Do you say thanks to the bus driver?

[Cid]

Polite.

 

[pennimania]

As the driver here makes detour to drop kids at their friends, waits for them when they're late and will stop anywhere - 'twould be madness not to say thankyou.

But I always did when I lived in lower Clapton, so I suppose it all depends what sort of person you are.

 

[Geri]

99% of the time I say thank you. There have been a couple of times when I haven't, like if the driver has tried to kill me by driving like a loon.

 

[Fedayn]

Yes

 

[davesgcr]

common courtesy - especially when they might have been out of bed at 4am to run abus / train !

It doesnt halve make a difference when a simple "thanks" is uttered.

Thank God for decent travellers is what i say (the public can drive you down at times !)

 

[danny la rouge]

yes. More precisely I say ''kyou''.

With the silent "fu"?

 

[George & Bill]

I always say hi getting on, but only sometimes say thanks getting off. It should be an obvios thing to do on busses where you exit via the same door as you enter, but on London busses it requires considerably more effort - yelling 'thanks driver' half way down the bus doesn't always seem appropriate.

 

[Brainaddict]

Had to think about this. I always say thanks if buying a ticket or showing a travelcard, because then you interact with the driver and it would be fucking rude not to say thanks. If I swipe in with oyster I don't, unless the bus has stopped for me and me alone - though thinking about it I probably should try to overcome the alienating effect of the new technology by establishing the human interaction whatever the circumstances.

 

[kalidarkone]

When I'm getting on a have to 'touch in' I do (double decker things) but never getting off. Reason for the thread is this morning the driver nearly missed a stop as there were 2 other buses pulled up - when he realised there were people waiting for his bus he pulled up sharp a few metres along the road - about 6 people got on and not one thanked him - I know he was only doing his job but still just a bit of politeness I woulda thought.

I always thank the driver. ' Thanks drive'

 

[boohoo]

so it's got nothing to do with location and everything to do with bus design?

or both?

I will ask around other born and bred londoners of my generation whether this is something they were taught to do.

 

[quimcunx]

With the silent "fu"?

Only if appropriate.

 

[Sweaty Betty]

yep--"cheers drive"!!!! Very cardiff ha ha

 

[Cheesypoof]

always.

 

[mango5]

Not usually when getting on, due to rush-hour crowding. Almost always when getting off (in the middle) regardless of crowding, unless I'm at the rear door of the bendy bus, when it would be pointless.

 

[DotCommunist]

I usually burst into an impromptu rendition of 'hail to the bus driver', before twirling my cane and skipping gaily to the pavement.

I just suck him off. Common courtesy ennit

 

[Jon-of-arc]

I do say thanks to bus drivers (though if I had a reason not to, obviously wouldn't - doesn't really happen though), but so many of them frequently come close to running me over as a pedestrian I think it is more out of fear than respect....

 

[Talkie Toaster]

Always, but usually when getting on because the exit's at the back.

 

[rioted]

Always. Sometimes with a sarcastic tone.

(unless it's by a close friend or family member, that typo ting is unconditional innit)

Why not with close friends and family? They've usually done it for nothing and at some inconvenience.

that's just nonsense, sorry

No it isn't. The further you get from London the more prevalent the thanking of bus drivers. Fact!

 

[rioted]

Also to ticket inspectors on the train when they hand my ticket back.

It has been made clear to me by several "revenue protection officers" that it is not my ticket, it belongs to the rail company.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Had to think about this. I always say thanks if buying a ticket or showing a travelcard, because then you interact with the driver and it would be fucking rude not to say thanks. If I swipe in with oyster I don't, unless the bus has stopped for me and me alone

This usually. When you're being swept along with the oyster crowd, it's quite difficult to say thanks anyway.

I think boohoo's right. Not necessarily because Londoners are rude, but because so many buses are centre-exit and most people don't shout their thanks down the bus as they get off, whereas most people IME do on front-exit buses, be that in London or elsewhere.

Yup. Other designs of buses outside London encourage it more. If I'm getting off the bus by the driver I always say thanks, if I'm getting off at another set of doors, I don't.

Most politeness is an out of London thing, people shove, push and are rude and have an overblown, increased sense of importance in shit city, they ignore people in distress with a "not my problem attitude" whereas most of them are ignorant tossers in reality.

You should try Beijing. Makes getting on a London bus very calming in comparison.

I don't actually agree things are any better outside London on the unbolded points btw, and it's never everyone. More something that exists a little in many and a lot in a few.

Plus they queue in Morden. Tbh, I was quite shocked when I saw it.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I say hello when I get on and 'thanks' when I get off.

 

[spring-peeper]

^^^^^

Our local city has just been forced into binding arbitration with the bus drivers union. They've been on strike since early December and probably would still be if Obama wasn't coming for a visit. The buses are supposed to start up soon, but I'm betting none of their passengers will be saying "thanks" to them anytime soon.

 

[Dr. Furface]

I'll say thanks if they've obviously waited for me when I'm running to catch it, but only then. So often they do the opposite!

 

[seeformiles]

I always thank the driver - I reckon that even if he's a grumpy twat it's best to kill him with kindness.

 

[idioteque]

Always, especially if they've been rude, so that they feel guilty . If I'm getting off at the middle doors I sometimes shout down to the front.

 

[hipipol]

I always thank the driver
I think they've got one of the most god awful jobs so why not be nice?

 

[Urbanblues]

As a wheelchair user, I've got into the habit of thanking drivers for letting me on and off their vehicles. Over the past years, drivers have become more aware of wheelies; and, it is seldom that I’m overlooked by a driver today when I hail down a bus.

Now, to make my good experiences on buses complete, all that is needed is a little tolerance on the part of other bus users. While I’m waiting for the ramp to engage, I often look at the faces of my soon to be fellow passengers, and it ain’t a welcoming sight.

Far too many people glower at me from inside the bus, as if to say “Oh, fuck off can’t you! I want to get to where I’m going, and some cripple is holding up the bus.” I’d love this to be a fiction of my imagination; but sadly other wheelies have related similar, and even worse stories to me.

 

[Recumbent Boy]

I do, but then I'm a bus driver myself....
It is always nice when my passengers say "Cheers drive" or "Ta boss" when they get off.

 

[Pip]

I do if he's waited for me, or nearly missed me but stopped when I've hastily stuck my arm out. If not, I smile (and wink if he's fit). I say thank you when I get off the bus if I'm feeling chirpy too.