Monthly Archives: April 2009

Do you believe in fairies?

I do. I had one on my bus today. All the way from Salisbury to Winchester.

The fairy was stood at a bus stop in Salisbury and put out it’s hand to signal that it wanted my bus! The fairy was about 5′ 11″, wearing dayglo pink tights, a white ballet tutu and had lovely wings on it’s back. The fairy also carried a magic wand. But there was something odd about this fairy that just didn’t fit with the usual pictures you see of fairies – this fairy was quite definately male! Believe me it’s quite difficult to have a conversation with a bloke dressed as a fairy who asks if a return fare or an Explorer is cheaper. Normally with someone dressed like this you’d have a laugh but on a Saturday afternoon and faced with an absolutely serious fairy who didn’t give any hint of humour it seemed a difficult bridge to cross. I kept a close eye on the fairy during the hour and twenty minute trip because it was obviously finding it difficult to sit comfortably without breaking it’s wings. Perhaps Stagecoach ought to have special seats with modified backs so that fairies can travel comfortably?

The thought did go through my mind as to whether this was the same passenger who often uses the bus whilst dressed as a woman, but the fairy paid a fare and the transvestite has a concession card. The transvestite always wears what appear to be size 11 pointed shoes with kitten heels, tights (I guess they’re tights) a navy blue skirt and white blouse. The blonde hair is very obviously a wig. If all that wasn’t give away enough he sits on the bus just like a bloke with his legs apart rather than tightly together. When gets off he stomps rather than walks.

Test Valley School again!

I’ve written about the Test Valley School run before.

Today was equally bad! I had to make a balanced decision as to whether to stop the bus on a winding road with no lay by, just putting the hazzards on and blocking my side of the road, or continue driving with a near riot going on aboard the bus. Because so many kids were out of their seats and and running up and down the aisle I did pull up. I refused to move the bus until they were seated. Finally they did sit down but as soon as I pulled away they were up again! I shouted out to them that everything was being recorded on CCTV and would be shown to the school (this is the first time I’ve ever had a bus with CCTV on this run). At Kings Somborne the vast majority of kids left the bus, it was then that one of the more sensible girls came up to me and said that the cameras had been covered up with paper which had been stuck on with chewing gum!!! She gave me the name of the kid which had done this.

Back at Winchester bus station I went to see the Operations Manager to both tell him what had occured and to request that the CCTV recording was downloaded. He then read me a list of, I think, 8 children who take this bus and are banned from using the bus for 2 weeks after the Easter break (the parents and school needed to be informed in writing before the ban could take place). The kid who’d covered up the camera lenses was one of those on the banned list. The Ops Manager was confident that the camera will show him approaching and then covering the camera.

So in the hope that Google picks this up – TEST VALLEY SCHOOL, that’s TEST VALLEY SCHOOL, as in TEST VALLEY SCHOOL, Stockbridge. You are shamed again. Did I mention that the school is TEST VALLEY SCHOOL and it’s the worst in Hamshire for behaviour on a school bus. Maybe, TEST VALLEY SCHOOL needs to impart some discipline to its pupils.