How many of us would do the same?
I think thatyou have to look at the broader picture here. It would have been easier for the car driver to reverse.There are a breed of people who would just love to beknocked down by a reversing bus and claim for the loss of wages as a pro. football player.I drive a bus and reverse most days but I am on narrow country roads.
A “non reverse policy”…what the actual fu£k!!!
Regardless of who is to blame that is absolutely pathetic!
Many years ago I delivered to a Sainsburys shop, the loading bay was just off a bus turning circle and a truck was already on the bay so I parked on the edge of the circle as out of the way as poss.
Bus came in, couldn’t quite make the turn and just sat there, I got out to watch him back but he refused, saying his company wouldn’t allow reversing without a supervisor from the depot, even though it was just a few feet.
He just switched his engine off and sat there.
Truck on the bay struggled to get out between me and the bus but managed to, I got in and unloaded, half hour later I left and bus was still sat there. Absolutely ridiculous.
ckm1981:
A “non reverse policy”…what the actual fu£k!!!
Regardless of who is to blame that is absolutely pathetic!
Why is it pathetic? Having worked for first bus in the past I can confirm they do have a no reverse policy. Ive been in a similar situation in Battlefield on Glasgows south side where there are parked cars almost the entire length of the road due to the Scottish Power building having poor parking facilities. Guy came along road and I stopped,expecting him to back it up. Rather than reverse he stopped and decided to pick up his paper in a “im not moving and I have all day” show of strength (his grand plan wasnt thought through since only oneof us was getting paid while sitting!). I looked at him in astonishment and pointed to the side road 30 feet behind him he could reverse into (id have had to reverse a double decker around 150 feet) to which he leaned out the drivers window and shouted "■■■■ you, i aint moving). Just as I was about to call the depot, a passenger came from upstairs and said “open the door driver,ahm no sittin here aw day” and got out, marched up to the car and before he even got there the car driver put it in reverse and started moving (while still trying to act hard as nails by shouting at the guy from his closed window and rapidly reversing car!). And he was suddenly brave again as I drove past him chuckling as he stuck his fingers up. 
Point is, reversing a car is much easier than a bus. Why would the bus driver reverse a 35 ft vehicle (of which he cant see directly behind) when the guy in the car could reverse much much easier? One tiny mistake by the bus driver and suddenly he is out of a job due to the exagerrated claims being put in and First chucking him under the bus (pun intended)
The-Snowman:
ckm1981:
A “non reverse policy”…what the actual fu£k!!!
Regardless of who is to blame that is absolutely pathetic!Why is it pathetic? Having worked for first bus in the past I can confirm they do have a no reverse policy. Ive been in a similar situation in Battlefield on Glasgows south side where there are parked cars almost the entire length of the road due to the Scottish Power building having poor parking facilities. Guy came along road and I stopped,expecting him to back it up. Rather than reverse he stopped and decided to pick up his paper in a “im not moving and I have all day” show of strength (his grand plan wasnt thought through since only oneof us was getting paid while sitting!). I looked at him in astonishment and pointed to the side road 30 feet behind him he could reverse into (id have had to reverse a double decker around 150 feet) to which he leaned out the drivers window and shouted "[zb] you, i aint moving). Just as I was about to call the depot, a passenger came from upstairs and said “open the door driver,ahm no sittin here aw day” and got out, marched up to the car and before he even got there the car driver put it in reverse and started moving (while still trying to act hard as nails by shouting at the guy from his closed window and rapidly reversing car!). And he was suddenly brave again as I drove past him chuckling as he stuck his fingers up.
Point is, reversing a car is much easier than a bus. Why would the bus driver reverse a 35 ft vehicle (of which he cant see directly behind) when the guy in the car could reverse much much easier? One tiny mistake by the bus driver and suddenly he is out of a job due to the exagerrated claims being put in and First chucking him under the bus (pun intended)
So you pass a test but ain’t allowed to reverse unsupervised,crack on drive…in a forwards motion of course 
I wonder how they get out of my local bus station then… They pull up forwards but there is a row of shops in front of them… The only way out is backwards…
Maybe there is a huge pile up of buses in there with all the drivers saying “I ain’t moving”. That’s why you can never get a bus when you want one.
maybe my memory is playing tricks but didn’t it used to be illegal to reverse a bus that had passengers on without assistance ?
not a problem in the days of conductors but certainly can be issue with one man buses.
ckm1981:
The-Snowman:
ckm1981:
A “non reverse policy”…what the actual fu£k!!!
Regardless of who is to blame that is absolutely pathetic!Why is it pathetic? Having worked for first bus in the past I can confirm they do have a no reverse policy. Ive been in a similar situation in Battlefield on Glasgows south side where there are parked cars almost the entire length of the road due to the Scottish Power building having poor parking facilities. Guy came along road and I stopped,expecting him to back it up. Rather than reverse he stopped and decided to pick up his paper in a “im not moving and I have all day” show of strength (his grand plan wasnt thought through since only oneof us was getting paid while sitting!). I looked at him in astonishment and pointed to the side road 30 feet behind him he could reverse into (id have had to reverse a double decker around 150 feet) to which he leaned out the drivers window and shouted "[zb] you, i aint moving). Just as I was about to call the depot, a passenger came from upstairs and said “open the door driver,ahm no sittin here aw day” and got out, marched up to the car and before he even got there the car driver put it in reverse and started moving (while still trying to act hard as nails by shouting at the guy from his closed window and rapidly reversing car!). And he was suddenly brave again as I drove past him chuckling as he stuck his fingers up.
Point is, reversing a car is much easier than a bus. Why would the bus driver reverse a 35 ft vehicle (of which he cant see directly behind) when the guy in the car could reverse much much easier? One tiny mistake by the bus driver and suddenly he is out of a job due to the exagerrated claims being put in and First chucking him under the bus (pun intended)So you pass a test but ain’t allowed to reverse unsupervised,crack on drive…in a forwards motion of course
Its more to do with in the case of if theres an accident while reversin, which do happen, then because of First’s big profile some claims are ramped up so I think the policy is for loss prevention and image control
ckm1981:
So you pass a test but ain’t allowed to reverse unsupervised,crack on drive…in a forwards motion of course
There’s a big difference between reversing a bus between a few cones on a sterile test area where you’re just expected to give an occasional look around, and reversing on a busy High Street with idiotic pedestrians walking behind you from both directions, people trying to squeeze past, etc.
In those circumstances, it’s easy for some stupid idiot to put themselves in the position of getting run over without the driver seeing them.
It’s just First covering their backsides against the possibility of people being hit/run over.
MrFlibble:
ckm1981:
So you pass a test but ain’t allowed to reverse unsupervised,crack on drive…in a forwards motion of courseThere’s a big difference between reversing a bus between a few cones on a sterile test area where you’re just expected to give an occasional look around, and reversing on a busy High Street with idiotic pedestrians walking behind you from both directions, people trying to squeeze past, etc.
In those circumstances, it’s easy for some stupid idiot to put themselves in the position of getting run over without the driver seeing them.
It’s just First covering their backsides against the possibility of people being hit/run over.
HGV drivers manage it just fine,today I delivered to 13 places in a artic I had to reverse into 9 of them some off very busy main roads.
Maybe HGV drivers are just better than bus drivers.
del949:
maybe my memory is playing tricks but didn’t it used to be illegal to reverse a bus that had passengers on without assistance ?
not a problem in the days of conductors but certainly can be issue with one man buses.
I’m thinking that…sort of banksman
Edited to add…
Hmm. I thought that there was something specific to PSV’s, but memory may be playing tricks…or maybe I heard the PSV equivalent of RDC drivers mouthing off a load of cow ■■■. 
ckm1981:
Maybe HGV drivers are just better than bus drivers.
Of course they are, have you ever looked at the nearside tyres of a typical London bus, I’m surprised they don’t wear them through with all the kerbing 
It is difficult to judge this instance without the full info. Was the bus driver caught on the wrong side of the road after passing a long line of parked cars when the car appeared ahead, or was the bus driver being an ■■■■■■■■ and refusing to give way and trying to force his way through traffic because he has a large vehicle.
Reversing, if I am at fault, have no issue with reversing, if they are just being an ■■■ and could easily pull over, I will sit and wait. I have a kettle and a toaster 
Had this happen before. In a tiny street in London with a industrial estate at the bottom. Both sides are lined with badly parked cars so its single file most of the way. Had a van stop to let me through but the moron in the Range Rover behind him decided he was going to scoot round this van and force his way past me. If I was in a better mood I’d of just let it go but that day I was somewhat grumpy. Que 5 minutes of exchanging finger signs with this clown before he gets so annoyed that he throws it into reverse and nearly rams it into the van as its speeds backwards…
alamcculloch:
I think thatyou have to look at the broader picture here. It would have been easier for the car driver to reverse.There are a breed of people who would just love to beknocked down by a reversing bus and claim for the loss of wages as a pro. football player.I drive a bus and reverse most days but I am on narrow country roads.
Why should the car driver reverse,because the stain of a bus driver who thinks he owns the road is better than
everyone else,because of plebs like you i will go out of my way to ■■■■ you off…
I’m a 1st bus driver, no policy of non reversing at my garage.
It has never be illegal to reverse a PSV, urban myth.
delivering beer to a pub on a street that to do delivery you either had to reverse down or reverse out, but there were side streets things between the terraced houses that cars could get down, anyways started doing the delivery and got a blast of a horn from an asian lad telling me to move truck or else blah blah usual F,ss ect, told him 15 mins, got another load of abuse but just carried on with delivery with my mate, we were round back of pub dropping kegs in cellar and heard a rev of an engine wheel spin then a load smash, tbh i ■■■■ my self as i thought he had rammed the truck, went to look and found the asian guys car buried in the front of a BMW x5, he had reversed back at speed and not noticed the car that was also waiting behind him, what made it worse the bmw belonged to an off duty copper… couldnt stop chuckling for ages… and still makes me smile when i think of his face…
.
109LWB:
I wonder how they get out of my local bus station then… They pull up forwards but there is a row of shops in front of them… The only way out is backwards…Maybe there is a huge pile up of buses in there with all the drivers saying “I ain’t moving”. That’s why you can never get a bus when you want one.
And Gloucester Green depot in Oxford. Tarmac drivers aren’t meant to reverse without a banksman so should First Bus meet Lafarge Tarmac tipper we’re all up excrement creek without a paddle.