Life on the Buses 2019

It actually means it’s Off Duty.
Which is good to know.

Is your avatar a picture of those German Hot Dogs in a Jar??

Huh? Yes. But they’re American style, like me.

Are you In a Jar?

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Do they hire NASCAR drivers to drive a bus?

Sometimes when I’m on the bus I swear the driver thinks he’s at a racetrack. The way he swerves the bus and then floor it, then slam on the brake, it’s making me nauseous.

Are bus drivers on some tight schedule or something?

I feel like it’s Grand Theft Auto VI: Taipei bus mission. Or maybe they were moon shine runners in the last life?

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Where does that threshold lie? Asking for my own future benefit.

Some bus drivers are definitely more aggressive than others. The way they time their braking sometimes makes me wonder whether they are actively trying to knock a passenger over just to amuse themselves.

Tough job, though. I don’t envy em none.

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Most of the buses have a mailbox for feedback near the middle of the bus. You can use it to write a complain there if you wish.
If you do so, make sure that the driver sees you picking up a feedback form. Sometimes just this action is enough.
I’ve seen drivers changing their behavior almost immediately when they see someone planning to write a complain.

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theres a new bus stop quite close to where i live. so far i have had mixed results as i was using google maps to find out which bus to use. now i’ve got an app.
i have no idea why 70% of the bus is standing area. standing on the bus makes me travel sick almost every time.

I always stand, there are so many old codgers on my route, always feel I have to get up when they get on. If I do sit, the minute you get comfortable, 20 old geezers will get on, then a couple of glances will come my way.

The driving of the bus like a hatchback was a good laugh when I used to travel here, but living here carting kids on and off them is challenging. They’ll often do this tapping of the brake when they are pulling up which can make herding kids off difficult. The other option is to wait until they are fully pulled up, but then you risk getting the doors shut in your face, or not being able to get off as everyone piles on. 沒辦法, the bus driving is a disgrace, sorry it’s so entrenched that a feedback form here or there is not going to fix it.

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To stick as many people as possible on a bus. It’s more profitable that way for the bus company as most are private companies.

The pattern of use here in Taiwan is short distance/lots of commuters at rush hour/few passengers at normal times, so it makes sense to have more open space for standing, to fit more people at rush times. Moreover, if you notice, the longer the trip, more seats are available, example Xindian-Xizhi or Gongguan-Shenkeng. Very few people will, for example, do a whole route, say 220 from Taipei Main to Tianmu.

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personally i just think its a result of bad design. the new electric buses have seating.
i can’t be the only one who doesn’t like standing up on a bus. i got into a bad fight with an ex once as she accused me of not catching her when she was swinging around on the packed bus. i could barely save myself!

Sometimes when you try and be a hero you end up doing more damage, like it ends up turning into some sort of wrestling move. And you take out a couple of passengers with you. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

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No, it’s a known principle in mass transit.
The centuries-old rule is that sitters pay the costs, the straphangers are where the profit starts.
Think about how many standing people you can fit into the same space as 2 seats.
Ka-ching.

i prefer to have space for lots of people and seats at the same time.


on trains standing is a lot more do able than a bus. particularly with Taiwanese drivers.

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Indian buses must be making a fortune then…

13trans1

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London to Taipei on a routemaster, make sure you pay the conductor for your ticket :tickets:

They do (relatively), that’s the point.

they also have them an hour away in hong kong. along with double decker trams, which work a treat for short trips and also have plenty of seats.

anyway i’ve noticed the new electric buses have a decent amount of seating so maybe i’m not the only one who thinks the inside design of taiwanese buses needed some work.

You can drive a bus from HongKong to Taipei in an hour, you should look into doing it professionally.

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