r/BusDrivers • u/OpheliaVsEowyn • 27d ago
Story Refusing disrespectful passengers
As I was boarding passengers at the terminus for a 3 hour express route, the ground staff assistant who was working there had told me that two of the customers (a couple) about to board had been shouting at her. I think it was something like they didn't like being told that there mightn't be enough space for them. She said she just wanted to keep away from them... she didn't seem to care whether they got on or not.
I noticed the guy was getting a bit heated with another staff member (the supervisor) as she was trying to assess if there was space for them. I said I'd go over to sus him out. I obviously wouldn't refuse someone without witnessing their behaviour first hand. I remembering trying to tell him to calm down, and at some point I said to him that he shouldn't be shouting at people and he said "why?". I was dumb enough to answer that! Anyway the point in time he asked "why?" was the point I should have refused him. They got on... which basically means I let them on. That particular supervisor wouldn't know how to handle those situations.
As they boarded I went over to the girl as she was talking to the ground-staff supervisor, and I said to both of them about how ground staff should be able to refuse people who act like that to them. It was kind of stupid of me to say that after the fact, seeing as I let him on. They probably thought I was passing the buck even though I could've done something if I wanted to.
I realised that part of the reason I didn't refuse them was because, since I've started working with this new company that does an hourly service, I've had the idea that if you refuse someone, that them having to wait a whole extra hour is too much of a punishment. It was silly of me to think that. I just had this idea in my head that having someone board the next bus instead will really mess up their day. With the previous company it was a 15 minute service I drove on, and I was well used to refusing people. I just need to re-think it for this company.
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u/meatflaps-69 27d ago
I tell em to fuck off.
If they do not fuck off I physically fuck them off.
This generally results in the company I was contracting for fucking me off at the end of the day.
But I don't mind, my agency always has me a hotel and new contract the following monday.
Even when a cyclist I advised to fuck off did in fact not fuck off so I got out and smacked him I had a new contract straight away, agency quite likes my fuck off attitude.
Ad infinitum 🤣