Odd Ode : Odd Decision : Ode ear!

Wot? No 24?

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In memory of the late, great Cyril Fletcher

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This is the tale of one Beverley Bell;

Her recent career has gone very well.

Achieving the goal of her lifelong ambition, a

Job as Senior Traffic Commissioner.

She sits in authority, jury and judge;

Accepts no excuses, rejects any fudge;

Condemning managers for acting like fools;

Ensuring bus companies don't break the rules.

Insisting high standards should be the norm;

Demanding accuracy on every form.

So what goes in Derby? Why has Arriva

Been punished so much; how did they deceive her?

She's ordered free travel each day after seven;

A veritable glorious passenger heaven.
And free fares it is for all of a year;
A penalty seemingly very severe.

But only on routes 45, 44.

So what evil horror's this penalty for?

It seems that the company tries when it can,

To save on expenses, cut out a man

By linking its routes when trading is quiet.

But doing this deed, well, Bev didn't buy it.

Instead of using their bus station bay,

They routed their buses a different way.

They stopped outside on the road at the end;

Then drove on down Morledge then round the bend.

The bus stand was altered to be Albert Street

The linking of two routes was tidy and neat.

But sadly the company omitted to tell

Of this minor change to our Beveley Bell!

We might just consider the legal infringe,

How badly on interchange it might impinge.

For some a short walk from street to bus station,

For others an easier route integration.

The change in itself meant nothing at all.

It's poor paperwork that brought their downfall.

A simple mistake, that's all that it was

That upset our Bev and riled her because,

Whilst running a bus can be quite a caper,

The vital thing is correct bits of paper!

Meanwhile on fat bloke's Island of Wight,

His local bus route's been in such a plight.

For a couple of years it was in such a state;

With buses running incredibly late.

Delays could often be nearly an hour;

Locals in fury, with grim face they'd glower.

The Vectis did nothing to make timings better,

So some local people sent off a letter

To Traffic Commissioners to get something sorted;

The failures in detail were duly reported.

And what did officialdom do? Not a jot!

Their service to passengers was simply rot!

Late buses continued, with total impunity

From punishment, bearing apparent immunity.

The public was treated with great disrespect

But all the paperwork was quite correct!

So we all stand in fear of Beverley Bell.

Fail in your form filling, she'll give you hell!

Remember the rule which can't be forgot

Tick the right boxes or just go to pot!

A question worth putting to fierce Mrs Bell;
Does she know Derby? And know it quite well?
Does she consider a minor infraction
Deserves such a disproportionate action,
When other companies behave much more badly?
Arriva would crave Bev's forgiveness ...
... quite gladly!

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In case you thought otherwise, fbb understands that evening journeys on service 44 and 45 all called at the bus station on their outward run from City to Alvaston; no missed-out stops there.
fbb understands that Arriva is appealing against this draconian decision.
Southern Vectis eventually retimed the service 8 which now runs reasonably well, except perhaps in the Summer when those awkward things called passengers slow it down.
Comments on various forums suggest that Beverley Bell has made more punitive judgments than any other Traffic Commissioner and, not surprisingly, had more appeals against her decisions upheld!

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 Back to "24" tomorrow : Wednesday 6th March