We all remember where we were when we first heard the immortal words: "Please hold on, the bus is about to move". We were on a bus, of course. A bus that was already moving.
TfL has come under a volley of commuter ire, at its latest attempts at passenger safety — an automated warning after every single bus stop, that the stationary vehicle you're on is about to become un-stationary — is both badly timed, and unnecessary in the first place.
@tfl thanks for reminding me to please hold on the bus is about to move when then bus is already moving after every single bus stop. pic.twitter.com/dNbek765Wa
— Nathan Wade (@natewade87) January 13, 2018
As commuters, we've all found ourselves thrust into the lap of a stranger, or clutching on for dear life, while lugging a suitcase up the stairs, as the driver puts pedal to the metal. But isn't that just one of the vagaries of London life?
TfL doesn't think so: it says 3,000 passengers are injured on London's buses every year, due to slipping, tripping and falling — and this announcement is one way it believes that number can be diminished.
Still, the announcement isn't necessarily a permanent addition. Perhaps soon we'll be hearing another announcement: "This announcement is no longer in use."
