just a job.

It's been over two years since I have been here and I am sorry to say the cat in the picture is no longer with us. We have a new cat called Basil who is a Miane Coon Cat (cross bred with a DSH).

Posted at 16:26 by justajob
the bell has been rung (1) Permalink

I haven't been here for ages.

I am amazed the site is still here but I can not find out how to delete it.

I don't use this site anymore and can be found at

busdriving.blogspot.com

Posted at 12:14 by justajob
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Hi

busdriving has gone to another bus stop.

Click here to follow it.

Posted at 11:03 by justajob
the bell has been rung (2) Permalink

I don't post here any more.

TryHere

Posted at 10:20 by justajob
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No money, no ticket, no pass, no travel

That is the company rule. There are exceptions such as when the person with no money etc is vunerable. But the person who got on the bus on Sunday wasn't in that class. He was in his early twenties and said that his girl friend was waiting for him at Newton Abbot railway station. She had the money which he needed to pay for his bus journey.

Incidents like this do happen but not very often, Once or twice a year seems to be about average.

Now the last time I heard a story like this was from a man in his forties with his arm in a sling who got on at Torbay Hospital (the man that is, not just the arm in the sling). He had been taken to hospital by ambulance and had no money but his wife would be waiting at Paignton Bus Station and she would have the bus fare. Seemed reasonable. When I got to Paignton Bus Station he got of the bus, removed sling, made a rude gesture with one finger and walked away. No sign of wife.

So, "Sorry mate," says I. But I did come up with a solution. I would continue to Newton and if girl friend was at the station waiting for him I would radio the next bus and tell him to pick the young man up as his fare had been paid.

As I got to Penn Inn a couple of stops before the Station the tension was mounting, would she be there, sitting forlornly waiting for a bus that her boy friend may or may not be on?

Or would the stop be bare. Round the last corner, heading for the stop.

And guess what.

Posted at 09:28 by justajob
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A Week of 12A's

The 12A's have been running for a week now and I was going the write a full, carefully considered, well worked out appraisal of the good point and the bad points.

But I'm too knackered.

Posted at 12:40 by justajob
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Computer Crash.

I usually report crashes involving buses and cars but as well as a bus crash (no one hurt, just a bit shocked) my computer crashed.

I have just got it back on line after several days starring at a blank screen, making phone calls, trying ideas, wanting to throw the bloody thing out the window, buying spare parts and getting to work in between all this that I am too tired to post right now.

Something

Posted at 00:23 by justajob
the bell has been rung (2) Permalink

NOT READY TO RETIRE - AT 71

11:00 - 27 July 2005
I am tired of the continued prattle concerning the age of retirement - the
horror that we might be asked to work a few months longer than the
stipulated 65 years retirement age.

I commenced work on July 26, 1950, and have been continuously employed ever
since. I have normally worked 12 hours a day for six of the seven days each
week, for years on end, as a travel agent, bus company operator and now bus
driver for Stagecoach.

Having survived a "tin hip" and cancer of the lymph glands, I handed my
company over to my daughter to run.

This caused me to have time on my hands, so I looked for something to do.

At the age of 70, I approached Stagecoach in Exeter for employment as a
"casual" bus driver. I was appointed initially with the idea of driving for
two or three days each week.

There was and is, a shortage of drivers, so I found myself working 13-day
fortnights, six days a week or sometimes 55 hours a week. I have no complaint.

My only complaint is when the work is not available.

This, at the age of 71, I am still undertaking.

In my situation I just fill up the "blanks" when someone fails to report,
or there are advanced warnings of staff shortages during any day. What has
this country developed? A generation of wimps?

For me, retirement is the first step to a premature death and I am not
ready to do that just yet.

ALAN W PARTRIDGE

South Devon

..

Posted at 13:36 by justajob
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Over run Brixham is to get a new Park and Ride Car Park.
Stagecoach Devon have won the contract to ferry motorists from the new car park into Brixham.
Click here for full story on Duplicate Bus

Also from Stagecoach Devon's web site.
24 July 2005

The daytime frequency of service 12 will be increased from Monday 25th July. On Monday to Friday between 0930 and 1800 there will be a bus every 7/8 mi

Posted at 09:17 by justajob
the bell has been rung (2) Permalink

To day was a beautiful sunny warm, some would say hot, dry day. Lots of
people about as there has been for the last week. We have had dry sunny
days with the mercury about the 25C mark. Very nice for the beach. Traffic
has been light and the job easy.
Don't you know some b-----d is going to turn up and spoil it.

This morning I went down to the Harbour at about 10 am to catch a bus to
Paignton to start work. While I was waiting for my bus an elderly couple
asked me where the Open Top bus went from and I explained that the could
take the 15 min trip up to St Marychurch or the 45 min trip to Totnes. They
decided that the 45 min trip to Totnes was ideal. An hour and a half
traveling on the bus in the beautiful sun shine admiring South Devon's
glorious country side with the wind blowing gently in their faces, an hour
in Totnes for a cup of tea and a bun and back by 1 pm for lunch at their hotel.

What I, and no one else knew was that at that very moment workmen were
erecting 3 way tempo traffic lights on the road, the only road, between
Paignton and Totnes and my couple would take 2 1/2 hours to get to Totnes
and 2 1/2 hours to get back; if they were lucky the might make it back in
time for Afternoon Tea.

We all know that road works have to be carried out, a burst water main
threatening to leave thousands without water on one of the hottest days of
the year, a fractured gas pipe which may explode and destroy dozens of
houses, telephone cables melting and leaving the whole of South Devon cut
off from the rest of the world. No, Contractors were laying an Anti Skid
surface to a short section of road. A job that could have been done any
time. Well I suppose this time was any time for the contractors but up to
10 000 people had their day upset by these very important road works. As
one of my colleges asked, If I was the contractor would I care?

Posted at 00:24 by justajob
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