The "bus culture" in your area

[Flange Squeal]

From my observations in the local area of north east Hampshire / west Surrey…

1) There are a few routes with mid-route reversals which are undertaken with passengers on board. A couple of examples off the top of my head… Stagecoach South’s hourly 46 Guildford to Farnham route sees every other journey perform a double run in Elstead to serve Cockhill. Buses serve Elstead Village then proceed down to Cockhill, where they have to reverse off the main road into the side road named Cockhill, then return back up the main road back to Elstead Village centre. Safeguard Coaches’ 690 Woking to Worplesdon route also performs a reversal into a side road (Slade Road) as part of a double run to serve Pirbright Camp. Previously regular Falcon route 28 did this before the Camp was omitted, leaving just White Bus 48 terminating there (in theory still requiring a reversal but I have seen a Mini Pointer Dart just about manage to swing around in Countryliner 48 days, so it’s possible the shortest Enviro 200s White Bus have might be able to do it too, but certainly anything longer - such as Safeguard’s regular Tempo or White Bus’ longer Enviros - must reverse into Slade Road).

2) Generally younger - and more able bodied older - people will walk to the front as the bus approaches their stop, however from memory many buses do have the signage encouraging people to remain seated until the vehicle has stopped.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

however from memory many buses do have the signage encouraging people to remain seated until the vehicle has stopped.

I've been told that's a legal thing so that if people fall over they can't blame the company.
Those signs are pretty much on every bus I see, but I always just ignore them, I know I'm capable of walking 10m on a moving bus.
Also on some busses doing that would get you left behind, they aren't gonna wait for someone to walk all the way from the back of the top deck.

 

[Siemens Trains]

Those signs are pretty much on every bus I see, but I always just ignore them, I know I'm capable of walking 10m on a moving bus

All very well that you know your own capabilities, but what's your strategy when occupying a window seat and there's a passenger in the adjacent aisle seat when the bus is approaching your desired stop? Do you ask them to move out of their seat before the bus has come to a halt so you can alight more quickly? If they were to become injured perhaps they'd have a claim against you for flouting the posted rule.
I must admit, in my case I'd just ask them to shift while the vehicle is in motion. But Edinburgh buses don't generally display these 'remain seated' signs.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

All very well that you know your own capabilities, but what's your strategy when occupying a window seat and there's a passenger in the adjacent aisle seat when the bus is approaching your desired stop? Do you ask them to move out of their seat before the bus has come to a halt so you can alight more quickly? If they were to become injured perhaps they'd have a claim against you for flouting the posted rule.
I must admit, in my case I'd just ask them to shift while the vehicle is in motion.

I'd do as you would and ask them to let me past.
Most of the time letting someone past doesn't need someone to stand up, giving enough space to let someone past is definitely possible without having to stand up.

 

[ChrisC]

I've been told that's a legal thing so that if people fall over they can't blame the company.
Those signs are pretty much on every bus I see, but I always just ignore them, I know I'm capable of walking 10m on a moving bus.
Also on some busses doing that would get you left behind, they aren't gonna wait for someone to walk all the way from the back of the top deck.

I can’t recall seeing any such signs in buses that I regularly travel on locally which are mostly Stagecoach East Midlands and occasionally TrentBarton. Except for less mobile elderly people and those with prams and pushchairs most people seem to ring the bell and then slowly and carefully move towards the front of the bus.

Last week I was down in the Portsmouth area and was quite surprised to see a number of younger people remain in their seats until the bus stopped. The thing that drew my attention to it was the fact that even if they were upstairs at the back they didn’t seem to make any attempt to even gather their bags and belongings together before the bus stopped. I place this in the same category as elderly people who stand at a bus stop for for a few minutes but don‘t begin to search to the bottom of their shopping bags for their bus pass until they board the bus. The number of younger people who are paying using their phone and don’t get it ready before boarding is the same.

 

[Taunton]

As the bell push is commonly beyond reach from a window seat, how are you meant to get the bus to stop before getting out of your seat?

 

[dvboy]

As the bell push is commonly beyond reach from a window seat, how are you meant to get the bus to stop before getting out of your seat?

"Could you press the button for me please?"

I'm generally able bodied but struggle with balance sometimes so if I feel like the bus driver has been braking too sharply I'll wait until it's stopped before getting off. I very rarely sit upstairs on a double decker bus. It's really never been a problem, because it's busy, there'll usually be others getting off in front of me too, and if it's empty the driver will be able to see to wait for me. If the driver closes the door before I've managed to get off, a quick "hang on!" usually does the trick.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

As the bell push is commonly beyond reach from a window seat, how are you meant to get the bus to stop before getting out of your seat?

In my case, I'm tall and can typically always reach a bell from being sat down.
In some cases me hitting the bell has directly lead to the person sat next to me going to let me past without specific request.

 

[WWH44L]

Yep, Bolton interchange, & Wigan bus station are now drive in, reverse out bus stations.

I prefer drive in, reverse out type of bus stations, as the passenger concourse is on one level, making it easier to change buses, & the Wigan & Bolton bus stations are fully undercover for passengers too.

Must admit i ring the bell everytime i want to get off the bus, even when the bus is arriving at a terminus.

The majority of Bolton is drive in and reverse but they do have a number of pull up positions on one side as you enter.

 

[J-2739]

I tend to find that people in my part of West Yorkshire tend to ring the bell and then start making their way to the front of the bus- perhaps there should be a question 2a about whether people use the bell! Certainly it was a culture change when I moved over from Merseyside to find that people actually used it.

Wait, are there still places where people refuse to ring the bell?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Wait, are there still places where people refuse to ring the bell?

On my school bus the bell became useless as people would just randomly ring it, the main way to get the bus to stop was by request to the driver.

Rarely we'd get drivers who probably did not have experience driving school busses and would stop every time someone rang the bell, just for noone to get off and the driver to get progressively more annoyed.
Eventually it became a bit of a battle between the people ringing the bell having fun delaying people and the people being delayed who just want to be home.

 

[WM Bus]

In the North East, it’s quite common for most people (including elderly/seniors) to stand up and walk to the front of the bus as soon as they ring the bell.

If you don't come to the front there's the chance of the bus driving straight past the stop as the driver didn't see anyone waiting to get off.
In the West Midlands and Worcestershire areas people come to the front normally.

 

[richw]

Not something I've ever noticed. What has become commonplace, however, is not moving off until passengers have taken a seat - this particularly applies to the elderly or unsteady (who obviously form a large proportion of the middle of the day business).

It was drummed into us at the induction for the very large company I now work for that this should be the case. I assume a litigation has happened somewhere.

As for reversing mentioned earlier in the thread, it’s always been an urban myth that buses aren’t allowed to reverse when in service. There is no such rule, although some company policies may require banks-men etc. sometimes it’s unavoidable. Meeting other large vehicles in a narrow rural route for example.
We have some routes in Plymouth that go down and serve a selection of cul de sacs. The 4B for example I’m sure spends more time reversing than going forward

 

[satisnek]

In trentbartonland it appears to be quite common for people to remain seated until the bus stops. This creates an awkward situation when boarding, where you've put one or both feet on the bus when the driver signals you to wait because someone sat towards the back has only just stood up. It's impossible to know if you have to wait for someone to get off first. Meanwhile in Kidderminster there's no 'bus culture' as such. You just wait for the bus to turn up (not a given), pay your fare or flash your ticket on the scanner (some people mess around with smartphones) and find a clean seat to sit on. When you want to get off, you wait until the bus has passed the previous stop, then hit the bell and hope that the driver stops to let you off (again not a given - button doesn't work, dashboard lamp failed etc.).

As for reversing on the highway, there was a standoff in Findern, Derbyshire a couple of months back. The bus driver flatly refused to back up (even turning the engine off) because he was not permitted to do so (he said) and so did the car driver because he was a self-important prat. Suffice to say, the bus won in the end. Once again, in Kidderminster, such an act of defiance by turning the engine off is generally not done because the driver would look a right wally when he found that he couldn't start it again.

 

[adrianjohnson]

I've noticed some trentbarton drivers do not open the doors when the bus stops until the people who have rung the bell have reached the front. This does help stop the awkward situation where those wanting to get on don't wait for those getting off. Otherwise, some drivers signal to passengers to wait to board until people have got off first.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

My wife has noticed of late that many Arriva bus drivers have not been giving tickets for journeys made after paying her £2 fares. On several occasions, she has asked for a ticket but the driver has backed out with some excuse such as the ticket machine not working.

 

[1D54]

I use Arriva Midlands daily paying the £2 and this has never happened to me. Your wife might want to email them with her concerns, on the odd occasion when the machine hasn't been working I've had a free trip, sounds like something untoward may be going on.

 

[Rob F]

Culture can vary by company rather than by area. In Nottingham in the late 80s, early 90s if you were on NCT you used the bell to get the bus to stop. On Barton, however, you staggered to the front and asked the driver to stop. This was in the days when Barton used coaches as service buses so I don't even know if they were equipped with bells.

I do know that when I visited my girlfriend in West/North Yorkshire (Keighley and Skipton) that all the buses were equipped with bells but nobody used them. Even on a double decker, you would negotiate the stairs to ask the driver to stop. Once, when I forgot and pressed the bell the driver admonished me and said ' we don't use them things, lad'. Lesson learned!

NCT - Nottingham City Transport

 

[richw]

I've noticed some trentbarton drivers do not open the doors when the bus stops until the people who have rung the bell have reached the front. This does help stop the awkward situation where those wanting to get on don't wait for those getting off. Otherwise, some drivers signal to passengers to wait to board until people have got off first.

I do this. Seems people more and more are trying to push on before unloaded if I don’t take control as mentioned here

 

[Siemens Trains]

I do this. Seems people more and more are trying to push on before unloaded if I don’t take control as mentioned here

That's useful to know, thanks. If the bus door doesn't open promptly when I'm waiting to board I assume it's broken and give it a good thump or tug, depending on which direction looks most likely to break free. Sounds like another case supporting dual door vehicle re-introduction.

 

[richw]

That's useful to know, thanks. If the bus door doesn't open promptly when I'm waiting to board I assume it's broken and give it a good thump or tug, depending on which direction looks most likely to break free. Sounds like another case supporting dual door vehicle re-introduction.

It stems from loss of etiquette from members of the public. Shouldn’t be necessary but it’s a sign of the times. If you give it a yank and damage it as the driver hasn’t released it you risk causing damage then the bus will go nowhere. I can’t imagine you being popular with the other passengers then.

 

[Mojo]

Buses generally have notices advising passengers to remain in their seats but this is really there to avoid a lawsuit if someone falls. Able-bodied passengers should be able to navigate handrails and stairs on a moving bus provided the driver doesn’t stop too quickly.

On double decker buses in London I struggle to stand up whilst the bus is in motion unless I am able to hold two separate handrails. So if I have a suitcase or bag then I will wait until the bus has stopped.

 

[LowLevel]

I miss the old days in the West Midlands. In the summer the doors often never shut at all, otherwise they were open before the bus stopped.

Walk in, chuck change in hopper, ticket popped out, sit down. If you didn't have change, a stop or twos grace was always allowed to go and ask the other passengers and The Rule was that if you could change a fiver to help someone out, you would, as it would inevitably happen to you at some point. You'd be doing 20 mph before you had a hope of being in a seat unless you were really elderly.

Late running would result in the driver bellowing "hold tight!" as they threw the bus around corners on two wheels.

You could use the bell, but the custom was to get down to the front in good time, including from the top deck, and cling on to the ticket printer. Pressing the bell more than once would result in loud cursing from the cab.

The door would usually be open before you reached the stop and the first one off usually out before the bus stopped moving.

The modern way where I am now of pressing the bell and waiting for the bus to stop seems awfully slow, same for the practice of waiting for people to dither around selecting seats before pulling off again.

I can still hear the howl of an MCW Metrobus spooling down with the driver stamping on the brakes and the bang of the doors.

 

[markymark2000]

It stems from loss of etiquette from members of the public. Shouldn’t be necessary but it’s a sign of the times. If you give it a yank and damage it as the driver hasn’t released it you risk causing damage then the bus will go nowhere. I can’t imagine you being popular with the other passengers then.

I've even seen a number of passengers now start to press the emergency door open button and try to let themselves onto the bus when the driver is sat in the cab quite clearly having a small bit of layover or break. On a coach recently, a gentleman behind me kept mistaking the curtain for a public handkerchief.

 

[TUC]

It stems from loss of etiquette from members of the public. Shouldn’t be necessary but it’s a sign of the times. If you give it a yank and damage it as the driver hasn’t released it you risk causing damage then the bus will go nowhere. I can’t imagine you being popular with the other passengers then.

More likely due to some bus drivers being extraordinary bad at communication. I do sometimes wonder 'you did know when you applied for the job that by definition it involves talking to people, did you?

 

[richw]

More likely due to some bus drivers being extraordinary bad at communication. I do sometimes wonder 'you did know when you applied for the job that by definition it involves talking to people, did you?

If the doors are left shut the driver doesn’t want the passengers on for whatever reason.
Personally I shut the bus up and go for a walk if I’ve a 10 mins or longer layover in a terminus

 

[Typhoon]

Getting off the bus - depends on the stop. At my most used stops, I am probably the only person getting off. At the stops approaching my stop I will try to move forward so I am in a seat near the front, so to show I want that stop I start to get up grabbing a pole so if the driver looks in the mirror, they can see I am making a move. If they don't seem like they are slowing down I might say 'This stop please driver'. If it is a regularly used stop, particularly if there are people waiting to get on, I will stay seated until the bus stops. Younger people seem quite happy to stand in the wheelchair space before getting off - yesterday a driver got out of his cab and told them to move and sit down as a wheelchair bound passenger was joining. I have been on a bus where someone fell down the stairs while the bus was in motion, blaming the driver. I could see them coming down stairs, urban road, heavy traffic, plenty of side roads. Daft.

I do this. Seems people more and more are trying to push on before unloaded if I don’t take control as mentioned here

Happens here, too (East Kent). All that happens is that people get on with, say, a buggy or shopping trolley, people then cannot get down stairs, more people get on who want to go upstairs, they then have to get off while those alighting do so. Wastes time, then people moan that the bus is late.

On my school bus the bell became useless as people would just randomly ring it, the main way to get the bus to stop was by request to the driver.

Rarely we'd get drivers who probably did not have experience driving school busses and would stop every time someone rang the bell, just for noone to get off and the driver to get progressively more annoyed.
Eventually it became a bit of a battle between the people ringing the bell having fun delaying people and the people being delayed who just want to be home.

Not just school buses round here, I've seen really young kids (say in buggies) doing it as well as some groups of holiday makers. Parents seem unwilling to stop it. The worry for a driver must be the difference between a genuine ring and a nuisance ring! There are also some who just don't know where they are.

If the doors are left shut the driver doesn’t want the passengers on for whatever reason.

Stacks of good reasons. If it is en-route, there could be one or more people on the upper deck struggling to get down (a particular irritation - I am finding steps difficult with age so I only go upstairs if I am joining and leaving at a popular stop so not inconveniencing staff and fellow passengers, although I prefer upstairs). The driver could be waiting for someone to manipulate their wheelchair out. They may be waiting for an engineer or a call from the depot. I will take one step forward then stop to signify I want that bus (particularly at stops where more than one route stops,as much as anything to tell others that I want to get on so don't push in). Most drivers will point to the stairs if there is someone coming.

 

[Nawm8]

As a Driver in Edinburgh I'm not really fussed by folk getting up and being by the door. My only gripe is with the elderly and infirm as I'm more than happy to allow them time to get up from their seat, but when they're hobbling down the gangway it's just undue stress I don't need, especially the state of the roads and the odd bus with a touchy retarder/brakes!

 

[birchesgreen]

In Birmingham on a National Express bus, I ring the bell and get up as the bus approaches the stop.

Though if I am on a Stagecoach bus in Warks, I ring the bell and wait for the bus to stop. I don't know why I do it differently, I just do.

 

[richw]

I am finding steps difficult with age so I only go upstairs if I am joining and leaving at a popular stop so not inconveniencing staff and fellow passengers, although I prefer upstairs).

Not knowing exactly how much you struggle this scares me when someone very immobile goes up, and I think to myself I hope I don’t need to evacuate quick in an emergency. We’ve all seen the news clips how fast a bus burns if it catches fire