I'm with the OP on this one
particularly as I've travelled that route myself countless times, getting stuck in the traffic along Jamaica Road/London Bridge.

If I want to get off a fucking stationary bus, I should be allowed to do so. I accept full responsibility for anything that happens as a result. I wouldn't bother asking the driver though, because he's got his rulebook and he will usually follow it to the letter. I'd just look out for cyclists/motorbikes and do exactly what the OP did by pressing the emergency door open button when the bus is kerbside. It inconveniences and endangers nobody.

Until you experience TfL bus drivers for yourself, it's perhaps hard to imagine a finer bunch of arrogant, ignorant jobsworths. Common sense is all that's required to decide when it's safe to let people off before the next stop.
( chart cat has an itch, Tue 30 Jun 2009, 2:30, Reply)