seconds.  It would be interesting to cost benefit of pollution and saved fuel versus the cost of more regular replacement of parts. 

Yes all cars do this now. its mandatory. I am told that the starter motors are designed to do it and will last a lifetime. You can temporarily disable it on most cars and it wont do it if your battery voltage drops. It just feels wierd.

I reckon the bus drivers keep the engine running so they can listen to the radio or charge their phones. Or maybe they are just thick TYUIs

[Ringy Rose]

The Highway Code literally defines a dual carriageway as a road which has a central reservation to divide the carriageways.

The definition matters more in the UK because the national speed limit is higher on a dual carriageway. But the same definition is in the Isle of Man Highway Code.

 It scares me that some of you are allowed to drive.

[Albert Tatlock]

Isn't the only dual carriageway on the island that tiny bit when you're approaching the airport from Douglas, which then ends with a left turn lane into the airport at the roundabout?

About all 30 metres of it?

[Happier diner]

1 hour ago, John Wright said:

You’re confusing “carriageway” with “lanes”. That’s why. Richmond Hill is a single carriageway with three lanes. It’s the central reservation that differentiates a single and dual carriageway.

and a sign saying dual carriageway ahead?

Edited 18 hours ago by Happier diner