AOL Travel Wrote:A bus driver in Kent was issued a fine for parking at a bus stop.
The driver made a quick stop on Edenbridge High Street to wait for his scheduled departure time and went to a bakery for a snack.
But when he returned he found a traffic warden had slapped a £70 fine on the Go Coach bus.
According to the Courier, Go Coach has now argued with Sevenoaks District Council that there is nowhere else for the bus to stop.
Matthew Arnold, director at Go Coach, told the newspaper: "The bus has a scheduled ten minute hesitation at this location – unfortunately there simply isn't anywhere else to wait.
"The alternative is for the bus to drive around Edenbridge for ten minutes – but that isn't particularly environmentally-friendly."
Sevenoaks District Council said: "This Penalty Charge Notice was issued in May after the bus was seen to have been parked and left unattended in a bus stop, which is illegal.
"Bus stops should only be used for picking up and dropping off passengers."
The penalty has risen to £105 as Go Coach missed the deadline for payment.
http://travel.aol.co.uk/2015/08/18/bus-d...stop-kent/
I find it strange the bus apparently can't be left unattended at a bus stop. As well as popping in to shops I've used services where there's been a change in driver and the first driver has left the bus before the second driver arrives to take over or when the driver has left the bus for a toilet break.
(18/08/2015 14:30)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]http://travel.aol.co.uk/2015/08/18/bus-d...stop-kent/
I find it strange the bus apparently can't be left unattended at a bus stop. As well as popping in to shops I've used services where there's been a change in driver and the first driver has left the bus before the second driver arrives to take over or when the driver has left the bus for a toilet break.
When I ran buses in Norwich some years ago you got a ticket if you stood in a bus stop for more than SIX minutes. There will be some places where there are too many services for stops, but in many cases you're the only bus using it so there should be no problem. Councils should provide places for buses to lay over.
(18/08/2015 15:19)Greg in Weardale Wrote: [ -> ]When I ran buses in Norwich some years ago you got a ticket if you stood in a bus stop for more than SIX minutes. There will be some places where there are too many services for stops, but in many cases you're the only bus using it so there should be no problem. Councils should provide places for buses to lay over.
You get five minutes grace, thus the six minute rule - the parking enforcement officer will wait for five minutes, then issue the penalty notice. Five minutes is plenty of time to grab a can of coke and a sandwich from the Co-Op
Also why should council's provide valuable town centre space for buses to park up for free, and for how long, when they are struggling to fund adult social care budgets? Council's certainly don't provide free town and city centre parking spaces for coaches.
I remember -a few years ago- reading a story in the Liverpool Echo about an ArrivaNW driver who was hit with a parking fine for leaving his Wirral-bound decker on Castle Street in Liverpool City Centre.
He was horrified that his bus could be ticketed!
Think it was 3272 (N272 CKB) -one of the luxury Olympians- that got done. Anyway, he was so upset that he went to the Echo over it!
Managed to find the photo......
http://i4.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/a...871996.jpg