Thread: travel west midlands

29 April, 2008

Travel Care
Travel West Midlands
Po Box 3565
Birmingham
B1 3JR

Dear Sir or Madam:

Ref 63 adult day saver and the bus driver at the time
To whom it may concern I’d like to make a formal and most certain a more than informal complaint the highest complaint I got onto your bus on this day 26.04.2008 I put in the right amount of fare your driver accuses me of not putting in the right amount by what amount exactly he never mentioned it to myself when I asked him I still got the daysaver but I thought how rude and how dare your driver accuses me of trying to cheat your company out of a few pence or what ever the alleged amount was this I assure you was most certainly not the case today infact I don’t particully like to use your buses either hence me passing my driving test 11 years ago and very very rare I’ll use it but other than that I’m more than happy to use my own car and not indulge with yobish behaviour and the stench of people smoking drugs or cigarettes is absolutely disgusting and so some of the litter on some of them and how can I let my young children inhale this smell let alone ourself sorry I don’t pay bus fare to sit amongst this to think I was going to nearly get a years bus pass the other day to cut my expensive but come to think of it I’d rather use my own car regardless of cost and the way some of your driver’s cut up moving vehicle’s and using mobile phones whilst driving and driving without due care and intention is appalling and I certainly had wished I’d have taken photographic evidence and reported them to yourself and the police and the local paper’s well my complaint about the number 63 driver tops it all off I wanted to get off at the stop by lockwood road near opposite woolworth’s on the Bristol road in northfield I pressed the bell before the stop and even said to the driver to hold on a minute as I had my young lad with me I also pressed the bell 3-4 times as the driver ignored me shouting to hold on a minute and drove off I mentioned to him I wanted the stop he told me he never heard the bell and continued to the next stop being by the northfield shopping centre mall he told me it aint his problem if he never heard me press the bell etc and that it was mearly mine and he also stated that he doe’snt get paid there to listen to me as he did’nt care and insisted I was a prick I think the terminology he used was now me being my age to have a nearly 4 yr old with me at the time who is’nt deaf who heard his wording I find even more upsetting I’m sure you might get a few similar incident’s like this going on but this is no way for your company to treat a very rare passenger if let’s say for instance I’d use the service everyday is this how everyday I’d have to put with such a bad manored and foul mouthed driver who treats and abuses my human rights firstly by saying about the insuficiant funds then everything else like above well mary popins I am not I assure you well you certainly have lost a customer and I doubt if you’d be bothered to be honest and to think I was and I did apply to become a driver for you with your driver’s attitude’s like what I experienced with my son and the other thing’s we see with your driver’s speeding and so on I am sure glad I was unsuccessful at not working there oh another thing on the 63 terminus in great park rubbery some of the drivers have been driving straight on and cutting out some route I’ve also noticed this and so has other member’s of the public if I had the same attitude of all of your driver’s god I’d of been working for you since leaving school until I’m 70 you know what I mean well I look forward to the reply and I do hope it’s from somewhere in the top team
Sincerely,



xxxx xxxxxxxxx

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• Metro (West Midlands) May 31, 2006

OP, have you ever heard of punctuation? It is near impossible to understand what you are trying to say!

Sorry to hear of this problem, seems pretty unfair. Definitely worthwhile writing a letter to them but I would suggest a thorough spelling/grammar/punctuation check first, you will come across better to them and are much more likely to be listened to. Good luck with it.

dcdkpug, yes I was asking you the question. The lack of punctuation in your post makes it almost impossible to decipher. Because of this you are much less likely to get advice from other users.

yes see what you mean i di amend it and sent it and thanks

Originally Posted by dcdkpug

yes see what you mean i di amend it and sent it and thanks

Well it hasn't worked.

You might have added punctuation, but without paragraphs it is just a miasma of words that just flow into each other and makes reading difficult (I gave up at line 3)

dcdkpug

I work very closely with bus companies within the West Midlands and can help provide some possible answers to the issues you have experienced.

First off, I would not recommend you write in the tone that you have on the letter as it is usually done at the heat of the moment and does not help your case.

Next, you say that you pressed the button and the driver failed to stop. It is written in the terms and conditions of carriage that you must prepare yourself for alighting by standing next to the cabin and waiting for the bus to slow down. You also do not press the button 3-4 times as drivers usually think this is someone playing around and will ignore the request. 1 press will be okay.
If you had a problem with the driver you need to ensure that you ask for his driver number and note down the 'fleet' number (the number or registration of the vehicle) which will enable the garage to handle your request quicker.

Also, regarding drivers 'cutting routes'. This is not possible anymore as all vehicles on the 63 have tracking equipment. If the driver goes off route, or 'cuts the route' a notification goes towards the traffic controller who radios the driver requesting for the reason he has done this. What is more likely is that the driver has been told to miss the last section as he is running late and needs to get back onto timetable (something which I used to instruct drivers to do) as it is important to have services running on time.

Old_andrew2007 - even if the complaint goes to CENTRO, they will not investigate because:
1) They do not subsides this service
2) They do not run buses
3) They only look at complaints regarding infrastructure i.e.: shelters, bus stops
4) They do not enforce policy onto bus companies.

Originally Posted by Emachine320

dcdkpug

I work very closely with bus companies within the West Midlands and can help provide some possible answers to the issues you have experienced.

First off, I would not recommend you write in the tone that you have on the letter as it is usually done at the heat of the moment and does not help your case.

Next, you say that you pressed the button and the driver failed to stop. It is written in the terms and conditions of carriage that you must prepare yourself for alighting by standing next to the cabin and waiting for the bus to slow down. You also do not press the button 3-4 times as drivers usually think this is someone playing around and will ignore the request. 1 press will be okay.
If you had a problem with the driver you need to ensure that you ask for his driver number and note down the 'fleet' number (the number or registration of the vehicle) which will enable the garage to handle your request quicker.

Also, regarding drivers 'cutting routes'. This is not possible anymore as all vehicles on the 63 have tracking equipment. If the driver goes off route, or 'cuts the route' a notification goes towards the traffic controller who radios the driver requesting for the reason he has done this. What is more likely is that the driver has been told to miss the last section as he is running late and needs to get back onto timetable (something which I used to instruct drivers to do) as it is important to have services running on time.

Old_andrew2007 - even if the complaint goes to CENTRO, they will not investigate because:
1) They do not subsides this service,I think I said that, hopefully they would pass on any complaint
2) They do not run buses I think I am aware of that
3) They only look at complaints regarding infrastructure i.e.: shelters, bus stops, Also acceptance a non-acceptance of their passes,
4) They do not enforce policy onto bus companies. I can't remember writing that, I would have thought it was the traffic commissioner, but I don't know who has responsibility for ensuring buses are road worthy and who carry out checks on the buses and maintenance records

As a point of interest to whom should the OP send their concern regarding buses missing off part of a route, CENTRO, Getting around in the West Midlands with CENTRO

WMPTA WMPTA Home Page

TRAFFIC COMMISSIONER via VOSA VOSA corporate website

I am aware that registration of bus services is a responsibility of traffic commissioners, if departing from route is an issue I expect centro can pass on a complaint to them, but is it really worth it.

Andy

hi emachine

Thats some nice reply so it makes good sense for twm driver to leave me and my 3 yr old son in cold wet conditions felling some what cold then does it ???

i did write to twm national express a few times regarding this and you know what i did actually get a reply like its being investigated and have not heard since no suprise there.


i still think twm needs to clean its act up especially on the 61,62,63 and any other buses services and so on as to the smelling revolting people person or who ever like to smoke drugs on the bus this is to include normal cigs .

i experience this rotten dirty disgusting thing most of the time i use this poor service of a excuse of transport .

i spoke to one driver the other week and got his details and reported the people smoking and the driver said that there was not any thing he could do he actually seemed more shocked when i confronted driver to tell him these peoples actitivies .

i do not and i mean do not expect to listen to a ipod or whatever it is playing with gang 3-4 people or less or more when i especially have been ill who shout and use bad language and are smoking what ever cigs drugs they all the same to me on that

and all this i partically don't when i have my children with me and feel intimidated to ask in fear of further fear

the buses have cctv i think they should have more a lot more installed more regular stops checks undercover people on them working for twm etc (employ me) i'd give tickets out lol

no wonder people drive cars to work etc im actually going to try my hardest to buy a 2nd car just to go to college 1 day a week so i dont have to put up with this both morning and night journey home

we have a right in law somewhere i suppose on how or to be treated
i treat people with care etc as i wanted to be treated maybe im getting old but at 29 i doubt that

is it any wonder that people are moving abroad we ourself once college is finished will be joing them hopefully

yes i dont smoke i do not mind people who do or play music etc

but smoke somewhere like outside not on buses
play music loud like at a party not on the bus

us public especially fare paying one's have that right just for how long the journey is not to put up with this god for saking thing

yes im not asking for a miracle as it wont happen as my numbers on the lottery still have not came up

but maybe at least when or if you speak to twm you can tell them this little thing i've posted here or print it out and show them

im even willing to give my contact details if they would like to discuss this with myself

well i think i've typed enough on this for today but any replies gladly helped

oh thanks andy on your comments at least in wa way i am not alone on this and so my sons nursery is behind me and other people