Rules for London buses

Now i've just read up on the rules for taking bikes onto london buses that says its down to the drivers discretion.But then when the drivers being obnoxious and pretty much the most awkward person ever when the bus is half empty at quarter past three in the morning wouldn't you expect to be allowed doesn't this rule get pretty stupid? I ended up cycling from oxford street to catford trying to follow the bus with my friends on.I got to peckham bus garage and lost them and by this i mean the driver saw i was trying to follow him and put his foot down to lose me.Then had to ask a fair few sketchy people at 4 in the morning which way to catford.Should this rule not be changed depending on the space in the bus or would that just make things alot mroe complicated?

Drivers don't give a fuck. You're sat in a plastic box for 10hrs a day with no access to the outside world, driving a 6tonne hunk of metal. Pretty shit existance if you ask me so any little 'kick' is gonna make your day go quicker
Just ask the twat of a driver the other day in Brixton I saw pull off while a heavily pregnant woman was knocking on the door to let her on....in the pouring rain may I add!
Cunts the lot of 'em

i do have sympathy, and this kind of thing has happened to me before. and being stuck in a position like that *is *horrible, BUT you shouldn't really have gone out on your bike and expected to get the bus back. especially when your only alternative way home was getting lost and asking a few dodgy characters which way to catford.

to be fair i don't know your circumstances, and you could have had no choice in the matter and had planned to get the train back earlier or something!

my 2p

P.S. i am in no way defending bus drivers.. i hate public transport with a passion.

This is the excuse you have needed to buy a Brompton.

It would never have occurred to me it was even possible to take a bike on a bus. I mean, it's a bus.

i ride my bike the distance i'd go on any bus, anyway.

trains though..

If you take the wheels off isn't it just bike bits, therefore no longer a bike, although I expect a pissy bus driver isn't going to give a fuck either way.

I've carried a wheelset on before with no trouble.

What about the rest of the bike?

to be honest i started the night in peckham with friends expecting to go home and ended up going to central with a shit lock so i definatly didn't want to lock it up in peckham.But yes from now on i'll definatly remember not to try this again.

Carry a bike bag everywhere and bag your 'ride' up when you're too much of a blouse to cycle home.

I've done bike bags, wheels, framesets on buses and tube with no issues. Not a whole bike though since I'd be riding it!

I feel an important lesson has been learnt today

Todays Sesame Street was brought to you by the letter F, the number 4 and the word "blouse".

I've taken my bike on the back of the 12 once in the afternoon when i couldnt be arsed to walk home, when there were a few people on there. most drivers dont look towards the back of the bus when people get on so you could sneak it on maybe

I tried that in Manor House once, he came on the tannoy and went "NO BIKES ALLOWED ON THE BUS!"

Todays Sesame Street was brought to you by the letter F, the number 4 and the word "blouse".

definatly trying to be too witty.

Now i've just read up on the rules for taking bikes onto london buses that says its down to the drivers discretion.

The latest conditions of carriage (section 12.1.1) state:-

"On buses, unfolded cycles are not permitted and folding cycles may only be carried in the designated luggage area."

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/CoC_17_May_2009.pdf

No driver's discretion involved.

if you were with friends you could have split your bike and everyone carried on a piece.
bring black bin bags for the frame and wheels aswell.

But then when the drivers being obnoxious and pretty much the most awkward person ever when the bus is half empty at quarter past three in the morning wouldn't you expect to be allowed doesn't this rule get pretty stupid? I ended up cycling from oxford street to catford trying to follow the bus with my friends on.I got to peckham bus garage and lost them and by this i mean the driver saw i was trying to follow him and put his foot down to lose me.

Just ride faster. It is a bus ffs(even at 3 in the morning).

I don't understand why people expect to take a bike on a bus.
I would only do that if it was an absolute necessity, like if the crank snapped off or something and then I would be carrying a 15mm to remove the wheels.
A bus driver is much more likely to allow a disassembled bike with a sob-story than you trying to wheel a bike through the door.

I saw two Chinese people with limited English try to get a full-size fridge on a bus at the top of Finchley Road on Sunday afternoon, driver said no..

I'd love to have seen that.

We should make a spoof film about trying to get things on buses in C.London, we'll make millions.

I carried bike in a bag on the TGV, Metro, Eurostar, Tube and 297 bus yesterday.
My back is fucked but no one complained about the large bags.

I took my disassembled bike on a tube replacement bus, I was carrying the wheels and frame (with cranks attatched) and everything else was in my bag. It wasn't ideal but at least I got home.

This is the excuse you have needed to buy a Brompton.

+1

It would never have occurred to me it was even possible to take a bike on a bus. I mean, it's a bus.

+1

I'm with the bus driver on this one.

I've been rejected from a Melbourne tram with a broken bike. I still cry about this.

Can I be the first? In Australia? HTFU!