Thanking a bus driver

[Railcar]

These days, it is quite usual to thenk the bus driver when leaving a bus. Is "Thank you", OK? or (as some people say) "thank you driver"? "Thank you, driver" has a whiff of thanking a servant (although a bus driver is a 'public servant'). This has relevence for buses outside London (except London's W5) where one exits at a door next to the driver

 

[transportphoto]

How do you say thank you to any other customer facing person you come across? A bus driver is no different. I’m confused as to what you’re trying to get at here.

 

[Bertie the bus]

It is quite alarming that when people are just trying to be pleasant and polite someone tries to construe it as treating someone disrespectfully and as an underling.

 

[Gloster]

I always say ‘Cheers’, which I hope is sufficient, particularly as so many just blunder off the bus without a word. The problem with saying ‘Driver’ is that you must get the tone right: the same word can be quite normal or, as said in #1, as though you are talking down to the driver. I hope that ‘Cheers’ at least sounds friendly.

 

[yorksrob]

"Cheers" for me. Unless it's been a particularly dreadful service, in which it's stoney silence.

 

[trainmania100]

Don't use the bus anymore myself but when I did before COVID I always said thanks

As a driver myself I have no use of the bus anymore. Never renewed my concession bus pass because of the hassle of changing councils prior to it's renewal. Just easier to drive. Quicker and not stopping every 60 seconds to pick up passengers.

 

[TheTallOne]

If you were in Bristol, I think it would be "Cheers Drive"

 

[duffield]

"Cheers" for me. Unless it's been a particularly dreadful service, in which it's stoney silence.

Same here. Short and simple and virtually impossible to get the tone wrong. "Cheers" and "Ta" seem most common where I live.

 

[Llanigraham]

If you were in Bristol, I think it would be "Cheers Drive"

And over here in Wales!

 

[Stossgebet]

I always thanks my bus drivers, or boeing drivers if it's one of them, and the flight deck door is open as i leave leave the aircraft

 

[Bletchleyite]

"Cheers" for me. Unless it's been a particularly dreadful service, in which it's stoney silence.

Same. Or if it's a rear exit bus, a cheery wave towards the wing mirror/camera.

 

[StoneRoad]

"Cheers", or "Ta, muchly" most of the time ---
also similar to the guard of the train when leaving.

Unless the journey was really diabolical !
[Although I sometimes sympathise in that case]

 

[DaleCooper]

Cheers, thanks or thank you, as the mood takes me.

 

[yorksrob]

Same. Or if it's a rear exit bus, a cheery wave towards the wing mirror/camera.

It has to be really bad for the stoney silence

 

[AM9]

I always say ‘Cheers’, which I hope is sufficient, particularly as so many just blunder off the bus without a word. The problem with saying ‘Driver’ is that you must get the tone right: the same word can be quite normal or, as said in #1, as though you are talking down to the driver. I hope that ‘Cheers’ at least sounds friendly.

There's nothing wrong with just 'thank you', - it's no less polite or friendly than 'ta'.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Always greet the driver when I board ! - a "morning" or "Afternoon" as relevant. Common courtesy ......

 

[Mikey C]

I generally say thanks to the driver if leaving a single door bus

On a London dual door bus, I give an acknowledgement wave when leaving

 

[PeterC]

Always greet the driver when I board ! - a "morning" or "Afternoon" as relevant. Common courtesy ......

So do I. When our village was was served by Red Rose drivers and passengers recognised each other it was natural. When Carousel diverted a commercial route through the village the drivers usually look surprised.

 

[WAO]

In deepest Berkshire, it was always the custom to thank the Thames Valley driver - perhaps because the country buses were so uncertain that a successful arrival was a relief. This became contagious in the 70's and 80's and spread to the efficient Reading Corporation services and is now the friendly custom there across all passenger ethnicities.

I find it now widespread in the UK, apparently it was always so in Ireland.

WAO

 

[vuzzeho]

I don't overthink it, I just say 'Thank you' or 'Thanks'. Since I live in London, I do this as I get on. When I'm not in London, just do it when I get off.

 

[Locky]

Thanks mate! With a wave of the arm so the driver can see in rear mirror.

 

[6Gman]

And over here in Wales!

Or "diolch" in some parts.

 

[dk1]

When getting out of my train cab I often get a “thank you” or “thanks driver”.

I always say “cheers” as getting off a bus unless the driver was unfriendly when I originally boarded which isn’t often.

 

[Falcon1200]

"Thank you, driver" has a whiff of thanking a servant (although a bus driver is a 'public servant').

I always thank bus drivers when alighting, because they are providing me with a vital service, which has quite often meant getting up early in the morning, and always means contending with driving a large vehicle through busy and crowded streets amongst motorists who would never even consider letting a bus out in front of them.

I also thank others, such as shop assistants (but not self-service machines....)

 

[ScottGallagher]

I've always found a divide on this from living in London where some bus drivers just blank or look at you as if you have two heads if you even so much as say good morning, to the rural where its so much friendlier.

 

[Mgameing123]

So do I. When our village was was served by Red Rose drivers and passengers recognised each other it was natural. When Carousel diverted a commercial route through the village the drivers usually look surprised.

Let me guess: Penn Street or Winchmore Hill?

 

[PeterC]

Let me guess: Penn Street or Winchmore Hill?

Ley Hill

 

[Calthrop]

Oddish take on this thing for me, perhaps -- from relatively early on, until about 2003: I lived in London -- where in those times, one entered and exited the bus, via the rear: interaction with the driver, not a feature. On moving to the Birmingham area, I discovered the custom there of -- with "in and out" at the front, past the driver -- when getting out, thanking the driver (via one's preferred form of words). It struck me then -- to some extent, still does -- as a bit weird (why thank the chap for just doing his job?); but at the same time: rather sweet, and benign. From fairly early-on in Brum: I acquired the habit of, on "exiting", saying "thank you" to the driver -- except in stressful or concentration-requiring situations, when it may with me, go by the board.

I have to wonder whether there's a more than tiny minority of curmudgeonly drivers, whose sentiment is: "I get sick to death of being thanked twenty thousand times a day -- I'm just doing my bloody job -- can't people just shut the **** up and simply get off the vehicle?"

 

[Dave W]

Plenty of single door buses in London of course but I do think the W5 is worthy of particular study. The same roster of drivers operated the same 3 or 4 buses on the route for the entirety of the time I lived near or on it (at more than one point in my London "career" literally outside one of its "stops" - by the end of living on Crouch End Broadway I could recognise the individual bus AND driving style just by the sound but they'd started moving away from the Optares by then) - that to me had the feel of a proper community bus you'd get anywhere in the country and pleasantries were exchanged.

It running through leafy Crouch End and Highgate helped of course, but either end (Harringay and Archway) were hardly bastions of rural community life, so it's interesting how that developed.

 

[birchesgreen]

Usually say "thanks driver".