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Wednesday 14 January 2015

Climate on the buses

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Our people-watching bus driver has noticed a sharp reduction in climate change comments made by his passengers. Bus drivers see many thousands of people and a good number of them offer a comment or two as they get on or off the bus. Or they indulge in audible discussion while on it.

We didn’t get this kind of weather before that global warming did we

Once commonplace, our driver has noticed that comments such as this have virtually disappeared while a smattering of sceptical comments have taken their place. Not so long ago, sceptical comments were never heard at all.

It makes for an interesting survey because the comments and conversations of bus passengers are not prompted by interested parties. Commuters, shoppers and bus-pass pensioners travel by bus but the chattering classes probably don’t, in spite of promoting buses as environmentally friendly.

Also interesting is that an attempt to carry out a more formal survey would remind bus passengers of the climate issue, suggesting it still is an issue – otherwise why would anyone bother with a survey?

Maybe the weather bomb ploy will get folk worrying again.

8 comments:

Demetrius said...

The trouble with free bus passes is the people. Apart from that when I were a lad, we used terms like "turned out nasty" for extremes of bad weather. And it made entire sense to blame the forecasters.

A K Haart said...

Demetrius - I blame global warming - there isn't enough of it. Now fuel is cheaper we should do more driving and get the planet warming again.

Anonymous said...

Do-Nothing-Defra tells me I shall be up to my oxters by morning - I'll let you know. Meanwhile I enjoy listening to people and heard not long ago 'well they're going to have a few kids and then see about getting married'. TBH seems a damn sensible way to go about it to me.

Mark Wadsworth said...

I live in London, so I take the bus on average maybe once a year. I was talking to the wife about this yesterday, by coincidence and she confirmed she also takes the bus about once a year.

And on the train nobody talks to anybody, except on Friday evening on the way home from the pub.

Scrobs. said...

You can easily get a particularly evil cold virus on a bus, much worse than a train one, but nonetheless, good enough to make Kleenex futures leap a few points.

I always use the bus when I meet my business colleagues, as I wouldn't even be able to find the car, let alone drive anywhere after the meeting...

But on my bus I have met, over the years, a lovely Swiss lady, who is a few years older than me, and treats me like a brother, and we chat for ages about horse meat etc!

A K Haart said...

Roger - I hope you aren't up to your oxters by now.

Mark - I don't know why people don't talk on the train, but people certainly talk on the bus. It's one reason for using it.

Michael - I'm sure my evil colds come from Sainsbury's.

Weekend Yachtsman said...

I had to get the bus the other day (because the trains were all off due to the wrong sort of snow or somethin - Gah!) and I was surprised to notice that everybody said "Good night" or "Thank you" or both, to the driver when they got off.

That certainly doesn't happen on trains!

A K Haart said...

WY - yes, I don't often travel by bus but it seems to be quite common.