What's with so many people in many areas boarding buses via the back door these days?
I see it happen at busy stops a lot. In fact, when using the 901 at Blackburn Station drivers seem to encourage it by opening both doors if there is a large enough crowd at the stop whether there is anyone to get off or not. At other times, eg, Shoppingtown, if there is a large enough crowd milling around where the front door is expected to stop, many people will walk the other way to the rear door and most drivers don't seem to slam it in people's faces. Frankly it is quite sensible - the bus loads more quickly, in half the time at busy stops if people are evenly distributed between doors.
Half the people doing this are clearly fare evading but this has gone from something that a select few ferals do to mainsteam behaviour.
Interesting generalisation. Here's mine: The proportions of people fare evading is much the same regardless of door. Based on watching people board as I usually sit at the front, and as a user of said orbitals often boarding at busy locations. In fact, I've often been one of those boarding and I DO validate as do most of those in front of me also boarding via the rear door. What do you base your observations on?
If Myki was reliably quick and front doorways had a larger milling area (eg, by removing the front offside seat and moving the wind breaker to somewhere on the front offside wheel arch) so people topping up their Myki don't hold up everyone behind them, there might not be a reason to open both doors. In the real world, it makes sense under certain circumstances and benefits everybody.
As for fare evaders, they board via the front door too and either just walk on or undertake some elaborate charade that fools nobody. Thankfully Transdev drivers seem to have refrained of late from wasting time being aggressive to no effect (other than making other passengers feel awkward) when people do fare evade.
