My mother came back from a shopping and doctor's appointment trip with a 
pretty amazing bus story yesterday.

I know that there are all sorts of anecdotal stories about Polish bus 
drivers with limited English skills floating around but this is a first 
hand one and - despite being a bit funny - is actually rather worrying.

She was waiting for a Diamond 123 bus at Bearwood with a few other 
people.   The bus appeared at the stop from, unusually, the wrong 
direction.   Anyway, the all boarded and set off.   It had only gone a 
few yards when it stopped and the driver leaned out of his cab and made 
"some helpless grunting noises", then pointed left and right and 
shrugged his shoulders.   The usual gossip among the passengers ensued 
and then someone already on the bus said, "he doesn't know where he's 
going and he can't speak English".   Mum took this to mean he can't 
speak *much* English but as she and another lady tired to help him, she 
said it became apparent that he really seemed to speak none.   I realise 
this can't truly be the case but for the next 20 minutes, they guided 
him only by pointing and Mum heard not a single word of English from 
him.   She also said he seemed very agitated and apprehensive.

Now she's not a Daily Mail ("they were all foreign and I'm going to 
exaggerate this to make a story") type of person, so it seems that there 
really was a pretty big problem here.   The other lady left at the stop 
before Mum and she then left watching the bus set off into the depths of 
the black country.   The 123 is a *very* involved route, passing though 
Causeway Green, Blackheath and Cradley Heath to Merry Hill.   If he 
didn't find anyone else to help him, I suspect that Diamond might 
currently be missing an ex-Pete's Travel/People's Express Dart and one 
driver!
-- 
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk