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Father has brush with bus madness
Wednesday 20th August 2008, 10:33PM BST.
A Midland man was prevented from boarding a bus – because he had a tin of paint with him.
Ian Griffiths, of Moss Crescent, Huntington, near Cannock, bought the tin in town to decorate his kitchen but when he tried to get the number 22 Arriva bus home he was told he was not allowed on for safety reasons.
The sealed tin contained white, water-based emulsion and a fellow passenger offered him a plastic bag to put it in. The bus driver still refused to allow him on.
In the end, the driver cancelled the service, leaving passengers stranded at the bus stop at around 4pm on Saturday to wait for the next bus and the 39-year-old father-of-three was forced to get a taxi home. He said: “I can understand not allowing petrol on the bus and I would have understood it if I were a child trying to carry paint on the bus to mess about with it and spill it everywhere.
“But I am a responsible adult and it was water-based emulsion, not a product of risk and it was completely sealed. I wanted to carry on with my painting.
“He just switched the engine off and cancelled the service and we all had to get off the bus.
“I felt a bit bad for the other passengers because I contributed to stopping the service but I was annoyed. All I wanted to do was go home.
“If that policy is right, what other things should people not be carrying on the buses with their shopping.”
He said he had carried paint on the bus before and had never had a problem. Keith Myatt, a spokesman for Arriva, confirmed that there was a list of hazardous items which passengers were not allowed to take on the bus.
The list of items are large bulky items which would obstruct the aisle, petrol cans either empty or full, small hazardous packages that could be a fire or explosion risk, very strong-smelling items and large tins of paint or oily items which could cause damage to the seating or passengers’ clothing.
But small tins of paint which can be secured in a handbag or carrier bag are allowed.
He said: “If the bus driver is aware that there are hazardous substances that a passenger is attempting to carry on to a bus then they will be stopped.”
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Wotcha.
One word “Jobsworth” . . . and they wonder why people won’t use public transport ?
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I had the same problem outside Focus on Stafford Street, I was allowed on but another driver pointed out to me later that i might have thrown it everywhere.
I now disguise them in bags so they can’t be seen, I won’t get on a bus now if the paint can is visible – pack a couple of cheap drawstring bags whenever you go next time. Works for me.
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I have never heard of anything so stupid in all my life!
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You can’t be too careful you know. Some of these extremists can be very cunning with their disguises. This obviously unhinged man was putting the safety of all the people on the bus in severe danger. God only knows what could have happened had the tin exploded.
Carrying such dangerous substances takes a degree of responsibilty that this man obviously doesn’t posses.
Oh sorry I’ve just re read the article and it said tin of PAINT, not ANTHRAX.
My mistake.
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Sounds like Arriva wants to whitewash over the problem to me. (Sorry!)
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…or maybe brush it under the carpet :(
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I just think this driver let his emulsion get the better of him !
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Use a rucksack!!!
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Come on now transport authorities, use some commonsense!
If a child, no matter how old enters a bus carrying a paint tin then yes, it is a fair assumption that something bad could happen but adults?
I have had no problems carrying paint tins onto a bus but always in a carrier bag but this rule is taking things too far. How is someone without transport supposed to get things such as paint tins home if a bus driver says ‘You can’t bring that on here mate’?
Would a taxi driver do likewise and how about a train or a tram? Where would it all end?
Make a rule that all paint MUST be carried in a strong bag whether it be of plastic or of some other material and ONLY adults in a fit state be allowed to bring such items onto a bus!
See, sorted!
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“Common Sense”………..NONE.
The driver should get a “Decoration” for stupidity
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How mad can the bus company be? An adult carryinbg a sealed tin of paint is no more likely to start chucking it around than an adult carrying some ketchup, some cream or some juice!
Ah well, forget global warming, looks like I’ll have to take the car to get DIY stuff from now on.
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The driver was carring-out the instructions given to him. If he didn’t, he could lose his job.
You should be questioning the instructions issued by the management of the bus company, i.e. water-based emulsion paints should be allowed.
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this stupid driver should be made to have lessons in commonsence,did he think the passenger was going to paint the town red.
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i bet someones being paid alot of money to come up with rules like this. this world has gone mad.
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I’ve heard of being careful… But isn’t this taking things a bit too far! Are they going to ban my wife next, for carrying a bag of rice, sugar, or God forbid – Olive Oil!!!
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what a farce,are they now going to start seaching people for cigarette lighters and such now in case they feel a bit chilly and decide to start a fire, the drivers are a law unto themselves, surly, miserable, and sometimes downright rude
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This coming at a time when Government Officials tell you to “Leave the car at home and use Public Transport” so maybe the government can explain how we get our decorating products home. Maybe a poor person whom has cut themselves will be told next that they cant board the bus in case they start bleeding.
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Seriously this happened to my friend who dropped a tin of paint whilst he was on a bus down south so perhaps it happens more than people think.
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This is not NEWS! By reading this we’re all leting the NEWS get away.
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This has been a rule for many years – I broke it myself in 2005. I bought a cheap plastic container of white emulsion once in Halesowen, put it in my bag and caught the bus home. The bus braked suddenly on the way home and must have damaged the tin. Getting off the bus, the bag broke, and I ended up dropping paint all over the pavement. There’s a nice white pavement on Portsdown Road now, near the Mendip Road junction.
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I was on that bus and that chap was swinging the can as he boarded. I for one was very frightened and support the stance taken by the driver.
What if the lid came off? What if someone tried to drink it?
You have to be careful these days.
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Dammit no paint…But it says nothing about Nuclear fuel rods, aha! See
So il have to stick with lighter fluid, mothballs, white spirit, wallpaper stripper, camping gas, charcoal, wire wool, washing liquid, batteries, packs of fireworks and vodka.
What shouldn’t be allowed on buses is stupid people playing rubbish music on their phones, please buy headphones. I don’t want to hear tinny music that sounds like a fly in a matchbox.
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Hmmmm I remember now why I decided to up sticks and leave the UK for Spain. What a complete load of rubbish, what are they going to say you cannot do next. Also, who in their right mind would want to ‘drink’ paint? The chap was swinging the can, so what, people swing bags as well dont they, no-one knows what is inside a persons bag – could be a tin of paint. Last time I was in the UK I had to wait over an hour for a bus because they had ‘missed one out’ when it did arrive it was absolutely rammed & no-one could get on it yet they want folk to start using public transport more often – get their act together, get rid of some of the stupid rules and regulations that are just so ridiculous they are a joke, get your times sorted and you MIGHT get people to use public transport. Not holding my breath though.
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There is no paint to this article (ha ha ha (sorry!). It is a waste of time. Besides how are we supposed to get home with our stuff if they start telling us that we can’t get on, it’s completely stupid. I would not pay for a taxi, when it would cost me only a quarter, of what i would pay for a taxi, to catch a bus.
I agree with Martin Davies, if the govenment wants use to use more public transport but we cant get on because of a pathetic little rule such as this i’d rather drive and cause something else for the govenment to worry about, maybe then they will get off thier fat lasy arses and do something about the transport companies stupid rules.
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Goodbye commonsense hellow stupidity of jobsworth folk.
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im a bus driver, most drivers will say no paint allowed but if they have a 2 way radio ask them to contact controll and see what answer you get!
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