Arriva

Sometimes I write because I like to be read (it gives me a happy). Not this time, right now I just want to rant and rave and dribble. (Ciao.com is like free therpy for me). If you want a positive opinion of Arriva then you'll not find one here (or pretty much anywhere else).

A couple of starting points.
~ I'm slating Arriva WOKING, I'dont know about services in the rest of the country although from other ops I guess I'm not alone.
~ GUILDFORD runs a decent service, the busses always turn up and the staff are plesent
~ I'm only really writing this as I liked the idea for the title (I had ½ hour to think of it this morning when my bus never showed).
~ If you know me then you'll know that my sister used to date an Arriva bus driver, this is NOT a personal attack, I liked him and considerED him a 'good bloke'

I use Arriva on a weekly basis for occasional trips to work (all this week) and visiting friends. Arriva is the principle service in Woking having pretty much destroyed the local compitition. Arriva seem to like nothing better than taking over a new route and then closing it again after six months. I understand that the local council are meant to regulate the transport services but they seem content just so long as all that nasty smelly public transport is kept off the roads.

You'll have guessed by now that this opinion is less researched than anything else I may have written so I'll save you some time a me needing to proof read and just list some hate-points.

TIMELENESS - none, during the day this is reasonable but early and late busses are frequently missing - and by late I mean after 5pm, busses tend to grind to a halt by 7pm with only a couple of routes open.

SUNDAYS - there must be few people out there who disaggree with busses working on a Sunday. I can understand people who say that Etams or McDonnalds should be closed (day of rest or just day off from the grind) but a bus service is a vital service to the community especially for those in distant rural areas or just if you want to visit the hospital. Arriva Woking (uniquely) does not run on Sundays (or Bank Holidays (and rarely on any other day really))

STAFF - Pre-historic man could not run a worse service, pre-wheel man would have a hard time beating Arriva for lack of comfort and time-keeping. Pre-man man works for Arriva. Courtesy - they have none, Driving Ability - negligable, Mobile phones - without a doubt (and don't you dare interupt them by pressing the request stop either).

THE LETTER OF THE LAW - A big no-no is the twenty pound note, a couple of months ago I had a Wedding to attend, suited and booted I waited for the bus under shelter to keep off the rain. The bus arrived (a little late) and I got on, requested a ticket before I realised that all I had was a twenty pound note (a rare surprise). The bus was empty, and ususally remains so for the duration so needing change is unlikely to be an issue - was I let on not a chance. This was the evening before the BIG flood, I was blinded by rain walking from the shelter to the bus and I was wearing a suit to goto a friends wedding. What sort of person kicks you off a bus for not having change? The same thing happend yesterday (without the rain) when my cashpoint wasn't dispensing £10 notes.

LETTER OF THE LAW2 - On the opersite end of the scale, Arriva drivers are known for their little shortcuts as I reacently learnt on a journey from our local hospital. Wanting to get off at the stop nearest my house I was surprised when the bus veered down a shortcut which totally avoids my stop. This meant that I had to stay on the bus until Woking (another 25 minutes). AND WHY, since no-one boards at the stop that I get off at (not even me) - the bus can avoid it if the driver wants to save time.

Wow - I've gone on, if you've read theis then thankyou, I wrote a lot of this waiting for a bus to work this morning which never showed. The next bus (half hour later) was a non-Arriva so I did get here eventually.