London 2012 Bus Drivers Get Lost-4 Hours to Reach Olympic Village

London 2012 Athlete Bus System: They Forgot Maps, Training

If you're an athlete on the way to the Olympics, chances are you face a very long flight, and a very long ordeal in the quagmire that is customs and immigration at Heathrow Airport.

When you get on the Olympic bus that's supposed to take you to Olympic Village, you expect the bus driver to know where he's going.

Unfortunately, for London 2012, that is not the case. The buses got lost for four hours trying to make the journey from Heathrow to Olympic Village.

The bus drivers could have asked some of the security team... except that London 2012's security workers aren't quite materializing. It's so bad, that TSA agents have been hired to staff British Airports during the Olympics. This tells you how dire the situation has become for LOCOG: the TSA doesn't exactly carry the hallmark of excellence.

London Mayor Boris Johnson doesn't seem too concerned that the bus drivers hired to transport the world's finest athletes don't even know how to navigate their own city. Think about it: you offer to pick someone up for the airport, and it is presumed that you can find your way back to the city before everyone needs a shave.

First day on the job? Okay, so you're new to bus driving, new to London, or both. Your secret weapon: common sense. Options include:

• Pull aside and ask directions
• Map it on your phone
• Call dispatch and repeat the following: "I'm at [YOUR LOCATION HERE]. How do I get to Olympic Park?" Write down whatever they say.
  

Here's a handy map, for future reference. You'll notice that it follows some major roads on which massive tour buses can bee seen every day:


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