This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Double-decker bus driver this morning decided to overtake me, no problem, he then decided to pull towards the curb diagonally whilst he was still pulling past me.. Not cool.

I knocked on his window at the bus stop to ask if he might think about not doing this as it's terrifying. He looks annoyed and told me whilst gesticulating that he gave me "loads of room".

If he'd seemed apologetic I'd have left it, as he was a dick about it I took photos of him and the bus and I've reported him to TFL.

I hope they make him sit in an all day road awareness course on his day off, wanker.

One day later I received a response to my TFL complaint, I'm pleasantly surprised to get a response at all, let alone so quickly, nice to see it's been taken seriously:

Dear Cazakstan,

Thanks for your online form yesterday about your near encounter with a bus on bus route 38, earlier that morning.

I’m very sorry that the driver pulled in towards the curb whilst you were cycling passed the bus. I can appreciate how frightening this must have been for you. I can also understand how upset you must have felt when the driver retaliated about you informing him of his actions. I’m concerned that the driver mentioned that he’d given you enough space, particularly as you felt so close to being squashed by the bus.

The safety of our customers and road users is our highest priority. We go to great lengths to train our bus drivers to very high standards. We work with organisations that represent cyclists, to develop specialist training. This makes bus drivers more aware of what it’s like to be a cyclist in London.

The reckless driving behaviour that you described is simply unacceptable. I’ve now made the bus operator Arriva London aware of your concerns. I’ve also passed on the photograph of the driver that you attached. The camera footage will be reviewed and the driver will be interviewed by his manager. Corrective measures will be taken to ensure such careless and poor behaviour isn't repeated.

Please note that the vehicle and cameras on the bus are owned by the Arriva London. To request CCTV footage about yourself, please contact Arriva London directly. I've provided their contact details below, along with your customer reference number:

Their details are:

Arriva London
203 Isledon Road
Finsbury Park
London
N7 7JR

Once again, I’m sorry for the distress that was caused. I hope you’re feeling better now that action is being taken. I’m glad to learn that most of the drivers that you’ve come across have been courteous. I wish you a much safer and more positive experiences whilst cycling along our buses in the future.

Thanks for contacting us. If there is anything else we can help you with, please reply to this email and I’ll be happy to help you. Alternatively, you can speak to one of our Customer Service Advisers.