First Manchester

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
Streetlite Maxi 63104 was out on 348/350s yesterday and also did 12:35 350 Ashton-Oldham and 14:10 Oldham-Ashton return journeys

Also one of Oldham's Enviro 300s was out all day on 409s

[joe_alker]

RE: First Manchester

(20/03/2014 07:06)M60lad Wrote:  Streetlite Maxi 63104 was out on 348/350s yesterday and also did 12:35 350 Ashton-Oldham and 14:10 Oldham-Ashton return journeys

Also one of Oldham's Enviro 300s was out all day on 409s

63104 on driver training today

[SF07]

RE: First Manchester
FirstWeek ticket is to go up by 50p to £13.50 from next Sunday (30 March 2014):

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/greater_...151&conf=0

[33109]

RE: First Manchester
Why is it some of firsts drivers are so grumpy even to the extent un-sociable? Got on a first bus few weeks bk & couldn't hear what the driver has said as it was a busy service, I asked him to repeat himself which subsequently meant hee became quite irate & claimed I wasn't listening properly to what he'd said.

I pointed out that if he'd spoken a little louder in the first place i'd have heard him perfect. Sometimes its difficult to heat what drivers are saying if your on a busy bus, plus with the cab protection screens makes it harder particularly for elderly folks. Sorry to bang on slightly but no excuse for this at all. I appreciate drivers take a lotta crap off Joe public but doubt mean cos therein a bad mood they should take it out on passengers. They'd do well remember that effectively passengers pay their wage cos no fares paid no profits.

[M60lad]

RE: First Manchester
Regarding the protection screens I've spoken to quite a number of First Manchester drivers and most are of the opinion that while they are there for their protection they do hinder what passengers are saying to them and some drivers do like the type of screen that First used to have on their vehicles that you can pull part of the screen down, but due to a number of attacks on drivers in the past these screens now have had additional screws put in them so the screens don't move up or down now

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(24/03/2014 06:49)33109 Wrote:  Why is it some of firsts drivers are so grumpy even to the extent un-sociable? Got on a first bus few weeks bk & couldn't hear what the driver has said as it was a busy service, I asked him to repeat himself which subsequently meant hee became quite irate & claimed I wasn't listening properly to what he'd said.

I pointed out that if he'd spoken a little louder in the first place i'd have heard him perfect. Sometimes its difficult to heat what drivers are saying if your on a busy bus, plus with the cab protection screens makes it harder particularly for elderly folks. Sorry to bang on slightly but no excuse for this at all. I appreciate drivers take a lotta crap off Joe public but doubt mean cos therein a bad mood they should take it out on passengers. They'd do well remember that effectively passengers pay their wage cos no fares paid no profits.

I could write pages and pages of examples of rudeness from drivers that I've in countered but your right some drivers are shockingly rude. It's not just First but Stagecoach Manchester have some extremely rude drivers who speak to and treat passengers like rubbish when as you say we effectively pay their wages.
I work in retail and we have to give good customer service regardless of how the customer treats us and we even have secret shoppers who come round monthly and check were giving our best yet bus drivers seem to get away with it.
Both Stagecoach and First are doing nothing about the poor customer service their drivers give, only Arriva seem to be actively training drivers to give good customer service.

But when you consider that a lot of the younger drivers who are coming through now have very poor driving standards and are border line dangerous so if their not being trained to drive a bus properly customer service will be way down the list.

[33109]

RE: First Manchester
True but as I pointed out earlier its just no excuse coz they're in a bad nous go taking it out on passengers. Bus operators need to train drivers on customer service otherwise their gonna end up with a v v v long list of complaints.

Simple fact is this drivers take a lotta crap off Joe pub but if they don't wanna b in q role that involved dealing with the public don't b a bus driver .

[Mayneway]

RE: First Manchester

(24/03/2014 14:03)33109 Wrote:  True but as I pointed out earlier its just no excuse coz they're in a bad nous go taking it out on passengers. Bus operators need to train drivers on customer service otherwise their gonna end up with a v v v long list of complaints.

Simple fact is this drivers take a lotta crap off Joe pub but if they don't wanna b in q role that involved dealing with the public don't b a bus driver .

I don't think it's got anything to do with drivers being in a bad mood or having a bad day I just think there are some very rude obnoxious drivers who should not be working with the public, and as far as companies are concerned as long as the bus gets from A to B on time and in a safe manor their happy.

a lot of people work in industry's where they take a lot of crap off the general public. I know I do most days in my job. But what I generally find is if you are polite and give them resoect you often get if back.

[MX05 CKN]

RE: First Manchester
When First Manchester still operated in Wigan, one driver told me "if I spoke to him in that way again, I'll be walking home" after I politely pointed out he'd charged me the wrong fare even though I had a pass.

[33109]

RE: First Manchester
Yh know the feeling, alls operators care about is buses getting A-B on time shame customer service seems such a low priority when tbh it should be TOP of their list. Lots of the younger drivers now seem not v friendly at all it comes across as they're doing it for the money solely & not coz they enjoy the job.

If they showed passengers even a hint of respect they'd get it bk in return but sadly people don't seek to realise this.