SOMETHING happened on a recent Friday which was worthy of an 'On The Buses' script.

A couple of dozen people were waiting for the next No 83 bus, which, according to the timetable, would be the 12.38. A number 83 arrived and we duly queued up to get on.

We didn't expect to get on immediately, after all the driver usually has paper work to do or a visit to the toilet. Instead the driver, we'll call him Stan, unfolded his newspaper and settled down. Looks like he's doing the crossword I said. He'll get a few cross words from me if he doesn't open the door's soon, another gentleman said.

We were getting into the roles of the put upon British public.

Nothing happened for ten minutes, it was now ten to one, then miraculously the number 83 changed into an 84! What's going on? we said to Stan.

It's an 83 when it comes in and an 84 when it goes out, he explained. So, why didn't you change the number when you came in so we would know the score? I'm only following orders, he said.

Where have we heard that before?! The elderly lady with the walking aid who had stood for 15 minutes and the gentleman who was now going to have to walk a mile from Mutley to Milehouse (or was it the other way round?) were fuming.

To make matters worse, whilst we were waiting to board the 83 which now turned out to be an 84, the real no 83 sneaked in under the radar, hid behind an out of service double decker and sneaked out again with six passengers! You couldn't make it up!

Finally, we boarded the bus and guess what . . . it wouldn't start!

So we got off and got on an 83, which finally left at 1.15, determined to complain to the bus company and suggest other things, that they have some sort of representative at the bus station to prevent this sort of incident in the future. Even Blakey would do!

For my part I promised to 'write to the Times', so here it is.

Tony Rushbrooke

Tavistock