Taxi Driver Online

Not a taxi thing, so intended putting this on another thread, but couldn't make up my mind which one

But it's one of these that gets my goat, and it's where I cut my teeth as a driver.

So nothing precisely about what the driver did wrong (if anything) but of course he's up in court for it anyway, and just keeps his job (presumably) by the skin of his teeth.

But, of course, he's made to look like the devil incarnate and, for example, it's pointed out that the victim's hearing aid came out when the bus hit her. And?

If you're hit by a bus I suspect your hearing aid falling out isn't the biggest potential worry, but of course it makes for a good narrative for the press


Xplore Dundee driver hit pedestrian pensioner with bus on busy high street

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/co ... pensioner/


Image: DC Thomson Media

A Dundee bus driver knocked down an elderly pedestrian and sent her hearing aid flying out of her ear.

Stephen Reid admitted driving carelessly and hitting and injuring 81-year-old Alma Smith as she tried to cross the road.

Fiscal depute Calum Gordon told Dundee’s JP Court: “She lost her left hearing aid and had to replace it at a cost of £1,400.”

Reid, 58, from Dundee, admitted driving carelessly in the city’s Lochee High Street and striking and injuring Miss Smith on January 7, 2020.

‘Saw the pedestrian late’

Solicitor Mark Robins, defending, said: “He has been a bus driver for the same company for 34 years.

“He has driven buses without incident for the entire duration of his career.

“He accepts he collided with Miss Smith.

“He was doing a route well known to him.

“It is a very busy part of Lochee with parked cars and pedestrians.

“There was a lorry parked, taking down the Christmas tree, which caused some difficulty with his view.

“It is a very tight junction. It was congested.

“With the bus being quite large he had to take quite a wide turn, so it almost looked like he was going across the junction to turn to the left.

“He saw the pedestrian late.

“He had his brakes on and was not doing any real speed when he collided with Miss Smith. His indicators were on.

“Although she was injured she got up to get on with her shopping.

“There were some injuries, though nothing particularly life threatening.

“She has made a full recovery.”

Driver’s job at risk

Mr Robins pointed out his client tends to be especially careful in the area.

“Quite often in this area there are people stumbling about because there are dispensers of methadone and people wandering about the roads in all directions and that is something he has to be aware of when driving that particular route.

“He works for Xplore Dundee and they have a policy that drivers can have no more than five points.

“He would lose his job if he got six points.”

Justice of the Peace John Reid said: “You have a 34 year record of driving buses without incident so I am taking that into account.”

He imposed five penalty points and fined Reid £500.

Well, duh

But I wonder if he really thinks he did anything wrong, or just admitted driving carelessly because if he'd plead not guilty then it might have turned out worse for him?


This kind of street is one of the reasons I don't work days (although, as night drivers will know, in many ways it's worse later on).

And it's one of these streets where in my opinion pedestrians have been effectively encouraged to treat it more like a precinct than a road.

Huge photo of the street here, but back in the day it was more of a conventional street, but over the years they've installed lots of street furniture, ill-defined crossing points, and paved areas on the roadway that blur the distinction between the pavement and the roadway

And don't get me started on the taxi rank here

https://wpcluster.dctdigital.com/wp-con ... fjx5tv.jpg

I wonder if this has more to do with a claim than to do with justice.


Possibly the case. The court gave him a sentence which, according to the article, means he should keep his job.

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IDFIMH

I feel sorry for the driver. All this sort of $hite makes the job less worth wile, and takes away any responsibility for pedestrians to act with any sense of caution.

I had a bus driver walk backwards into my car yesterday he was taking a photo of a car he had just collided with and stepped back into the road without looking for cars exiting the car park she had stopped opposite

I had stopped but he just glared at me and no apology

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector