After my car was taken off the road for a couple of days I decided to take the bus. The way some passengers treat the bus drivers is unbelievable and I’m amazed they work under such pressure.

One morning on the 217 going towards Waltham Cross, unknown to the driver and passengers, an accident on the M25 had caused a long tailback near Carterhatch Lane. The driver explained over the PA that he suspected an accident had happened further down the road and advised passengers that if they were within walking distance of their destinations it might be quicker to walk.

He also added that he could not open the doors once he had left the bus stop because the company insurance did not cover anyone should they trip and other motorists would not be expecting passengers to disembark. I thought it a wise move.

After pulling away from the stop the schoolchildren and members of the public now decided they wanted to get off. The driver refused so they took it upon themselves to use the emergency button and all walked in front of a cyclist and motorcyclist who in turn swore at the bus driver for letting passengers off in the middle of the road.

I saw schoolchildren jumping in through the back door although the driver protested the bus was dangerously overloaded. A teenager with a Blackberry phone and trainers that would probably combine to more than the driver’s weekly wage claimed he had no money to travel.

Outside the bus supermarket lorries, cash handling vans and the driver quickly using a cash point block up the bus stops and then the bus driver is taunted by older people for not getting close enough to the kerb.

Impatient drivers pulled out in front of the bus. Is it because it’s a red, friendly, illuminated vehicle? The bus driver braked to adjust the situation and the car at fault flashed its hazard lights — well that’s alright then, but would they pull out in front of an oil tanker?

At a time when Underground workers seem to go on strike for the smallest of things maybe we should all step back and ask is it really a good life on the buses?

Chris Newport
Roman Way, Enfield