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Hit by a bus (twice)
Whilst navigating a short journey between my sons school and work yesterday I was hit by a bus (twice) in what could only have been a deliberate act at least once.
I was ahead of the bus in an ASL at some traffic lights (hadn't even filtered past it) when the bus decided to pass me on leaving the line as I was 95% through the crossing. In a stupid move and haste to avoid the car in the right filter lane on the other side the bus chose a stupid angle to cut in front and brushed the handlebar and front wheel - which by this time was in a cycle lane. The bus appeared unable to navigate the road without taking the cycle lane.
Now, I often wonder of the good of putting yourself back in risk but thought the driving was so bad and probably sheer ineptitude that i decided to pass the bus at the next lights and politely (honestly) turn to tell the driver that she had hit me. She refused to make eye contact. I gestured to tell her she'd just hit my bike and to give room the next time.
Her eyesight obviously wasn't great as she did exactly the same, close pass followed by cutting too early and ending up driving down the cycle lane as we pulled away the second time. This time I hit the bus, twice, hard. Unfortunately for her, she had to pick up passengers 100 yards down the road, bus stopped doors open I decided to let her know that she was a disgrace. Again i didn't want to be perceived as angry ridiculous man on bike so politely told her that she had just hit me and left the scene of an accident and that her driving was a disgrace. She literally refused to even turn her head and look at me, to prove my point she shut the doors and drove straight through a red light, onto a roundabout and was nearly hit by a car.
Unfortunately she had to stop another 300 yards down the road for a passenger at which point my politeness had gone, she got called an effing c bomb multiple times as the adrenaline was pumping.
I know the bus number and the time so the company will know the driver. Without film evidence is there anything I can do? No actual damage and my aim is to get the driver removed or at least aware of the disgraceful standard of her driving. She will kill someone.
Wondering what people's method of attack would be...
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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23 comments
Emergency engine stop button on the rear of the bus? Won't make you popular with the passengers, but as it needs to be reset, the bus and driver will be logged at the garage, and you've given the driver time to calm down before he/she continues on the route.
This was correct course of action.
She'd think twice before hitting a cyclist with 10 tonnes of machinery again.
........"she literally refused to even turn her head and look at me, to prove my point she shut the doors and drove straight through a red light...."
had similar - me stopped claiming middle of lane at lights - bus came up behind so I'm clearly visible - other side of lights on road cycle lane and the bus front wheel passed me clearly moving into the (narrow) lane and the rest of the bus was going to get closer so I banged on side and gesticulated at drivers mirror to move over - all pretty slow and I was ready to bail onto the pavement....next set of lights I pull up to right of bus and signal driver to open window - no, just drives off across the red light - nothing was coming - can only assume the CCTV is mainly for the safety of the drivers and any response made or any reasonable accusation made would be recorded - "safer" for the driver to just move on (?)
I've had similar from a couple of taxi drivers. I have since assumed that there must be some sort of anti road rage training bus and taxi drivers get which teaches them how not to escalate a situation.
I had a nice one the other evening. Driving down a darkish and relatively winding road, well lit up, bright yellow and reflective waterproof on, and took the centre of the lane through a 100m stretch with a central traffic island on, with a taxi behind me (didn't know it was a taxi until he came past).
He stayed back a good distance, so I actually went to wave my thanks as he overtook (with plenty of room) only for him to open his window and yell "Over to the left or on the f*****g pavement, d******d", while giving me the finger.
With what looked like a Mother and daughter as passengers in the back.
I really don't get it anymore.
Absolutley do what others have suggested - log an incident with police, request onboard camera footage from the bus under GDPR, and log a complaint with the bus company.
Especially if she then ran a red light almost causing a collision with a car - clearly shouldn't be driving a PSV if she endangered your life, those of the passengers onboard AND risked a fender bender that might have damaged one of the Metal Gods of the Highway.
In addition to reporting it to the police can you make a Subject Access Request for the footage under GDPR?
That's awful, smurph.
You're probably expecting nothing to come of it, but go the police and bus complaint route. Hopefully you have already. I understand the skepticism of some comments, but you never know; whereas if you do nothing, the only effect will be another dent in your confidence in 'professional drivers'.
Meanwhile, it's back on the bike, trying to remind yourself of all the drivers who don't drive into you..
Rather than top I would guess they just can’t be arsed, knowing that the bus company will make it as difficult as possible, claiming not to know who was driving, claiming the CCTV is not working. The problem seems to be that many police just get lazy about this sort of paperwork chasing stuff that takes time and management and would rather be out being a “thief taker” “nicking wronguns” that go against their stats rather than issuing NIPs so drivers get points or courses, which don’t give something on their arrest figures.
A bus driver deliberately rammed my car from behind a few years ago. Phoned police to report the assault but they just kept referring to accidents and insurance companies. Completely disinterested and eventually sent a PCSO (or whatever they're called) to the scene who had to have spelled out to her, in child-like English, the difference between an accident and a deliberate act.
Myself and a passenger reported it to the bus company but, guess what? None of the CCTV cameras on the bus were working at the time. Would you believe it?
There's a definite heirarchy on the roads, and I can assure you that, when it comes to the police, bus drivers are at the top.
TfL in particular seem to have enacted a new recruitment policy for bus drivers in the last few years, whereby they only employ the stupidest, most aggressive cunts they can lay their hands on. Buses used to be the best-driven vehicles on the roads; they're now some of the worst.
A lot depends on the person at the bus company dealing with the complaint. I was passing a bus and motorbike when the bus driver leaned out and threw an orange at me, hitting the bike.
Forgot the number plate by time I got to work, but did give the company the route number, time, place and rough description of driver. A day later, they claimed not to be able to trace which driver as some buses were running late.
After explaining how poor an excuse this was, I went on to say I didn't want the driver fired, just a bollocking. Once they realised I was not planning on taking it further, I was then told that the driver was found and he did get a verbal warning. Turns out the driver claimed to have not seen me saying he threw the orange at the biker instead in a minor fit of road rage.
So this was OK?
I had an incident earlier this year where a bus driver drove towards me on a narrowed point in a road where there are road signs to give way to vehicles coming in the opposite direction. He should have gave way to me but he drove a double decker straight at me squeezing me at the side of the road and shouted out the window at me. I didn't have a camera on but I reported it straight away by email. It took ages but I did get a response eventually saying he had been identified and interviewed about it. I don't know how far this goes but I think its worthwhile complaining. Hopefully at the very least it will go on record that they are a psycho.
You've reminded me I need to draft a stern email to my local bus company.
I was a passenger on a bus the other day, the driver of which clearly had no f-ing idea
about safe driving around bikes.
I was sitting near the front of a double decker, so could see that the bus was maybe a bike's length behind a bike, on a main road with a shared-space cycle path adjacent but no on-road cycle lane: the cyclist was doing a pretty good speed, but if anything had happened then the bus driver couldn't possibly have reacted in time.
You know when you're a passenger in a car, and find yourself applying non existent brakes? That. I was a passenger on a bus and I was getting white-knuckled in case something happened.
The cyclist finally bailed - they yanked left and went up a dropped kerb onto the pavement (with me wincing - if they've fallen they'd have been flat!), and watched the bus sail off.
Police won’t act, hit and run be damned. They weren’t there, didn’t see it, your word against theirs, blah blah blah.
I got left-hooked by a bus a while ago - reported to both police and bus company.
Bus should have CCTV both inside and out and you/the police will need to request it is stored before it is deleted/overwritten. The fields of view will, hopefully, show you position in relation to the bus that makes it obvious you were close-passed, if not actually hit.
Get onto both parties quick, with full details of times and places and bus details.
Police should definitely act as it's technically a hit and run.
This. And quickly.
It's a few years ago now, but I'd a bus driver driving aggressively at me four times. I didn't have a camera, but the bus did ;-). Management took the driver off the road for two weeks re-training, and monitored his performance with "secret customer" inspectors.
Agree with this, before I got my own camera I had a row with a Arriva and they looked at their onboard cctv and agreed with my version of the story. The depot manager can then decide what action should be taken, perhaps training and/or viewing the videos at any time in the future to ensure no repeats.
I kind of wish Id reported mine when it happened,as Ive got a feeling its the same bus driver on the same route I keep meeting who never gives me any space when passing, but I got close passed by this bus just before a roundabout,who then left hooked me for good measure,and I actually had to grab a fistful of brakes else I was going to get squished by it, but my video camera didnt record any of it,and Id stupidly assumed it would always work and not thought to double commit details like registration, I knew the route number so yeah they might have been able to check but I think the whole reason the bus was being driven like that was because it was very late and I suspect theyd have just gone with the timing from the later bus and ignored me.
so yeah if youve got details report it, because guaranteed theyll do it again if they arent pulled up on it
Should add that that incident was one of the last straws that pushed me into finally getting a handlebar camera.
I got fobbed off last by Hertfordshire police saying that the bus company (Arriva) told them they didn't have CCTV on that particular bus, clearly they didn't even bother to check the lazy fuckers.Sick thing is because I admitted to striking the toughened glass at the side of the bus deliberately to get the old farts attention because he had driven at me, the cuntstable starting saying she could do me for public order offence. I replied crack on then if that's how you want to play things out, she backed down and I told her to stop wasting my time if she wasn't going to uphold the law and put the phone down on her and never heard anything back, not even a follow up letter. They're useless twats from top to bottom who basically give the green lighht for motons to do what they like.
Yet a few years ago there was an incident with a driver who was trying to escape police and who was clearly not aiming their car at a copper when he tried to stop them on foot was initially charged with attempted murder, fucking hilarious double standards when it's their own!
If you've got the time I'd say it was worth a call to the bus company - I'd be surprised if anything comes of it though...