And I suppose everyone just sat there waiting for someone else to do something?
Someone turf him off and damn the consequences. We've got to stop being so bloody scared of our own shadows these days.
It's up to us as a society to say enough to these shits.
If that was the case I think the driver would have done just that he was so angry, but too many laws now. but god I wanted to do it. I was shocked however at a bus load of adults taking this and only laughing at the sitution once the boy left.. One lady quipped "Shut the door quick" to get a laugh, I wasnt laughing.
Third hand , sorry you've lost me, this came from me who was a passenger on the bus.
Your story was that the kid got on the bus, sat and drank his drink. The bus driver tells you who tells us that the kid is a menace. That's a third hand story.
That's something I've said to more than one driver, & I wish more people would speak up. I've never not paid the fare for my bus journey, & I'm sick to the back teeth with those people who get on trying to hide the date on their ticket, use someone else's pass, try getting a child fare when they're not entitled to etc.
When some people get on the bus using the "I've got no money/It's only a couple of stops man" line, you can see their face gearing up to abuse the driver if he doesn't let them on for free, & sometimes they do for a quiet life. If I don't think it's justified, I tell the driver that as a fare-paying passenger I'm expecting him to do the right thing by the other passengers who have already paid, & I tell them that if they don't make this passenger pay I'm taking his number & relating the circumstances to his garage manager. He usually gives the person an exasperated look, & they give me a few expletives at most that are water off a duck's back to me, but they get off. They may get another bus & get away with it with that driver, but if they are delayed in doing so, that's better than me having to sit there thinking "WTF am I paying for each month when I can bleat that I haven't got any money & ride for free umpteen times a week?" If it's only a couple of stops, walk. If you prefer to use the bus, pay your way.
He was big trouble, his language to the driver was appalling and it seems it had happened often. not just this occassion.
I don't se what else the driver could have done. People say that we have to make a stand against antisocial little berks or naughty children, well unfortunately in order to do that without risking prosecution for laying hands on the kid some sacrifices have to be made. I'd rather be held up an hour or get the next bus than be seen by that kid to have let him win. Nothing wothwhile is easy I'm afraid calamity. At least you and everyone on the bus still have your pride and the kid lost and had a little tantrum. It's a good result really Calamity.
A group of passengers (say 3) should have taken hold of the child and handed him to the staff. They could each have acted as witnesses to each other to ensure no vioence took place in the event of the boy claiming abuse.
Trouble is, no-one wants to get involved nowadays as no doubt the child would have made up some story and had them all in court anyway.
This handing out of childrens' rights (without a sniff of responsibility) is causing more trouble than it's worth.
If that was the case I think the driver would have done just that he was so angry, but too many laws now. but god I wanted to do it. I was shocked however at a bus load of adults taking this and only laughing at the sitution once the boy left.. One lady quipped "Shut the door quick" to get a laugh, I wasnt laughing.
I understand where you're coming from and this is the point that annoys me so much with all these laws and things. You should have every right to throw him off the bus and when someone questions you on it, the whole bus should be witnesses and say 'Yes. That person did the right thing. That boy was being a right so and so and deserved to get thrown off.'
We've got to start sticking up for what is right again.
I don't se what else the driver could have done. People say that we have to make a stand against antisocial little berks or naughty children, well unfortunately in order to do that without risking prosecution for laying hands on the kid some sacrifices have to be made. I'd rather be held up an hour or get the next bus than be seen by that kid to have let him win. Nothing wothwhile is easy I'm afraid calamity. At least you and everyone on the bus still have your pride and the kid lost and had a little tantrum. It's a good result really Calamity.
I just wasnt sure about what the driver or us should or could have done, I was wondering too what a child around his age, he looked nine or ten , could have been older, was doing on his own at that time, it was around 5 45.
It takes a village to raise a child and all that. Maybe if people were nicer to him he wouldn't be such a little shit.
And maybe if people were nicer to him, he'd think "Result - tell the boys". From the time I hear someone swearing their heads off, adult or child, I have little time or patience for their original issue. If his safety was his primary issue, his mouth wouldn't have been so ripe & he wouldn't have been so ready to get off the bus once police had been mentioned.
I don't se what else the driver could have done. People say that we have to make a stand against antisocial little berks or naughty children, well unfortunately in order to do that without risking prosecution for laying hands on the kid some sacrifices have to be made. I'd rather be held up an hour or get the next bus than be seen by that kid to have let him win. Nothing wothwhile is easy I'm afraid calamity. At least you and everyone on the bus still have your pride and the kid lost and had a little tantrum. It's a good result really Calamity.
The other people on the bus should back you up. Children don't get the better of adults.
Perhaps it is a cry for help? he is very young and perhaps he wanders around on buses because it is preferable to going home? Perhaps he is abused at home and travels around looking for attention?
We dont know his circumstances but because of his tender age he should have been taken to where he wanted to go for his safety.
Thats what I was thinking
He reminds me of a little boy I knew when I was a kid, He was 10 and his parents had thrown him out. He literally lived on the buses
Some drivers tolerated him, a few gave him food, money and clothes, but some chucked him off and chased him away on sight, and he would give them a load of abuse, but it was because he had nowhere else to go.
He was totally addicted to glue sniffing, and most of the time he was drunk, he was quite a sad sight actually
Looking back now, I wish I had tried to help him in some way, but I was only a kid myself and we all thought he was "great" :rolleyes:
Its difficult to say what the driver should had done, maybe taken the boy and called the police to meet him at the next stop or something, that way the passengers wouldn't have been so inconvenienced and the police could have checked out who was meant to be taking care of him?
I was in two minds about the situation, I thought , should I join in with the driver and put the boy off the bus, or then, what if something happens to the boy if he cant get home. it was all running through my head what to do, even though he was really out of order. The boy had a full bottle of some drink and packet of sweets, so he must have also had money on him, and could have paid his fare.
I understand where you're coming from and this is the point that annoys me so much with all these laws and things. You should have every right to throw him off the bus and when someone questions you on it, the whole bus should be witnesses and say 'Yes. That person did the right thing. That boy was being a right so and so and deserved to get thrown off.'
We've got to start sticking up for what is right again.
I totally agree. My Dad says he's amazed people don't give me a hard time for speaking up (that's rich from the man who was forever having his say ), but I'm truly sick of people who have little respect for others & expect to be allowed to get away with whatever anti-social behaviour they're indulging in. If it takes a village to raise a child, then sometimes the best way to teach that child a lesson is to let him know the village isn't going to put up with his bad behaviour, so he's got to change it.
I've pulled up drivers for being about to allow people to travel without paying. I've also made it clear when someone's mouthing off at the driver that I'm prepared to be the driver's witness if they decide to call the police. We can't keep wishing we were somewhere else & pretending we can't see or hear what's going on when these things happen.
And maybe if people were nicer to him, he'd think "Result - tell the boys".
Maybe, but I'd like to give a ten year old child the benefit of the doubt. Who knows what his story is or what is happening in his life. Jeez, a couple of minutes of a free bus ride isn't going to bring down civilisation.
Maybe, but I'd like to give a ten year old child the benefit of the doubt. Who knows what his story is or what is happening in his life. Jeez, a couple of minutes of a free bus ride isn't going to bring down civilisation.
Thats what I was thinking
This story has reminded me of a little boy I knew when I was a kid, He was 10 and his parents had thrown him out. He literally lived on the buses
Some drivers tolerated him, a few gave him food, money and clothes, but some chucked him off and chased him away on sight, and he would give them a load of abuse, but it was because he had nowhere else to go.
*He was totally addicted to glue sniffing, and most of the time he was drunk, he was quite a sad sight actually
Looking back now, I wish I had tried to help him in some way, but I was only a kid myself and we all thought he was "great" :rolleyes:
Its difficult to say what the driver should had done, maybe taken the boy and called the police to meet him at the next stop or something, that way the passengers wouldn't have been so inconvenienced and the police could have checked out who was meant to be taking care of him?
* just thought I'd point out the glue sniffing etc wasn't why he was thrown out, that came after..if was because mums new boyfriend didn't like kids/
Maybe, but I'd like to give a ten year old child the benefit of the doubt. Who knows what his story is or what is happening in his life. Jeez, a couple of minutes of a free bus ride isn't going to bring down civilisation.
After the abuse I heard from this boys mouth, and the driver saying that its gone on often , I cant agree, Ive never heard words like that coming from a child,,He at one point told the driver to go F his mother and some other filth I cant put down here.
Maybe, but I'd like to give a ten year old child the benefit of the doubt. Who knows what his story is or what is happening in his life. Jeez, a couple of minutes of a free bus ride isn't going to bring down civilisation.
I had a bad childhood to ,so from now on I've decided I'm not paying for anything
If you need me I'll be at Curry's not paying for a flat-screen telly:cool:
On a more serious note:
It takes a village to raise a child and all that.
Whilst I fully agree with that,part of raising a child includes discipline.Maybe this kid has never been disciplined?
If we have a collective responsibility for other people's children then we should be granted the same powers as the parents especially if the parents aren't up to the task.
The fare skipping is one thing,but:
he was constant trouble each night
Who knows what 'constant trouble' actually means ,but at the end of the day the bus company is there to look after the needs of all it's passengers and its staff.They aren't social services and if some errant kid is disrupting other people's journey then they are quite right in booting him off.
Its difficult to say what the driver should had done, maybe taken the boy and called the police to meet him at the next stop or something, that way the passengers wouldn't have been so inconvenienced and the police could have checked out who was meant to be taking care of him?
That's the only thing I disagree with the driver on - he should have called the police much sooner. Where I live, there are some drivers who let people get away with it. But the drivers who aren't having it really aren't having it. They tell the person to either pay or leave, & if they refuse they tell them they're calling the police & they do it, cancelling the request once the person has got off & the bus is safely on its way. I've never seen someone trying it on actually be prepared to wait for the police to arrive.
Maybe it is time for panic buttons on buses, if they are not already fitted. Many buses (around here at least) are GPS tracked, so the base station would need no verbal contact to send the police to the correct location.
This story has reminded me of a little boy I knew when I was a kid, He was 10 and his parents had thrown him out. He literally lived on the buses
Some drivers tolerated him, a few gave him food, money and clothes, but some chucked him off and chased him away on sight, and he would give them a load of abuse, but it was because he had nowhere else to go.
*He was totally addicted to glue sniffing, and most of the time he was drunk, he was quite a sad sight actually
Looking back now, I wish I had tried to help him in some way, but I was only a kid myself and we all thought he was "great" :rolleyes:
Its difficult to say what the driver should had done, maybe taken the boy and called the police to meet him at the next stop or something, that way the passengers wouldn't have been so inconvenienced and the police could have checked out who was meant to be taking care of him?
* just thought I'd point out the glue sniffing etc wasn't why he was thrown out, that came after..if was because mums new boyfriend didn't like kids/
You already posted that once Rosemary. How did the kid in question get on the bus in the first place without paying the driver?
This driver seemed to have bad history with this child, whatever it was, it had made the driver so angered that he announced, that the bus was going nowhere, until this boy got off but then never came out of his cabin, I really think he wanted one of us to do his job for him.
Those rules dont have much power.. My daughter buses to school every day.. Her school is miles away.. She has to get the bus at 7am every morning.. More than once the driver refuses her as he will claim he has no change (she needs two weekly passes, both over £8.. She always has 2 x £10 notes.. Normally the driver SHOULD let her stay on and wait for some change if they dont have enough.. They dont though.. I've even complained to STagecoach about it, so have the school.. The bus company is NOT obliged.
can it really be that hard to give her the right money
Maybe, but I'd like to give a ten year old child the benefit of the doubt. Who knows what his story is or what is happening in his life. Jeez, a couple of minutes of a free bus ride isn't going to bring down civilisation.
Really? Who knows what my story is, when I'm using my stick & still have to pay my fare? Who gives a cuss, & why should they? The child was about ten. If he can use such filthy language, he deserves to walk on his knees never mind his feet. Ten becomes eleven & so on - he's not going to pay as long as he's never made to. I'll be all ears to his story if I'm either paid to listen, or am able to take the time to listen of my own free will. The driver isn't required to do either, & if there have been reports of this child's previous behaviour I wouldn't expect that of him. The driver is trying to do his job - why should he have to tolerate a child or adult inappropriately using the service (either deliberately or because of other issues) as part of that?
As a passenger, I pay my fares - I may not like how much they are, but I pay them. In return, I want the driver to get me from A to B safely with minimum delay or disruption. If he wants to do more than that for someone else, he can do that in his own time rather than mine.
This driver seemed to have bad history with this child, whatever it was, it had made the driver so angered that he announced, that the bus was going nowhere, until this boy got off but then never came out of his cabin, I really think he wanted one of us to do his job for him.
Which again begs my question why did the driver allow this kid to enter the bus in the first place?
Comments
Your story was that the kid got on the bus, sat and drank his drink. The bus driver tells you who tells us that the kid is a menace. That's a third hand story.
When some people get on the bus using the "I've got no money/It's only a couple of stops man" line, you can see their face gearing up to abuse the driver if he doesn't let them on for free, & sometimes they do for a quiet life. If I don't think it's justified, I tell the driver that as a fare-paying passenger I'm expecting him to do the right thing by the other passengers who have already paid, & I tell them that if they don't make this passenger pay I'm taking his number & relating the circumstances to his garage manager. He usually gives the person an exasperated look, & they give me a few expletives at most that are water off a duck's back to me, but they get off. They may get another bus & get away with it with that driver, but if they are delayed in doing so, that's better than me having to sit there thinking "WTF am I paying for each month when I can bleat that I haven't got any money & ride for free umpteen times a week?" If it's only a couple of stops, walk. If you prefer to use the bus, pay your way.
I don't se what else the driver could have done. People say that we have to make a stand against antisocial little berks or naughty children, well unfortunately in order to do that without risking prosecution for laying hands on the kid some sacrifices have to be made. I'd rather be held up an hour or get the next bus than be seen by that kid to have let him win. Nothing wothwhile is easy I'm afraid calamity. At least you and everyone on the bus still have your pride and the kid lost and had a little tantrum. It's a good result really Calamity.
Trouble is, no-one wants to get involved nowadays as no doubt the child would have made up some story and had them all in court anyway.
This handing out of childrens' rights (without a sniff of responsibility) is causing more trouble than it's worth.
I understand where you're coming from and this is the point that annoys me so much with all these laws and things. You should have every right to throw him off the bus and when someone questions you on it, the whole bus should be witnesses and say 'Yes. That person did the right thing. That boy was being a right so and so and deserved to get thrown off.'
We've got to start sticking up for what is right again.
The other people on the bus should back you up. Children don't get the better of adults.
Thats what I was thinking
He reminds me of a little boy I knew when I was a kid, He was 10 and his parents had thrown him out. He literally lived on the buses
Some drivers tolerated him, a few gave him food, money and clothes, but some chucked him off and chased him away on sight, and he would give them a load of abuse, but it was because he had nowhere else to go.
He was totally addicted to glue sniffing, and most of the time he was drunk, he was quite a sad sight actually
Looking back now, I wish I had tried to help him in some way, but I was only a kid myself and we all thought he was "great"
Its difficult to say what the driver should had done, maybe taken the boy and called the police to meet him at the next stop or something, that way the passengers wouldn't have been so inconvenienced and the police could have checked out who was meant to be taking care of him?
I've pulled up drivers for being about to allow people to travel without paying. I've also made it clear when someone's mouthing off at the driver that I'm prepared to be the driver's witness if they decide to call the police. We can't keep wishing we were somewhere else & pretending we can't see or hear what's going on when these things happen.
Maybe, but I'd like to give a ten year old child the benefit of the doubt. Who knows what his story is or what is happening in his life. Jeez, a couple of minutes of a free bus ride isn't going to bring down civilisation.
Thats what I was thinking
This story has reminded me of a little boy I knew when I was a kid, He was 10 and his parents had thrown him out. He literally lived on the buses
Some drivers tolerated him, a few gave him food, money and clothes, but some chucked him off and chased him away on sight, and he would give them a load of abuse, but it was because he had nowhere else to go.
*He was totally addicted to glue sniffing, and most of the time he was drunk, he was quite a sad sight actually
Looking back now, I wish I had tried to help him in some way, but I was only a kid myself and we all thought he was "great"
Its difficult to say what the driver should had done, maybe taken the boy and called the police to meet him at the next stop or something, that way the passengers wouldn't have been so inconvenienced and the police could have checked out who was meant to be taking care of him?
* just thought I'd point out the glue sniffing etc wasn't why he was thrown out, that came after..if was because mums new boyfriend didn't like kids/
I had a bad childhood to ,so from now on I've decided I'm not paying for anything
If you need me I'll be at Curry's not paying for a flat-screen telly:cool:
On a more serious note:
Whilst I fully agree with that,part of raising a child includes discipline.Maybe this kid has never been disciplined?
If we have a collective responsibility for other people's children then we should be granted the same powers as the parents especially if the parents aren't up to the task.
The fare skipping is one thing,but:
Who knows what 'constant trouble' actually means ,but at the end of the day the bus company is there to look after the needs of all it's passengers and its staff.They aren't social services and if some errant kid is disrupting other people's journey then they are quite right in booting him off.
You already posted that once Rosemary. How did the kid in question get on the bus in the first place without paying the driver?
Maybe there was CCTV? And all you see would be evidence of a group of grown ups assaulting a child.
can it really be that hard to give her the right money
As a passenger, I pay my fares - I may not like how much they are, but I pay them. In return, I want the driver to get me from A to B safely with minimum delay or disruption. If he wants to do more than that for someone else, he can do that in his own time rather than mine.
Which again begs my question why did the driver allow this kid to enter the bus in the first place?