Drunken Yobbishness

[Rave]

Did a day's overtime on the buses today- overdraft to pay off, so an extra £100 after tax is always welcome. It was a very late shift, 5pm to 2am.

On my last run, taking a 197 from Croydon to Peckham, I was going through South Norwood at about 12.50am when a young bloke ran straight at my bus in the middle of the road and hurled something at my windscreen- in fact hurled it directly at my head. The windscreen completely cracked, and there was a small hole at the point of impact. As I hit the brakes, he ran round to the side of the bus and punched the front door, completely shattering the toughened glass panel. Then he ran off.

I rolled the bus about 20 yards up the road before stopping. Luckily at that moment a police car pulled out from a side road in front of me and stopped when I flashed it frantically. Several others showed up more or less within a minute, but unfortunately I'd been too shocked to get a good look at the bloke and they were unable to find him despite questioning all the drunken youths milling around outside the nearby pub.

There were only two passengers on the bus, and I wasn't hurt although I did get some broken glass on me. The damage to the bus is likely to run well into the thousands of pounds though- a bus windcreen is probably the best part of 5 sq meters of laminated glass, and I shouldn't think there's much of an economy of scale on the manufacture of them, albeit that it's a popular design of bus body. The only hope of catching him is the forward looking CCTV and the camera that looks out from the cab towards the front doors- but it was dark and it only takes a picture every two seconds.

Still, I made it to the age of 27 without being directly affected by the drunken stupidity of others, which is quite good going, so I'm philosophical. I'm not sure what can really be done about it all either, just felt like sharing. Stay safe out there, and try not to drink more than you can handle.

[Mike Fishcake]

If he punched the door so hard he shattered the glass, we can only hope that he broke something of his own.

[Rave]

Yeah, the cops said they'd check the local hospitals later to see if he'd been in for treatment. I dunno if he might have used an implement to smash the window rather than his hand though, couldn't really see.

[Howard]

It's only a shame that a bus is too big to turn around and chase after them in

Are bus drivers often the victims of violence?

[redlight]

Every sympathy Rave I used to have my own taxi and drunks jumping in front of it to stop me used to be a regular occurance and throw things at the car if you did not stop. One of my fellow drivers actually killed a young lad who was drunk and tried to stop his cab. Did it make other drunks think twice of course not. It makes me sad to say it but drunks were just a hazzard of the job and many drivers used to pack the job in because they could not handle it.

[Knoxville]

Sounds like you were lucky not to get a face full of glass mate, really annoys me that a growing percentage of the population feel the need to act like hooligans when drunk especially because they're rarely caught and disciplined for their behaviour

Are bus drivers often the victims of violence?

Where I live they are, situations like the one Rave's described happen pretty frequently, drivers get all sorts of verbal threats and physical abuse aswell, its ridiculous to be fair though because even though I may moan about buses being less than brilliant they still get me into birmingham and back for £1.40, a feat impossible via any other mode of transport.

[johnny02004976]

Are bus drivers often the victims of violence?

it seems to be getting worse and worse for bus drivers in Cardiff, they've started to pull some routes after dark as busses were getting a hammering from people throwing stones at them

[Lee H]

it seems to be getting worse and worse for bus drivers in Cardiff, they've started to pull some routes after dark as busses were getting a hammering from people throwing stones at them

This has been going for years around my area.

Groups of kids and I mean kids - less than 10 years old used to brick the buses and as such some estates don't get buses when it gets dark.

[mcmiller]

This has been going for years around my area.

Groups of kids and I mean kids - less than 10 years old used to brick the buses and as such some estates don't get buses when it gets dark.

where the hell do you live

[Smokey21]

Pretty pathetic really. Why do people feel the need to be violent when there drunk. All i wanna do when im drunk is dance, and find a unsuspecting female.

My mate lives in Peckham, isn't that where those shootings have been in the last few days.

I can't stand London.

[moogle]

where the hell do you live

Location: on the dancefloor, reaching for the lasers

LOL
Wow peckham, thats a dangerous area. those types of people (yobs), are the kinds we dont need in this country. but hey thats uk for you. too soft on everyone.

[Lee H]

where the hell do you live

Manchester, well to be exact Salford

It's only the 1 estate and the kids round there are reknown for attacking emergency services such as firemen and ambulance drivers and they've even robbed some of the firemen who attended to put out a car that was on fire of their hydrant keys and spent all the night going around and flooding the roads.

Anyway - the police arrested 36 people there the other week due to unrelated offenses.

Hurray for kids treating ASBOS like they are medals

[Clunk]

Hurray for kids treating ASBOS like they are medals

They should definately change the name of ASBOs to GAYLORDS or BUMSTUFFERS and that way, they wont be too eager to show off about having loads of them.

I shall write to my MP now.

[moogle]

They should definately change the name of ASBOs to GAYLORDS or BUMSTUFFERS and that way, they wont be too eager to show off about having loads of them.

I shall write to my MP now.

LOL, I second that.

[Smokey21]

Haha i agree. Or they have to wear a dunces hat, with 'im a retard look at me' on it, lol.

[arbitor]

Manchester, well to be exact Salford

It's only the 1 estate and the kids round there are reknown for attacking emergency services such as firemen and ambulance drivers and they've even robbed some of the firemen who attended to put out a car that was on fire of their hydrant keys and spent all the night going around and flooding the roads.

Anyway - the police arrested 36 people there the other week due to unrelated offenses.

Hurray for kids treating ASBOS like they are medals

how does it feel to have the program "a life of grime" made about where you live?