Getting On
In the case of single-deckers and double-deckers, passengers have
to board through the front door and leave through the rear door
if one is present. Drivers of these buses may refuse to move their
vehicle if anyone boards through the rear door, as buses can otherwise
become overcrowded by fare dodgers. While tickets should always
be shown to the driver, those using an Oyster card can board bendy
buses by any door, as there are Oyster card readers mounted in each
section of the bus. Oyster card readers are round and yellow with
a little logo, and will flash green and beep once if the ticket
is valid. Naturally, this Entry advises readers to have a valid
ticket or Oyster card, because in London ticket inspectors really
do exist, and the fines can be pretty expensive. If
a double-decker bus is crowded, have a quick look as it arrives
to see if there are any seats free upstairs. If you can't tell,
then you may want to check upstairs once aboard, although the
presence of other passengers standing on the stairs usually indicates
that the upstairs is full. If you are only going to ride the bus
for a few stops, do not bother heading upstairs, but instead stand
around the rear half of the downstairs section. If the bus is
well and truly packed, you may become stuck at the very front
of the bus. This is not a good place to be because of the lack
of things to hold onto and due to the fact that you may block
the driver's view of the wing mirror. Take any opportunity you
have to move rearwards, as more passengers may want to board.
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