Zürich bus stops - must one 'book' the stop?

Complaints Corner
21
Since you admit its your mistake I wouldnt call the bus driver "stupid" as in your original post

22
The Busdriver has to know in time that you want to stop, you need to press it fairly directly after the stop preceding your station. Although the trams also have buttons, they will stop at all times.

Cheers, Mike

23
I don't know what country the topic starter came from, but here in the USA you have to pull a string too in order to get out at the next stop. Unless, of course, someone is waiting at the bus stop. I guess the difference is (according to forumers' complaints) that the US drivers are friendlier than their Swiss colleagues. Once, not being familiar with the bus route, I pulled the string too late, but the driver still managed to stop some 20 metres past the stop. Would this be unthinkable in Switzerland?

24
Unusual but not unknown. I have also experienced a bus driver on the 'inter-village' bus pulling up at a stop he was supposed to miss out (only the town bus stops there) because it was pouring with rain (really pouring) and this halt was much nearing the place the folk were going to.

25
When I was a kid, I decided, together with some classmates, to take the Postauto from the city border towards the center. But the bus made an unexpected turn and headed to unknown no man's land. After a slight panic, the driver let us off early too.

26
Missed my stop a couple of times because of that... that happen's when you shut down your brain after finishing work....

On the other hand, back when we had the Nightbus, the driver would sometimes make a detour (with plenty of passengers still in) so he could drop some people off closer or at home... Now that's what I'd call service... haven't seen it since those days...

As a sidenote, in 2 1/2 years in Melbourne I used the bus only 2 or 3 times - if you think the Swiss drivers are wannabe-Schumachers, try them!!

27
Warning: Here goes another one of my HARD sentences.

There is nothing worth writing in to complain about. Buses have strings, buttons and all kinds of alarms for "booking" a stop.

I am unsure why the question was posted in the first place.

It is almost like " do I need to queue up to pay for my purchases in H&M or COOP. Back home, if I am pregnant, I get to skip the queue and do anything I like. Otherwise I complain and make the guy los his job by ONE strong worded letter to the highest authority in the land, and they'd better listen cos my letter and complains will cause their company stocks and shares to tumble and maybe even cause the oil prices to escalate further. Earthquakes may also be karma in waiting... "...

Live and let live.

Bus drivers are doing an honest living and giving you a REAL LIFE service, by ferrying you around.

By contrast, us IT people are just surfing the web during office hours...

HAT

28
I loooove Postautos.

How many times while out hiking was I able to flag one down because I didn't make it to the nearest stop and that one was the last one out of the deep sticks.

Nary a grumble from the pilot, er, driver, they clearly see themselves as providing a service and are usually locals. And yes, going full blast through hairpin curves all the while chatting with an old local gent does seem to be what attracted them to the job in the first place.

Oh, did I mention I love postautos?

29
I think the OP is over reacting and Sutter in my experience doesnt always stop.

Yorkshire bus drivers will normally only stop for 3 reasons

1) Button pressed

2) someone signalling they wish to board at a stop by stepping to edge of curb/arm signal

3) ahead of schedule so take a fag/newspaper break

If you are standing at a stop and don't wave to signal then there is a good chance they wont stop as multiple busses of differing routes pass by and being england they are normally late lol.