It was the most terrifying moment of my life

It was the most terrifying moment of my life.”Chris Yates of Jane’s Transport said there seemed to be a problem with the electronic touch-screen used to activate the announcement on 777s. “Either there is a design fault and it is far too easy to trigger by mistake or there is a technical problem,” he said.BA said the system for activating announcements on 747s was different to that on 777s and involved buttons. A spokeswoman said investigations showed that the first incident probably involved a passenger prank and the second was caused by an electrical fault.. The bus driver sees the passengers hurtling down the road, waits just long enough for them to fling themselves on board and then drives off with a screech of brakes, sending everyone flying And swearing. The bus driver sees the passengers hurtling down the road, waits just long enough for them to fling themselves on board and then drives off with a screech of brakes, sending everyone flying.

And swearing.
Sometimes it all just seems calculated to annoy.Now a bus company in Devon has turned the tables on its drivers by sending them off to “charm school”, where they will be taught a lesson.About 700 Stagecoach drivers are to attend one-day courses dressed as pensioners so that they can experience common problems of old age. They will wear wrist and ankle weights to slow them down and demonstrate loss of agility, and thick-lensed glasses to blur their vision. Some will even be issued with special goggles to simulate cataracts and other eye problems.The workshop is the first of its kind in Britain for bus drivers but the equipment has already been used by Age Concern, which backs the scheme, to help train its shop staff.Ken Clarke, the new managing director at Stagecoach, said: “It is vital that drivers understand and familiarise themselves with the difficulties faced by older people and those with disabilities – and learn how to handle the situation without being patronising.”Derek Fishpool, the company’s operations director, said the elderly were an important part of its customer base. “This course will see the drivers acting as passengers, boarding the bus, paying for the ticket and finding a seat.”. Government proposals that could lead to greater secrecy and less public scrutiny of local councils have come under attack from Freedom of Information campaigners, journalists and the House of Lords.

Government proposals that could lead to greater secrecy and less public scrutiny of local councils have come under attack from Freedom of Information campaigners, journalists and the House of Lords.
The Local Government Bill, which calls for Westminster-style “cabinet” government in local authorities, has already resulted in decisions being made behind closed doors in some parts of the country.Maurice Frankel, of the Campaign for the Freedom of Information, said: “This is another example of the Government weakening existing public rights to information rather than improving them.” His organisation, alongside Charter 88 and other pressure groups, is demanding the Government amends the Bill before its final reading.Critics of the new legislation fear that decisions made by small groups of councillors in private will, in the worst cases, end in scandal and public inquiries. “If decisions are taken in private there will be less scrutiny of whether councillors’ private and financial interests are properly declared and less oversight of the award of contracts and of appointments to outside bodies,” Mr Frankel said.Although executive-style government is not expected to become widespread until after the Bill is enacted later this year many Labour councils are switching to the new system.Lord Whitty, the Local Government minister, has indicated that the Commons intends to force through the legislation despite a setback to the Government’s plans last Thursday when the Lords voted against the Bill. An alliance of Tories, Liberal Democrats and crossbenchers protested fiercely over the requirement for executives and elected mayors in all councils. The Tory frontbench spokesman, Lord Dixon-Smith, accused the Government of “arrogance of a high order” for seeking to impose the new structures.The public have already been excluded from meetings where councils have adopted the new cabinets. Bob Satchwell of the Society of Editors said a growing number of newspapers across the country had been stopped from reporting. “The Government says it wants to engage and involve the public in decisions.