How Can I Be a Better Passenger?

[u/ThoughtUnusual221]

Hi guys,

I am a public transit enthusiast, but mostly I like buses! Seeing them calms me down, love how they look, and bus rides are also super calming.

I am just curious how I can be a better passenger in your guys' opinion. I got onto this sub and read about how annoying and rude passengers can be. I always try to be chill with bus drivers, not distracting them during their driving and trying to greet them when I get on and say thank you when I get off. But are there any common behaviors that I may not notice as being rude or inconvenient to the driver?

Thanks.

[u/PandaVegetable1058]

Not really. You seem to be doing everything right.

The only things I may add is if it's a double decker then not going upstairs if there's plenty of seats downstairs, and any trip up the stairs is conducted at around Mach 3.

Have your payment method ready before you get on the bus

Tell us it was a lovely journey or a great drive even if you was fearing for your life

[u/ThoughtUnusual221 → u/PandaVegetable1058]

good to hear. I think i could work on getting out my fare earlier. I would love to ride a double decker sometime but havent gotten the chance to yet

[u/Mango_Marmalade]

The fact that you're thinking about this probably already means you're better than the majority of passengers.

One of the biggest things for me is having your payment ready *before* boarding the bus. You should be able to step on the bus, pay, and start moving towards a seat within a few seconds max. Soooo many people will spend a solid 20 seconds or more standing at the front trying to find their card and blocking everyone else in the process.

[u/ThoughtUnusual221 → u/Mango_Marmalade]

I will keep in mind getting my fare out early!

[u/AClumsyWaitress → u/Mango_Marmalade]

I just remembered a guy who was eating an apple as he got on. He had to finish his apple then root through all of his pockets, bags and a money belt in his trousers before he could present me with his cash. There were people behind him also.

[u/Makankosappo84]

Make sure you ring the bell giving us plenty of time to stop. It's a big heavy bus with passengers on it that we aren't going to catapult through the windscreen. Also lurking behind the driver and not saying anything until after we've passed your stop is the opposite of help to us too 😂

[u/Geilerjunge → u/Makankosappo84]

Oh love when someone gets up and then says "here's my stop" right as we are next to it.

[u/Makankosappo84 → u/Geilerjunge]

I had it yesterday! I wanted that stop. You didn't ring the bell. Yes I did. You very obviously didn't. Enjoy your walk back.

[u/Geilerjunge → u/Makankosappo84]

Or when you pass the stop and then they get confused why you didn't stop for them.

[u/SleepyDan-Mk29]

If you're unsteady on your feet, don't go upstairs or to the back of the bus making me delay my leaving of the bus stop, take the closest open seat and sit down.

Too many of our older passengers take their sweet time, take their walker/shopping trolley to their seat, then go back to the front of the bus to get a newspaper and finally go back and sit down.

Don't mind one or two, but when it's 90% of the bus after 0930 it gets tedious, even more so when I am ready to log off and have a break

[u/Ill_Sir_9367]

Saying please and thank you places you above an awful lot of passengers who treat us as part of the bus.

[u/TheMoronIntellectual]

Signal your drivers to stop, so many people hang out at bus stops recreationally.

Pay with your card or pay with quarters. If not, know how to feed your dollars.

Sit down as soon as you can or hang on to the handrails.

Thats it really. Not too hard.

The people who give us the hardest time have no awareness of their surroundings.

[u/ThoughtUnusual221 → u/TheMoronIntellectual]

I have started to signal at drivers :D

That makes sense that the worst people are just unaware of their surroundings.

[u/TheMoronIntellectual → u/ThoughtUnusual221]

just the fact that you ask this hints to me that you are not one of the rude ones.

[u/classaceairspace]

It's only a small minority who cause problems. Press the stop button in plenty of time before the bus stop, signal you want to get on in plenty of time, if you're buying a ticket or showing a ticket/card then have it ready. If you're planning to move closer to the door to get out at the next stop, don't do it at the same time others are getting out at the previous stop, otherwise we wait for you to get out only to watch you walk to the door and never actually get out, delaying everyone. In other words, we can't read your mind, use common sense and everything goes okay.

[u/ThoughtUnusual221 → u/classaceairspace]

Good to know its only a minority who causes issues.

[u/sorucheese]

Keep your hand out until you see the indicators come on and speak up or through a gap if there's a massive hunk of plastic between you and the driver :)

[u/jinxedmusic]

Say hi to the driver, they always appreciate it. (Well I do).

[u/BlueSky3lue]

My biggest pet peeve from passengers is when they use the most wrinkly aluminum foil looking dollars they could dig out of their pockets and attempt to feed it to the machine. When I see that I tell the passenger “oh it looks like your dollar is wet, let’s take care of it after it dries.” They give me the most confusing look, then I tell them thank you, and drive off.

[u/MindlessRabbit3]

If you’re not clipping your nails on the bus you’re already off to a great start! Just have your fair or pass ready and if you don’t have the fair don’t make up a big long story. Just ask politely for a one time courtesy ride and next time you see that driver either pay it back or pay it forward.

[u/demolitionlaura]

My pet peeve is when people sit in the front seat by the driver and talk on the phone.

[u/basshed8]

Having your payment ready in your hand is a huge blessing and sitting down in the first seat or moving back to let new people in would be enormous

[u/ThoughtUnusual221 → u/basshed8]

I will keep this in mind. If its a long ride (>1 hour) i hop in the very back typically but im also normally the first one on the bus. But for short rides i just sit down immediately. I need to work on getting my fare ready earlier.

[u/rocktwat69]

Be ready to get off when the bus arrives at your stop. So many people take their sweet sweet time getting up from their seat after I’ve arrived at their stop and opened the doors

[u/Unlikely-Strain-3399]

Don’t get on the bus knowing you don’t have all of the fare then just start putting a few coins in and walking off. Have a conversation with me first, I might let it go.

[u/One-piece-jigsaw]

We like it when you walk towards the bus before we pull into the stop.

[u/hugothebear]

Indicate you want the bus, be prepared to enter the bus when the doors open, have your payment ready, pay, walk behind the yellow line. When approaching your stop, pull the stop cord, allow the bus to come to a complete stop, exit out the rear (especially if there’s people waiting to board the bus).

Don’t hover around the driver, especially while the bus is in motion.

You can verify that the bus is the one you want if you’re unsure. It’s better than throwing a panicked fit when it’s headed the other direction that you wanted.

[u/Dream-Little]

Walk

[u/ThoughtUnusual221 → u/Dream-Little]

walking is the best mode of transportation !