Hailing A Bus
Some bus stops that for some reason are deemed less important are
labelled 'request stops'. The only difference with these is that
it is necessary to stick out an arm for a couple of seconds in order
to request that the bus stop for you. In practice it is usually
a good idea to stick out your arm politely whenever you intend to
board an oncoming bus. In the case of night buses this is doubly
necessary, and passengers travelling very late at night are advised
to stick out their arm in plenty of time and to keep it out until
they see the bus indicating to pull over. Meanwhile, some of the
more unusual bus routes have Hail and Ride sections, along which
the bus can be hailed from a number of stopping places. Signs marking
recommended stopping places are scattered along these sections and
act as minor bus stops, and are the best places to hail the bus
from. Despite
being hailed, bus drivers can use one of several reasons not to
stop for you, and may even accelerate a little in order to prove
their point. The bus may be overloaded or at risk of being overloaded
due to the number of people waiting at the stop, or the driver
may be near the end of his route and will simply decide not to
bother stopping. Other reasons include a slightly emptier bus
being right behind the one you are hailing, or that you weren't
quite at the bus stop when you stuck your hand out and so all
the running you did simply wasn't worth it. Meanwhile, there are
those irritating buses which display the route number you are
waiting for, but read 'Sorry! Not in service'. |
