A New Bloomington Bus Driver

I have given up on understanding the bus system in Bloomington, IN. On Thursday I was returning home from my dissertation meeting on the #4 bus. The bus driver is a recent addition to this route. I've seen him but once prior to this occasion. The bus comes to a halt at the stop sign (before which I am not allowed to pull the wire unless I want to be dropped off at the stop sign (not a bus stop)). The bus accelerates through the turn and I signal the alert to stop at the intersection of Mitchell and Maxwell (where there is a bus stop). I watch as the bus continues to accelerate past my stop. Readers will know that this is not an unusual thing (though it is completely inexplicable). What does make this a bit odd is that this bus driver has managed to stop at my stop before. Confused, when the bus does stop at the next stop (Maxwell Terrace), I approach the driver and ask him if my stop is not a legitimate stop. He apologizes and remarks that he thought I wanted off at Maxwell Terrace. I responded that I had rung for my stop. He then advises me to tell him beforehand the next time I want to be dropped at that stop. My mind nearly explodes in a big bang of bewilderment. How else does one alert the bus driver ahead of time to stop at a certain stop if not by the preordained protocol that is pulling the wire? Why must I have to not only pull the wire but employ some auxiliary signal? This renders the wire epiphenomenal. Can you imagine the chaos into which a bus ride would devolve if everyone alerted the drivers to stop by some means other than that provided by Bloomington Transit? Follow protocol! Don't drop passengers off at stop signs, assume all requests for a stop are for the next stop after the alert, and do stop at said stops! Your job is a simple one, bus man. If I wanted to walk home, I would not ride the bus.