The road through the middle of the small town i live in has been dug up, and buses through the town centre are being diverted.
This means that the stop where I normally get the bus is closed, because the diversion starts immediately before it, with a temporary stop at the start of the diversion to replace it.
Except…
Someone decided that, rather than cutting off all traffic, they would allow traffic in this direction, and have kept this stop open.
No signs explaining this, as there were for the original diversion, and the app for my bus ticket still says the diversion is in effect
I only found out when I saw the bus go sailing past on its normal route.
Great.
Did I mention it’s pissing down?
So now I’m cold, and wet, and spending half a weeks transport budget on a taxi to work because the bus operators aren’t communicating with their customers.
And this is why a lot of people here in Greater Manchester aren’t as enamoured with Andy Burnham as the media thinks – his much vaunted bus reforms have no actual teeth, and the operators are still maximising profits at the expense of passengers.
And this is why Labour are going to come 3rd in the upcoming by-election.