A public transport operator has been accused of losing its way with words when advertising for a bus "passenger assistant".
Go-Ahead London described the passenger assistant role as "brand new" and advertised for a "good face-to-face communicator" who had "customer-facing experience", a "natural flair for going 'the extra mile'" and was fit enough to cope with standing for lengthy periods of time.
Candidates were told that passenger assistants would work on a "unique" new London double-decker bus which was "accessible" and "convenient" and asked if they had "the kind of personality that made last year's Olympic gamesmakers so successful".
The Plain English Campaign - which promotes concise writing - dubbed the advertisements "gobbledegook".
Officials suggested that a notice along the lines of "bus conductor wanted" would have been a better option.
Go-Ahead London bosses, who have advertised the passenger assistant job in a newspaper and on the internet, defended the language used and said they were happy with the content.
"The primary role of the passenger assistant is to travel the length of the route and ensure that passengers board and alight the bus safely," said an on-line description.
"You will also be required to signal to the driver when it's safe to depart a bus stop. As part of the role it's your responsibility to be visible to passengers by patrolling both the lower and upper deck and be proactive in assisting with general inquiries."
The description added: "You will also be responsible for encouraging passengers to touch in with their oyster/contactless payment cards."
A newspaper advertisement asked: "Are you the same kind of personality that made last year's Olympic gamesmakers so successful?"
It added: "You should be a good face-to-face communicator with customer-facing experience, ideally in hospitality or retail."
And an internet advertisement listed requirements which included: having a "positive attitude" and remaining "resilient at all times", "exceptional customer service skills with a natural flair of providing clear and concise instructions and for going 'the extra mile'" and being "physically fit as you are required to stand for lengthy periods of time and patrol upper and lower deck".
The Plain English Campaign said the job was a good idea but the advertisements were "gobbledegook".
"What seems like a great idea is certainly getting lost in translation here," said an official. "'Wanted - helpful bus conductor' would seem a lot clearer."
A spokesman added: "The advert and job description for a 'clippie' shows how far we've come in going backwards when it comes to gobbledegook. The prospective 'clippie' must now undertake 'routine patrols' and be a 'visible presence' - which of course makes us wonder what fun it would be to be an invisible presence instead.
"As for 'being proactive in assisting with general inquiries', perhaps successful applicants could guess what they were going to be asked before they were asked it and jump in with general answers to questions they hadn't been asked yet. And the world is your oyster card when you're a 'customer-facing' professional."
He said the advertisements had "brightened an otherwise humdrum afternoon" and "had to be" a contender for one of the Plain English Campaign's annual "Golden Bull" awards.
A Go-Ahead London spokesman said: "We have reviewed our advert and are happy with the content.
"The advert has been successful and has generated a very large number of applications.
"The role is titled 'Passenger Assistant' as this describes what the role involves, and it is a different role to that previously carried out by conductors.
"We have not been approached by the Plain English Campaign, we therefore invite them to be more specific about their observations and would welcome any constructive criticism they might have."
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