Bus Drivers Waving

[ReverendFozz]

Every now and again, I get some really daft thoughts running through my head and yesterday was no different, me and a mate, who is a bus driver, got talking about why they wave to each other and he did not know. A guy I know who is now an inspector, once reckoned he was once told it started as a way to tell your mate there was an inspector or boss kicking about and the wave informed each other of that.

Is waving to each other a common thing all over, do drivers only acknowledge there own company, or just there own depot, my mate once told me Coach drivers look down on bus drivers and that he looked down on Stagecoach Sunderland.

Do train drivers acknowledge each other with a wave, I have seen taxi drivers do it as well, and because I know most of the drivers who drive my local services I get the wave

Like I said I have said, I have daft thoughts, but it was something I was thinking about all day...

Think I need to get out more

 

[Johnuk123]

I would imagine airline pilots would wave to each other if they weren't going so fast.

Any Police officer will tell you when they're out and about in cars they get many a cheery wave from certain members of the public especially about 2.00 a.m. outside nightclubs.

 

[RPM]

Do train drivers acknowledge each other with a wave, I have seen taxi drivers do it as well, and because I know most of the drivers who drive my local services I get the wave

Like I said I have said, I have daft thoughts, but it was something I was thinking about all day...

Think I need to get out more

Yes train drivers always wave to each other, regardless of which TOC/FOC we work for. Even exchange waves with LUL drivers where we run parallel. Usually exchange waves with signallers too, when in AB signalled area.

 

[156441]

You'll find us guards waving out of back cabs at each other as well!!

Think it's just a friendly thing as we have blackberrys to keep each other abreast of the gaffer knocking about!

 

[TheWalrus]

In Swindon Stagecoach wave to everyone. Thamesdown usually do but some are a bit moody an dont wave!

 

[ReverendFozz]

So did it actually start as a way of signalling each to alert of the Gaffer kicking and it just turned into a friendly thing, some unwritten rule you must acknowledge a brother bus driver, lol.

One of the more interesting acknowledgments I saw was my mate, who borrowed his xbox version of guitar hero to one of the lads in his depot an from then on this wave became a blast on air guitar and if I saw this guy he would sometimes put a fist to his neck as if he was putting rope round to tell me he was having a bad day, and some of the lads even give military style Salutes to each other

 

[A-driver]

Train drivers do wave but also have signals we pass on warning other drivers of things such as 'DM in the cab', 'speed gun ahead' or 'your tail lights are on the front/you don't have a headlight on' etc.

Or if you know the driver of the train you are overtaking then a long blast on the horn will do.

 

[Antman]

Just a friendly gesture, the thumbs down usually indicates inspectors on the prowl or something similar, although on a short bus route you can pass the same drivers numerous times during the shift and it I suppose it gets a bit pointless waving every time.

Train drivers generally seem to acknowledge each other although watching a DVD of a French TGV it says the tradition of drivers waving to each other is no more on them because they just cannot see each other at high speed.

 

[A-driver]

Train drivers generally seem to acknowledge each other although watching a DVD of a French TGV it says the tradition of drivers waving to each other is no more on them because they just cannot see each other at high speed.

Waving becomes a habit though-I still wave at night & in tunnels even though I can't be seen-its a reflex!

I even caught myself waving at a SWT driver as he came into Southampton a while back even though I don't know any swt drivers and was not even in uniform. I felt a bit silly when he blanked me in front of all the other passengers-just force of habit though!

 

[Searle]

Driving Instructors do this, at least my old one did. They all seem to know each other

 

[notadriver]

Oops A-Driver you well you weren't driving a train then. Easily done. I try not to wave if I'm not driving in case exactly that happens.

It's often the case that bus and coach drivers don't wave to each other. It's some snobbery coach drivers started. I make sure when I'm driving a coach I wave at buses for this very reason and they always wave back.

Another phenomenon passengers won't see is that drivers of suburban metro and main line trains sometimes don't wave to each other. It could be snobbery on the part of main line drivers and in my last TOC I know I was ignored by those speed demons on the fast lines
So now I'm one of them I make sure to wave at the drivers of stopping trains and they kindly wave back

 

[90019]

Is waving to each other a common thing all over, do drivers only acknowledge there own company, or just there own depot

Who I wave to depends where I am (and who waves to me).

If I'm in the city centre, it's really just the other single deck drivers from my depot, as there are far too many buses to wave to everyone.

Outside the city centre, from my perspective as a Central single deck driver, I'll wave to all other single deck drivers, some decker drivers from Central, and anyone who waves to me.
Once I get further out and am only passing buses every few minutes, I'll wave to any other bus drivers, regardless of company.

 

[185]

Running side by side with a certain joker, I was mooned at last month from a back cab

 

[Galvanize]

Most bus drivers in London seem to wave at eachother, even if the one going the other way belongs to a rival operator!

I remember one such driver a few years back, on my way home from school, he seemed rather glum for most of the journey, instead of waving back at passing drivers, he'd just give them a small nod. However, near the end of the journey, there was a particular lady driver on the one going the other way, the driver's expression suddenly changed and he started doing a funny dance like motion!! The lady driver in the opposite direction did the same as well, and for the rest of the journey, my driver couldn't help but have a cheesy grin on his face!

 

[anthony263]

I wave at other bus drivers even if they are working for otehr operators. I even give a wave to the engineers and or SP's (support personel) if I happen to pass them.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

The Arriva drivers that do the Merseyrail rail replacement driving wave to each-other, then stop right in the middle of the road then have a 20 minute chat :roll:

 

[Welshman]

It's not only bus and train drivers of differing companies who greet eachother.
The Marine Lake Railway at Rhyl runs parallel with the Chester-Holyhead line for a little way, and there's often an exchange of whistles and horns when the trains pass eachother.

 

[AlexS]

Seems to be a fairly common thing in this sort of industry really - as a platform bert I always wave at passing train drivers, whether they're my TOC, other passenger, freight or even tampers

 

[scotsman]

I'll give bus drivers a wave when I'm on the platform of my bus, occasionally they give me a wave. I'd wave at the conductors on Edinburgh Bus Tours' buses, but they don't have open platforms - so it's hard to see them.