buses

I used to be heavily interested in buses in the 80s and 90s and enjoyed travelling on them, but certain large bus companies have transformed me from a bus lover into a bus hater. I am still very fond of Leyland Nationals and other buses of that era, but not up to date buses, mostly because of the companies that run them. Buses round my way frequently get cancelled because of staff shortages and breakdowns. The vehicles are scruffy, drivers are often miserable jobsworths, and I don't think the so called maintenance staff actually know how to maintain the vehicles. Myself, I think they'd have difficulties opening a can of baked beans.
People are supposedly encouraged to use the bus more because it's greener, but my local buses are a total deterrent. I would have a car myself except that I wouldfind it very expensive with soaring petrol prices and insurance, and am also afraid of aggressive motorists (especially as most people are taller than me). I do not have a bike, again because of aggressive motorists- I think there are a number of motorists who would think nothing of killing a cyclist, except that they'd get blood on their lovely paintwork.
The only thing that matters to the bus company is safety. You'd have thought buses killed people all the time because of the patina of safety paranoia around them. Apache Helicopters seem to be safer than buses, even though they're designed to be killing machines. In the West Country, bus parks have huge yellow signs warning of Extreme Danger because of the killer buses prowling inside. I feel ill at ease riding on certain companies' buses; because they go on about safety I don't feel safe on them. Although safety is important, it doesn't stop cancellations, breakdowns, driver sickies etc. I often wonder if the company regards a cancelled bus as a safe bus, as then people can't have accidents (that are not their fault) on the bus and sue the company. Really it would be better if they didn't run buses at all and that a proper bus company did the job instead.
I wish that all buses in Britain were like those on the Isle of Man, or the ones in Brighton, run by Go-ahead. Clean, smart, and above all, reliable.