Recently, I listed a few issues with Helsinki region public buses that undermine passenger experience, mainly related to the stop information inside of the bus and on the bus stops. However, I forgot another, very important one.
When you are at a bus stop, you have to raise your hand in order to stop the bus. This means that you have to constantly watch the incoming traffic in order to notice the right bus on time. This task could be challenging, especially for people with poor vision, but sometimes also for anyone. For example, a bus may be approaching too fast, and by the time you find it is the number you need, it may be too late. Another case: if a bus comes from behind a corner, you might have very little time to react. This is exactly what happened to me at this particular bus stop:
As I calculated, one has just 11 seconds to react for an approaching bus at this particular bus stop. Alas, this time was too short for me once and the driver just ignored my raised hand. When I complained to the local public transport operator company HSL, I received the following reply:
“It really is passengers duty to be alert and look for the bus she/he is waiting.”
Interestingly, this reply simply ignores the above-mentioned examples when it might be difficult to spot the right bus on time. However, not even all the bus drivers would agree with such an approach. The driver of the next bus did exactly what he supposed to do: he stopped at the stop when he noticed a passenger.
