Rant 2

Busways Blacktown

Have been a member of the City of Blacktown since Kevin07 and have always caught the 743 bus from Blacktown Interchange stand 17, or waited for it as it only runs half-hourly during peak times (hourly otherwise). But I have recently (December / January 11) learned that the T61 Hillsbus service links up with the 718 which becomes the 743 at Kings Langley shops, and on two occasions that has worked nicely.

But on three occasions, two of which I didn’t take the T61 but relied on another Busways T-service and then walked down to James Cook Drive to try to catch the oncoming 743 outside the nursing home. On the first occasion, I missed it by [holds fingers a small distance apart] that much, but was able to get a lift with my bro-in-law who was at ours borrowing a ladder. On the second occasion I missed it by [holds fingers a smaller distance apart] that much but had to leg it coz junior was asleep for a change.  It was the third which has earned this tirade (which was live-to-air on Twitter at the time because there was free Internet at the bus-stop at the time).

The T61 pulls in opposite the shops, and a 743 is at the bus stop. I run across only to learn that he was at the end of his shift and just packing up. Damn. So I check the time-table on the shelter and learn that another is due in 5min. While I’m standing there telling my story to anyone who would listen, the driver offers to drop me along the way – problem is that he was turning right onto Sunny Holt Road which is nowhere near where I had to go. The solution (in hindsight) would have been to take his offer but only as far as the next bus-stop, where there was no Internet, and keep an eye out for the bus.

The reason for that solution is that I was so busy tweeting that the guy just cruised on past. I frantically waved, but to no avail. Expletives followed. I rang the depot to report him – the guy who took the call sounded like an ex-driver and told me another bus would be there in 10 min (the time-table said 20). 10 was fine, but 20 meant that I had saved no time by making this shuffle at all. By waiting for the bus at Blacktown I would have been at home by the time the next bus fronted. As it turned out, the bus I ended up getting was the one I would have got, had I waited. Only this was at the other end of the trip.

So I ask you, tech-savvy bus-drivers who have time to read blogs, what is the deal? Yes, the end of a shift is a great time and the earlier you get to your last stop the earlier you can get back to the depot and head off to your home. But in trying to shorten that trip by not picking up passengers who are quite obviously waiting at the bus-stop for you, is a bastard act. OK maybe that was karma catching up with me for that time I closed the branch doors on a customer (that turned out to be one of the major bullies from school), or the time I let a call ring back to the call queue because I hadn’t turned my phone off before turning my computer off.

Regardless, I hope karma bites your arse and bites it hard! She may be a bitch, but that’s only because she likes lying in wait for that perfect opportunity to get you back a ripper.

Remember that!

pgg 25Jan11