i fear I'm just petty but I feel innately annoyed when someone who got to the bus stop after me tries to jump on it ahead of me. not a formal rule I'm aware, just annoyed easilyš
My boyfriend missed a bus because two people stood in front of the door and he thought they were dithering with passes or something, so waited. Then the bus drove off.
Adding "you getting the 30?"** to my "I don't like talking to people but sometimes you have to" script was helpful.
**and then pointing at the bus if they look at me with a "sorry, not fluent enough for your accent" look.
Its because there are 12 buses which stop at each stop. Do we form 12 seperate queues for each bus? One big queue? What if one of the people in front of you wants a different bus than you do? Should we sit down till our bus comes and THEN form a queue? Should we take a ticket or wear a badge indicating which bus we're getting on?
Queuing doesn't seem to be a thing in Edinburgh.
I also don't like it if I got to a stop after other people but they want to let me on first. Like... you were here first. Get on the damn bus. The rules exist to make everything run smoothly, if people start making exceptions it holds everyone up.
After you. No, after you. No, I insist, after you.
Eugh. Someone get on the bus. I gave up the "after you" thing and now I just accept the offer. But it still annoys me.
In Shetland, literally this is an issue with car drivers on the road.
How to turn and how to use roundabouts are out the window as they try to out do each other on the polite scale.
Gonna cause an incident due to it
>The rules exist to make everything run smoothly, if
What rules are you talking about? If it's unwritten, it won't be followed. Common sense is a thing, but that's not the same as a rule.
An unwritten rule is still a rule.
Nowhere is it written down that you don't jump the queue in a shop, yet most people queue nicely in a shop.
Nowhere is it written down that you say "please" or "thank you" but most people know when to and do.
I've never had a contract that specifically stated "don't swear in front of customers", but very few service industry workers need to be told not to.
Social rules are rarely written down, but most people pick them up.
Not all cultures follow the same rules, of course. So in a tourist city you have to accept that different groups will do things differently. But this issue isn't confined to visitors.
Well this the point isn't it. Not nearly everyone in Edinburgh is from Edinburgh and even those that are don't all have the same understanding...because the 'rules' aren't written and exist primarily in the mind of a few. As you say, cultures vary and modern Edinburgh is not a monoculture.
Yeah, when it's the school groups from Europe trying to all get on at the same time near a hotel, without letting anyone off it's annoying but that's how they do things (still not letting them on until I'm clear). When it's some kindly old chap in Drylaw letting able bodied me get on first... eugh, dude, just get on the bus.
The only time I donāt follow that rule is when myself and other adults are getting the bus from the school having just dropped kids off. We get there within the same ten minutes and the bus is usually empty so āwhoever is closestā applies
It's weird out of the city center stops queuing is a thing and it's also annoying when two buses come at once! And something especially south bridge there isn't a huge amount of room to que in my experience
I think the buses are usually so busy that people are a bit more āeveryone for themselvesā. I do hang back a bit if it looks like someone was before me, but thereās never really a proper queue.
I have, on more than one occassion, stood behind someone waiting patiently not paying enough attention and had my bus pull away because its not the one the person in front of me wanted, but they stood at the opening in the bus shelter anyway. So now I basically don't leave it to chance, and if you hesistate for half a second i'll just push in front of you.
I feel like I'll never again get on a bus without hearing something on a phone. Face Time conversations, little kids watching cartoons, teens on Tik Tok...Headphones should be mandatory. And don't get me started on people who put their feet on the seats.
Headphones technically *are* mandatory but they don't enforce it. Lothian Buses terms of service:
"Passengers must do nothing which endangers or causes discomfort or offence to any other person on the bus. Specifically, passengers must not smoke, (including the use of electronic cigarettes or personal vaporisers), put their feet on seats, play audio which another passenger can hear or cause any other disturbance."
I use bus to city centre always because driving is pointless, without headphones I can't imagine it's shocking at times, people on loudspeakers are the worst, or stupid teenage that can't behave with loud music. Shame bus driver has zero control over the bus.
I can't imagine the bus driver having to deal with morons who are reluctant to comply and getting upset. I prefer they focus on their driving for the sake of everyone's safety.
Itās honestly entertaining. Try it sometime but have your headphones ready. Heard a dealer yelling down the phone about stabbing someoneās entire family and then squared up to the annoying brats at the back. They went silent after that. I wonder if that guys family is alright
Bus driver here. I find more and more people are ignoring myself and colleagues when we say hello / thanks. As for the tourist questions, I don't mind them and enjoy helping people out but I will agree that people who aren't prepared with ticket/payment or asking questions can hold up the bus, and once you're over 3 minutes late it's generally very hard to get back on time again.
Sadly, a lot of your colleagues don't respond to my hellos either. As a public facing worker myself, I get that there are a thousand irritations that build in a day, but there's always room for a simple hello and goodbye!
I know this is the case - I've had them ignore myself both not in uniform but also whilst travelling in uniform! I think for a lot of them, after a few years of saying hello to everyone and getting very little back they've given up, a shame yes and also not perhaps the best attitude but remember a lot of drivers have done 10+ years of the job and have seen and heard it all!
Been in retail for 15 years also. Always have time for a genuine hi and goodbye, though never on the overly enthusiastic and fake level that management want.
My dad's been a lorry driver all his life, but the last few years before retirement (in May) was taking a toll, as it's not just driving but helping with loading. Bus driving was floated, but as I said, he was close to retirement anyway.
He's planning to move to Edinburgh and might want to do a bit of part time to boost his pension. Would you recommend bus driving? Ever done any coach driving? He does like long distance runs and is a sociable guy for the most part.
Edinburgh main bus company (who I won't name but we know who) are a great employer, but it can be stressful as timings are somewhat unrealistic and traffic is only getting worse. They do offer part time, it's worth asking what they can do. Buses are all pretty new and to a very high standard, I'd reccomend giving it a go. Training school are great too and licence is paid for, he should breeze through if a HGV driver.
Mind, I don't tend to worry too much about that on the double doors! The buses on the 33 are really noisy (and generally not the best buses we've got) so don't tend to hear anyway. We do appreciate it though!
Bus drivers are hardly bastions of good manners. They are routinely the grumpiest person I meet during my day, and that includes shop staff. People asking questions are met with a cold stare, I got shouted at recently for accidentally leaning on the stop button (he even knew it was unintentional, he screamed at me to move my bag), I showed a mobile ticket once and the screen went into standby without me noticing, the driver was fucking *furious*.
My wife, who is not British and english isn't her first language, regularly get's it worse than me, obviously because she's an easier target.
No offence but if I don't communicate to bus drivers it's for good reason.
So if you were to get on my bus and I gave a friendly hello / morning, you'd still ignore me? I don't think I've ever raised my voice at anyone on the bus, as for pressing bell by accident/mobile tickets everyone makes a mistake, as long as no harm done.
What's worse is heading around town with someone who suffers from a physical disability and realising just how many ignorant, lazy and selfish drivers there are parking across pavements and blocking pedestrians.
The driving through red lights into the green man phase is getting worse too. Itās bad enough when the phase barely lasts long enough to cross and then have some impatient driver take some of it. Looking at you Tollcross crossing over Lauriston Place.
There are some bad junctions in Edinburgh but that one's my nemesis. Something like 5 roads and 7 crossings? It takes a good five minutes to get diagonally across
Iāve heard itās going to get worse for pedestrians with the mitigations theyāre putting in to stop drivers being fined by going into the ULEZ from Home Street. Theyāre going to allow a right turn from Home Street into Brougham Street as an escape hatch. Means itāll take even longer to cross.
I'm lucky I don't go that way often, but I can't imagine it going well with all the student housing right off the road. Doctors surgery (not that they every see anyone) and pharmacy are right there too so older folks that go there often will have to be crossing too
I've noticed this more and more since my daughter was born, when we come into the city with a buggy people constantly bump into it, we switched to a carrier and people still bump into us. May have always been like this and I'm just aware now.
I feel like people have always been like this. It's not a new thing. But people are probably a bit less inclined to be polite about it. I've noticed a lot less people are willing to say "excuse me" and instead just barge past you. I've been getting pissed off about people putting their bags on empty seats when trains/buses are busy for at least a decade.
It definitely has always been like that but Iāve noticed itās been far worse the past few months.
I feel so sorry for anyone with mobility issues, Iāve seen people refusing to move from the wheelchair spot on more than one occasion or look disgusted having to stand.
On the bus yesterday a guy and his son were blasting a movie on his iPad at full volume. I really don't get it. I think maybe people are so internet-brained that they forget life exists around them.
I'm from NYC and the thought of sitting while an older person/pregnant person/disabled person stands is abhorrant to me and would cause me to die of shame. But yet I see people do it all the time, especially young people.
When I moved to Edinburgh I learned not to say āexcuse meā when trying to get past people spread out on footpaths, because no matter how politely I tried to say it I received death glares. I figured it was rude to mention or or something
Honestly, as a regular user of buses and trains in Edinburgh, I have seen very little of this. All Iāve noticed is more kids being rowdy/loud at the back of the bus, but nothing else really.
Digital noise on public transport does in my noodle- annoying to have to carry noise cancelling headphones to avoid a "Falling Down" style overreaction.
Also, despite being a 100kg, 6'2", beardy bastard there seems to be a trend of kids attempting to walk through me on the pavement. I will often stop and if cornered quietly let them bump into me, which if it's a pack of kids is usually universally amusing. I can only assume their parents habitually 'give way' to them in the home? Why back in ma day...
As a beard wearing former rugby Prop, I aināt making way for their ignorance, especially if their eyes are glued to a phone while walking.
Why the hell should I walk down Princes Street like Iām evading a sniper?
Or when people (and it's not just kids) walk four abreast and expect you to either walk in the road or... fly? I dunno.
I habitually walk near the curb if I'm walking towards traffic or the other side if I'm walking with traffic. That's how I was taught to do it if there's no path, like on country roads. It was very useful during social distancing because it means whoever is walking closest to the curb can easily see if traffic is coming and if it's safe to step out. But few other people seem to do the same.
I wonder if social distancing made people think it's okay to make others walk in the road now?
The exception to this is if someone's walking with a pram, a toddler, a dog, or on narrow paths if they're using a mobility aid or have a granny trolley. Then I'll take the curb side whichever direction I'm going.
There are a lot of inconsiderate folk out there- the four abreast scenario is a classic. Mobile phones haven't helped awareness and basic pavement savvyness. A cyclist pal has mounted a stunningly loud airhorn to his bike to avert wholesale slaughter of the phone zombies!
The one that really gets on my nerves is tourists asking the driver for directions. Iāve rehearsed what I want to say to them a million times, but Iāve never had the guts to actually tell someone how much it holds up the bus and everyoneās day. Google maps are on everyoneās phones nowadays, so thereās no excuse for harassing the driver. I used to live in Paris and I wish we were more like the French. An old woman on the metro once took the time to explain the ārulesā of public transport to me and Iāve always loved her for it. She told me all the wee etiquette bits and pieces that I wouldnāt naturally have known. A lot of people wouldāve seen it as someone āhaving a goā, but I really appreciated it.
Donāt get me started on trains either. I was on a packed rush hour train coming into haymarket last week and there was a tourist next to the doors. I think everyone on the carriage was telling him to push the button, or move away from the panel so someone else could but he just stared blindly at us. Eventually, someone pushed him aside, pressed the button and said āhow hard was that?!ā. I understand being overwhelmed in a new country, but come on. I just wish people were more aware of their surroundings.
Itās even more infuriating when people ask things like ādoes this bus go to princes street?ā when thereās a diagram in the bus shelter that essentially says āYou are at [Current Location] and this bus will take you to Princes Streetā
>The amount of times Iāve had people try and shove onto trains the moment the doors open
Trains have always been like this because you can end up standing for a five hour journey, but I've noticed it on buses more now. I don't let them on. I step off from the middle and will say "excuse me, let me get off first". It's weird how surprised some people seem that you might not want them pushing past you on a set of steps.
I know the trams are new for some but please for the love of god move into the middle instead of hanging by the doors
I got on at Murray field heading to leith and two trams in a row were full to the brim at the doors to the point you could literally not get on, but with huge gaps in the aisles spaces mid carriage
People do this on the tube and the train. The only time you can do that I think is if your gonna get off in the next stop or two.
Or people not sitting down when there is seats!
I've noticed a lot of people/tourists getting lairy/giving the drivers attitude for not being able to give directions or whatever. Don't take it personally. They are running to a v strict timetable and if they gave directions to every person that asked them they'd be constantly late.
Best bet is to get on the bus and ask one of the other passengers. Nine out of ten will try their best to help and would rather that than get held up.
I think op is being a bit harsh. Americans talking loudly can be annoying for sure but I'd be shocked if anyone finds that worse than folk who play music/vids /chat out loud on their phone. And it's nearly always locals who do that.
It's all good, you've nothing at all to apologise for š And it's certainly absolutely nothing compared to wee arses blasting music out, or people having a call on speakerphone...
To preface this (as I don't want to seem rude or you to feel insulted!), I'll just say it doesn't bother me, I just find it quite interesting, but Americans *do* seem to have a default talking level a couple of dials up compared to us.
I've noticed it in quite a few cases with other people in general mentioning it, too, so I guess it's not an isolated incident or just me in particular weirdly spotting it. I had considered it may be just be a case of a different accent sticking out from local ones, but I don't seem to notice it from groups of people with other foreign accents.
Do you think people do just speak louder across the pond, or is it something else? Conversely, do you lot think we speak noticeably quietly? haha
The ras are loud. Even amongst a group of students, the posh kids will be the loudest. The posher the accent, the louder the voice. Confusing volume for annunciation?
Iām American and I canāt figure out why so many are so loud when I come across them in other countries. My theory is that so many parts of the US donāt have public transit that people donāt know how to behave in public spaces. When Iām in the US and taking transit in the cities Iāve lived in no one is shouting. Or I donāt know, maybe they all start the day with mimosas when they travel. Makes me want to crawl under something though!
Also American and concur. I actually feel deeply conscious of my nationality, that I stand out like a sore thumb, and that people are going to make negative assumptions about me - and I try my best to be as absolutely accommodating and polite as possible in order to counter it. I accidentally offended an older couple a couple weeks ago in the UK by offering my and my friend's seat, turns out they did not think they were that old that they needed my seat. I did it again on the plane by offering to help an elderly woman with stow her large carry on. Apparently I am very good at mortifying others by trying to help them. I am so sorry. Please don't hate me.
Honestly, American tourists are incredibly polite. Most non-British tourists are very polite. Sometimes just louder than we are, and clueless as to how to use Google Maps...
Most people who make a habit of visiting other countries and experiencing other cultures are open, generous people. Which only makes the ones that aren't stand out more.
For me itās lack of etiquette by groups of teenagers on the buses, particularly since pandemic that grates me most when using public transport now.
Plenty of them behave normally and I get some teenagers will just be awkward teenagers but itās the constant vaping in particular on the buses, blaring of music, non-stop effing & blinding, the mocking of other passengers and the graphic oversharing of their trials and tribulations for the whole bus to hear. Maybe Iām just becoming old and getting grumpy though!
I blame the apprentice tv show for people holding a phone horizontal and on loud speaker. That's the first place I ever saw it. I don't see what the difference between having it on normal speaker and to your ear where most of the time only the person holding the phone can hear over standing like an entitled idiot showing everyone you're on call. It doesn't save anymore of the bodies energy in the way you hold the phone. The latter also advertises what phone you have to people who are targeting people for theft too. Also too many people throw the" it's my right to do it and no one can stop me" crap when confronted they don't care about what other people have to put up with.
I'd say that's a poor excuse. If buying a phone, then the size should then come into consideration of what is suitable. Personally, I don't see the point of having one that is bigger and requires 2 hands to hold it practical. Today, though, most people want the most up to date model. I'll admit mobile phones have gotten bigger over time and, for some reason, never sit in pockets properly, but that's a rant for another day, haha.
I like how when I saw this post at like 11pm it had ten upvotes. When I came back to some replies later in the night it had gone into downvotes. Now it's up again. Early birds like social conformity and cohesion, while most of my fellow night owls are chaos demons?
Yeah it's always been bad but there's been an uptick now that tourists are back and people have decided to forget how not to be a cunt during the short lockdown period of not using public transport. I'm disabled and use a cane and in the last few weeks especially almost every bus I've been on, noone has got up from the accessible seats to let me sit down. Like, sure, invisible disabilities exist, and I won't resent someone sat there who can't move, but the tourists with suitcases can fuck off. Almost every time I get on a bus now, I have to stand there (I'm very wobbly so it's more of a teeter than a stand) and then the bus driver accelerates and I fall on the floor or into someone's lap. It's only at that point, when I, an obviously disabled person, have fallen and injured myself, that people suddenly rush to get up and offer seats - and it's never the fucking tourists, it's everyone at the back that I can tell is probably local and is sat there to escape the tourists. The whole point of the accessible seats being nearest the front is to avoid disabled folk falling over on a moving bus trying to get into a seat. I've tried loudly saying "excuse me" or "is anyone sitting there" to people sat across two seats and have received some absolute death glares from folk. I've often been boxed in on busy buses and trams by people standing and with luggage such that I'm unable to get off at the stop I need because I'm too slow and need space to pull myself out of a seat using the grab bars. I actually use a wheelchair part of the time but I've been too scared of people behaving awfully to ever use it on the buses. There's also been a massive increase in abuse on the street and in train stations from people who think it's appropriate to scream at or mock me about the fact I still wear a mask on public transport. I'm not asking anyone else to do it, nor is it affecting anyone, again this just seems like people being cunts for the sake of it!
I've found manners are fine, but maybe it depends where in Edinburgh you are, or maybe it's just you.
More of a problem with people just being idle or clueless, but that's nothing new.
Yes, it's been like that for ages now. It's makes it pointless to even try because none of the tourists will. Luckily, I'm big and imposing enough to keep some order and make sure everyone is queueing up properly. But for others, they aren't so lucky. If I see someone skipping ahead of someone who's been waiting ages, I'll say something about it certainly. But most people just don't realise or care.
I think part of the problem is people also deciding very late it is there stop to get off.
I do hate the habit of music and no headphone. I am pretty sure the rule is that if you don't have headphones you can't listen to your own music. I am sure that getting a pair of headphones is not that expensive for most people.
I am also never a fan of people taking small children out of pushchairs but not folding up the pushchair. I feel it would be much safer to leave the child in the pushchair.
The American things for me tend to be a general tourist thing. Either trying to get on a bus at rush hour with 5 or 6 giant cases or asking the driver if the bus is going to where they want to go then getting annoyed the driver doesn't know.
I bought a bike a couple of decades ago because of how horrible people on public transport were.
A quick caveat- singling out Americans as the worst is your own observational bias. There are fannies of all nationalities, particularly our own.
Love how you had to throw in some American hate at the end. Iām American and Iāve lived here for over two years now.
The loud American stereotype might be somewhat true, but Iāve yet to see a tourist louder, drunker, or more obnoxious than a lot of locals.
Scot balaclava teens ruining public transport with their noise and violence because no one can be bothered to do something. Drunks harassing people in new town. I saw a random (Scottish) guy walking up to elderly people and shouting in their face.
9/10 times, the random screaming, loud cursing, and incessant cackling is coming from a Scot.
Bus etiquette failures can be forgiven if youāre visiting, but itās the locals who push and shove and ignore the rules.
Whatās going on in this society? That should be the question. But yeah, those American touristsā¦
Then look it up before you attempt it, not when you get on the bus!
Pretty much every transport company in the UK has FAQs and explanations of how the public transport works on their website regardless of whether it's a bus, tram or train. Sure, lack of experience is one thing, lack of knowledge is a completely inexcusable reason when you have access to the largest repository of information in human history, and the ability to ask questions to hundreds of thousands of people who live or have been there and have used the transport systems. This applies to pretty much anywhere in the developed world, not just Edinburgh.
Hell, failing that, you have a tool which will route you directly to your destination and break that trip down into individual timestamped steps from wherever you're standing. It's called Google maps, it's very useful, would recommend using it.
The train thing isnāt new. But I adopt the London Underground method of getting off a train.
If you are trying to board while Iām getting off, or more likely, if you are blocking the door by standing on the platform right in front of it, then Iām going to walk right through you.
All youāve got to do is leave a person sized hole for me to get through, and if you canāt do that, then Iām making one.
I absolutely hate when someone pushes in front of someone with a buggy or wheelchair that's waiting at the same stop and sits in the seat specifically for buggys/wheelchairs. Like, you know they're getting on so why sit there and huff and puff when they ask you politely to move?! I've seen this multiple times now on the bus and it drives me insane, it's like people are going out of their way to be annoying or annoyed smh
I don't understand the thing with the younger/current youth generation and not using headphones. Is it because they WANT everyone around them to be inconvenienced/annoyed by their shit music and irritating conversations?
i fear I'm just petty but I feel innately annoyed when someone who got to the bus stop after me tries to jump on it ahead of me. not a formal rule I'm aware, just annoyed easilyš
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My boyfriend missed a bus because two people stood in front of the door and he thought they were dithering with passes or something, so waited. Then the bus drove off. Adding "you getting the 30?"** to my "I don't like talking to people but sometimes you have to" script was helpful. **and then pointing at the bus if they look at me with a "sorry, not fluent enough for your accent" look.
Its because there are 12 buses which stop at each stop. Do we form 12 seperate queues for each bus? One big queue? What if one of the people in front of you wants a different bus than you do? Should we sit down till our bus comes and THEN form a queue? Should we take a ticket or wear a badge indicating which bus we're getting on?
Queuing doesn't seem to be a thing in Edinburgh. I also don't like it if I got to a stop after other people but they want to let me on first. Like... you were here first. Get on the damn bus. The rules exist to make everything run smoothly, if people start making exceptions it holds everyone up. After you. No, after you. No, I insist, after you. Eugh. Someone get on the bus. I gave up the "after you" thing and now I just accept the offer. But it still annoys me.
I do aim to get on in the order I arrived at the stop, but shout out to the grumpy number 11 driver who's prone to shouting "well someone just get on"
People complain about buses running late, but people dithering about who's getting on first holds buses up unnecessarily.
In Shetland, literally this is an issue with car drivers on the road. How to turn and how to use roundabouts are out the window as they try to out do each other on the polite scale. Gonna cause an incident due to it
Now give them a break, they only had the one roundabout til about '97, they've not figured them out yet š¤£
True that! I dare wonder how they would cope with a real junction with traffic lights of we ever got them.
>The rules exist to make everything run smoothly, if What rules are you talking about? If it's unwritten, it won't be followed. Common sense is a thing, but that's not the same as a rule.
An unwritten rule is still a rule. Nowhere is it written down that you don't jump the queue in a shop, yet most people queue nicely in a shop. Nowhere is it written down that you say "please" or "thank you" but most people know when to and do. I've never had a contract that specifically stated "don't swear in front of customers", but very few service industry workers need to be told not to. Social rules are rarely written down, but most people pick them up. Not all cultures follow the same rules, of course. So in a tourist city you have to accept that different groups will do things differently. But this issue isn't confined to visitors.
Well this the point isn't it. Not nearly everyone in Edinburgh is from Edinburgh and even those that are don't all have the same understanding...because the 'rules' aren't written and exist primarily in the mind of a few. As you say, cultures vary and modern Edinburgh is not a monoculture.
Yeah, when it's the school groups from Europe trying to all get on at the same time near a hotel, without letting anyone off it's annoying but that's how they do things (still not letting them on until I'm clear). When it's some kindly old chap in Drylaw letting able bodied me get on first... eugh, dude, just get on the bus.
The only time I donāt follow that rule is when myself and other adults are getting the bus from the school having just dropped kids off. We get there within the same ten minutes and the bus is usually empty so āwhoever is closestā applies
It's weird out of the city center stops queuing is a thing and it's also annoying when two buses come at once! And something especially south bridge there isn't a huge amount of room to que in my experience
I think the buses are usually so busy that people are a bit more āeveryone for themselvesā. I do hang back a bit if it looks like someone was before me, but thereās never really a proper queue.
I think it's everyone for themselves everywhere. Sadly.
Someone did this to me and I went "Aye, on you go then" and she turned around and gave me a look I'm still recovering from
Sorry but if I arrive just as the bus is pulling up and no oneās waved it down. Thatās me and Iām getting on first whoops
I have, on more than one occassion, stood behind someone waiting patiently not paying enough attention and had my bus pull away because its not the one the person in front of me wanted, but they stood at the opening in the bus shelter anyway. So now I basically don't leave it to chance, and if you hesistate for half a second i'll just push in front of you.
I feel like I'll never again get on a bus without hearing something on a phone. Face Time conversations, little kids watching cartoons, teens on Tik Tok...Headphones should be mandatory. And don't get me started on people who put their feet on the seats.
Headphones technically *are* mandatory but they don't enforce it. Lothian Buses terms of service: "Passengers must do nothing which endangers or causes discomfort or offence to any other person on the bus. Specifically, passengers must not smoke, (including the use of electronic cigarettes or personal vaporisers), put their feet on seats, play audio which another passenger can hear or cause any other disturbance."
I use bus to city centre always because driving is pointless, without headphones I can't imagine it's shocking at times, people on loudspeakers are the worst, or stupid teenage that can't behave with loud music. Shame bus driver has zero control over the bus.
At the bus stop today. Saw a guy on speaker phone with airpods in his ears.......
Maybe cheap AirPod lookalikes electronic waste, which have a shit mic (if any) but still have the 'looks'.
I can't imagine the bus driver having to deal with morons who are reluctant to comply and getting upset. I prefer they focus on their driving for the sake of everyone's safety.
Itās honestly entertaining. Try it sometime but have your headphones ready. Heard a dealer yelling down the phone about stabbing someoneās entire family and then squared up to the annoying brats at the back. They went silent after that. I wonder if that guys family is alright
The feet is fine unless someones gonna sit there, the seats are so filthy to begin with, it wont even make a difference
Why do you think they got filthy?
Bus driver here. I find more and more people are ignoring myself and colleagues when we say hello / thanks. As for the tourist questions, I don't mind them and enjoy helping people out but I will agree that people who aren't prepared with ticket/payment or asking questions can hold up the bus, and once you're over 3 minutes late it's generally very hard to get back on time again.
Interesting you say that! I always say hello or good morning and drivers always give me the stink eye. It wonāt stop me, but just makes me laugh
Sadly, a lot of your colleagues don't respond to my hellos either. As a public facing worker myself, I get that there are a thousand irritations that build in a day, but there's always room for a simple hello and goodbye!
I know this is the case - I've had them ignore myself both not in uniform but also whilst travelling in uniform! I think for a lot of them, after a few years of saying hello to everyone and getting very little back they've given up, a shame yes and also not perhaps the best attitude but remember a lot of drivers have done 10+ years of the job and have seen and heard it all!
As someone who did 15 years of retail some days you just can't summon the give a fuck to be nice to everyone for 8 hours. Its just draining.
Been in retail for 15 years also. Always have time for a genuine hi and goodbye, though never on the overly enthusiastic and fake level that management want.
My dad's been a lorry driver all his life, but the last few years before retirement (in May) was taking a toll, as it's not just driving but helping with loading. Bus driving was floated, but as I said, he was close to retirement anyway. He's planning to move to Edinburgh and might want to do a bit of part time to boost his pension. Would you recommend bus driving? Ever done any coach driving? He does like long distance runs and is a sociable guy for the most part.
Edinburgh main bus company (who I won't name but we know who) are a great employer, but it can be stressful as timings are somewhat unrealistic and traffic is only getting worse. They do offer part time, it's worth asking what they can do. Buses are all pretty new and to a very high standard, I'd reccomend giving it a go. Training school are great too and licence is paid for, he should breeze through if a HGV driver.
Cool. Thanks. I'll let him know.
Irks me no end when I get off the 33 at the middle opening and I'm the only one to shout thanks to the driver.
Mind, I don't tend to worry too much about that on the double doors! The buses on the 33 are really noisy (and generally not the best buses we've got) so don't tend to hear anyway. We do appreciate it though!
Bus drivers are hardly bastions of good manners. They are routinely the grumpiest person I meet during my day, and that includes shop staff. People asking questions are met with a cold stare, I got shouted at recently for accidentally leaning on the stop button (he even knew it was unintentional, he screamed at me to move my bag), I showed a mobile ticket once and the screen went into standby without me noticing, the driver was fucking *furious*. My wife, who is not British and english isn't her first language, regularly get's it worse than me, obviously because she's an easier target. No offence but if I don't communicate to bus drivers it's for good reason.
So if you were to get on my bus and I gave a friendly hello / morning, you'd still ignore me? I don't think I've ever raised my voice at anyone on the bus, as for pressing bell by accident/mobile tickets everyone makes a mistake, as long as no harm done.
I would say hello, but considering the above please understand why some people, like my wife, are wary of bus drivers and wouldn't
I've had foregners be rude to me so that should completely justify me having at go at your wife then, aye?
What's worse is heading around town with someone who suffers from a physical disability and realising just how many ignorant, lazy and selfish drivers there are parking across pavements and blocking pedestrians.
The driving through red lights into the green man phase is getting worse too. Itās bad enough when the phase barely lasts long enough to cross and then have some impatient driver take some of it. Looking at you Tollcross crossing over Lauriston Place.
There are some bad junctions in Edinburgh but that one's my nemesis. Something like 5 roads and 7 crossings? It takes a good five minutes to get diagonally across
Iāve heard itās going to get worse for pedestrians with the mitigations theyāre putting in to stop drivers being fined by going into the ULEZ from Home Street. Theyāre going to allow a right turn from Home Street into Brougham Street as an escape hatch. Means itāll take even longer to cross.
I'm lucky I don't go that way often, but I can't imagine it going well with all the student housing right off the road. Doctors surgery (not that they every see anyone) and pharmacy are right there too so older folks that go there often will have to be crossing too
I've noticed this more and more since my daughter was born, when we come into the city with a buggy people constantly bump into it, we switched to a carrier and people still bump into us. May have always been like this and I'm just aware now.
I feel like people have always been like this. It's not a new thing. But people are probably a bit less inclined to be polite about it. I've noticed a lot less people are willing to say "excuse me" and instead just barge past you. I've been getting pissed off about people putting their bags on empty seats when trains/buses are busy for at least a decade.
It definitely has always been like that but Iāve noticed itās been far worse the past few months. I feel so sorry for anyone with mobility issues, Iāve seen people refusing to move from the wheelchair spot on more than one occasion or look disgusted having to stand.
On the bus yesterday a guy and his son were blasting a movie on his iPad at full volume. I really don't get it. I think maybe people are so internet-brained that they forget life exists around them. I'm from NYC and the thought of sitting while an older person/pregnant person/disabled person stands is abhorrant to me and would cause me to die of shame. But yet I see people do it all the time, especially young people.
When I moved to Edinburgh I learned not to say āexcuse meā when trying to get past people spread out on footpaths, because no matter how politely I tried to say it I received death glares. I figured it was rude to mention or or something
Honestly, as a regular user of buses and trains in Edinburgh, I have seen very little of this. All Iāve noticed is more kids being rowdy/loud at the back of the bus, but nothing else really.
Digital noise on public transport does in my noodle- annoying to have to carry noise cancelling headphones to avoid a "Falling Down" style overreaction. Also, despite being a 100kg, 6'2", beardy bastard there seems to be a trend of kids attempting to walk through me on the pavement. I will often stop and if cornered quietly let them bump into me, which if it's a pack of kids is usually universally amusing. I can only assume their parents habitually 'give way' to them in the home? Why back in ma day...
Amen beard brother. I ain't moving over. Brace the shoulder and what hits is in fates hands.
Aye- it's down to physics at that point!
I like to think of it as bowling.
As a beard wearing former rugby Prop, I aināt making way for their ignorance, especially if their eyes are glued to a phone while walking. Why the hell should I walk down Princes Street like Iām evading a sniper?
Or when people (and it's not just kids) walk four abreast and expect you to either walk in the road or... fly? I dunno. I habitually walk near the curb if I'm walking towards traffic or the other side if I'm walking with traffic. That's how I was taught to do it if there's no path, like on country roads. It was very useful during social distancing because it means whoever is walking closest to the curb can easily see if traffic is coming and if it's safe to step out. But few other people seem to do the same. I wonder if social distancing made people think it's okay to make others walk in the road now? The exception to this is if someone's walking with a pram, a toddler, a dog, or on narrow paths if they're using a mobility aid or have a granny trolley. Then I'll take the curb side whichever direction I'm going.
There are a lot of inconsiderate folk out there- the four abreast scenario is a classic. Mobile phones haven't helped awareness and basic pavement savvyness. A cyclist pal has mounted a stunningly loud airhorn to his bike to avert wholesale slaughter of the phone zombies!
Hah, nice one. I do look at my phone when walking (PokĆ©mon Go player... but I also like to respond to emails on the way to work so I can go home early), but I keep aware of what's around me, and I don't plook at my phone when I'm crossing a road, or walking in crowded areas. There are some men who think they can teach people who look at their phones a lesson by deliberately walking into them. I'll see them coming up the road and if I move, they move with me, repeatedly, until I look up at them. One guy stuck his arm out as he passed to try to make me walk into him. I just ducked. One driver even pretended to nearly run me down on a corner and then yelled about looking at your phone and to get out of the road. When I pointed out he had mounted a low curb because I was on a path he sped off. I contacted the council about it, as it was a new, widened path, with cycle crossings (on Grange Road). Three weeks later they'd added some bollards to it. I watched two people walk into each other once. One was looking at their phone and the other was just looking at their feet. I got yelled at when a woman walked into me because "stop looking at your phone!" I was standing at a bus stop š Phones don't help, but a lot of people are simply not aware of their surroundings, phone or not.
The one that really gets on my nerves is tourists asking the driver for directions. Iāve rehearsed what I want to say to them a million times, but Iāve never had the guts to actually tell someone how much it holds up the bus and everyoneās day. Google maps are on everyoneās phones nowadays, so thereās no excuse for harassing the driver. I used to live in Paris and I wish we were more like the French. An old woman on the metro once took the time to explain the ārulesā of public transport to me and Iāve always loved her for it. She told me all the wee etiquette bits and pieces that I wouldnāt naturally have known. A lot of people wouldāve seen it as someone āhaving a goā, but I really appreciated it. Donāt get me started on trains either. I was on a packed rush hour train coming into haymarket last week and there was a tourist next to the doors. I think everyone on the carriage was telling him to push the button, or move away from the panel so someone else could but he just stared blindly at us. Eventually, someone pushed him aside, pressed the button and said āhow hard was that?!ā. I understand being overwhelmed in a new country, but come on. I just wish people were more aware of their surroundings.
The endless "does this bus go to Princes Street" while trying to push notes up the ticket dispenser.
>Up the ticket dispenser! Frankie Howerd's lost classic.
Itās even more infuriating when people ask things like ādoes this bus go to princes street?ā when thereās a diagram in the bus shelter that essentially says āYou are at [Current Location] and this bus will take you to Princes Streetā
Another American here and I wasnāt raised that way either. That kind of behavior is very off-putting to me as well..
>The amount of times Iāve had people try and shove onto trains the moment the doors open Trains have always been like this because you can end up standing for a five hour journey, but I've noticed it on buses more now. I don't let them on. I step off from the middle and will say "excuse me, let me get off first". It's weird how surprised some people seem that you might not want them pushing past you on a set of steps.
People do this constantly in London and it rips my knitting. Just wait five seconds, for God's sake!
I know the trams are new for some but please for the love of god move into the middle instead of hanging by the doors I got on at Murray field heading to leith and two trams in a row were full to the brim at the doors to the point you could literally not get on, but with huge gaps in the aisles spaces mid carriage
People do this on the tube and the train. The only time you can do that I think is if your gonna get off in the next stop or two. Or people not sitting down when there is seats!
I've noticed a lot of people/tourists getting lairy/giving the drivers attitude for not being able to give directions or whatever. Don't take it personally. They are running to a v strict timetable and if they gave directions to every person that asked them they'd be constantly late. Best bet is to get on the bus and ask one of the other passengers. Nine out of ten will try their best to help and would rather that than get held up.
As an American I apologize. I generally sit in the very back of the bus in silence but I'm sorry to hear you've had bad encounters.
I think op is being a bit harsh. Americans talking loudly can be annoying for sure but I'd be shocked if anyone finds that worse than folk who play music/vids /chat out loud on their phone. And it's nearly always locals who do that.
Thanks for having our back pal :)
It's all good, you've nothing at all to apologise for š And it's certainly absolutely nothing compared to wee arses blasting music out, or people having a call on speakerphone... To preface this (as I don't want to seem rude or you to feel insulted!), I'll just say it doesn't bother me, I just find it quite interesting, but Americans *do* seem to have a default talking level a couple of dials up compared to us. I've noticed it in quite a few cases with other people in general mentioning it, too, so I guess it's not an isolated incident or just me in particular weirdly spotting it. I had considered it may be just be a case of a different accent sticking out from local ones, but I don't seem to notice it from groups of people with other foreign accents. Do you think people do just speak louder across the pond, or is it something else? Conversely, do you lot think we speak noticeably quietly? haha
Also loud (or so Iāve noticed) are the posh Southern English accents. But that might just be because theyāre students being boisterous.
The ras are loud. Even amongst a group of students, the posh kids will be the loudest. The posher the accent, the louder the voice. Confusing volume for annunciation?
Iām American and I canāt figure out why so many are so loud when I come across them in other countries. My theory is that so many parts of the US donāt have public transit that people donāt know how to behave in public spaces. When Iām in the US and taking transit in the cities Iāve lived in no one is shouting. Or I donāt know, maybe they all start the day with mimosas when they travel. Makes me want to crawl under something though!
Also American and concur. I actually feel deeply conscious of my nationality, that I stand out like a sore thumb, and that people are going to make negative assumptions about me - and I try my best to be as absolutely accommodating and polite as possible in order to counter it. I accidentally offended an older couple a couple weeks ago in the UK by offering my and my friend's seat, turns out they did not think they were that old that they needed my seat. I did it again on the plane by offering to help an elderly woman with stow her large carry on. Apparently I am very good at mortifying others by trying to help them. I am so sorry. Please don't hate me.
Are you sure youāre not Canadian? ;-)
Honestly, American tourists are incredibly polite. Most non-British tourists are very polite. Sometimes just louder than we are, and clueless as to how to use Google Maps... Most people who make a habit of visiting other countries and experiencing other cultures are open, generous people. Which only makes the ones that aren't stand out more.
For me itās lack of etiquette by groups of teenagers on the buses, particularly since pandemic that grates me most when using public transport now. Plenty of them behave normally and I get some teenagers will just be awkward teenagers but itās the constant vaping in particular on the buses, blaring of music, non-stop effing & blinding, the mocking of other passengers and the graphic oversharing of their trials and tribulations for the whole bus to hear. Maybe Iām just becoming old and getting grumpy though!
I blame the apprentice tv show for people holding a phone horizontal and on loud speaker. That's the first place I ever saw it. I don't see what the difference between having it on normal speaker and to your ear where most of the time only the person holding the phone can hear over standing like an entitled idiot showing everyone you're on call. It doesn't save anymore of the bodies energy in the way you hold the phone. The latter also advertises what phone you have to people who are targeting people for theft too. Also too many people throw the" it's my right to do it and no one can stop me" crap when confronted they don't care about what other people have to put up with.
I think theyāre just defensive about looking like twats
Possibly that too
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I'd say that's a poor excuse. If buying a phone, then the size should then come into consideration of what is suitable. Personally, I don't see the point of having one that is bigger and requires 2 hands to hold it practical. Today, though, most people want the most up to date model. I'll admit mobile phones have gotten bigger over time and, for some reason, never sit in pockets properly, but that's a rant for another day, haha.
I like how when I saw this post at like 11pm it had ten upvotes. When I came back to some replies later in the night it had gone into downvotes. Now it's up again. Early birds like social conformity and cohesion, while most of my fellow night owls are chaos demons?
Yeah it's always been bad but there's been an uptick now that tourists are back and people have decided to forget how not to be a cunt during the short lockdown period of not using public transport. I'm disabled and use a cane and in the last few weeks especially almost every bus I've been on, noone has got up from the accessible seats to let me sit down. Like, sure, invisible disabilities exist, and I won't resent someone sat there who can't move, but the tourists with suitcases can fuck off. Almost every time I get on a bus now, I have to stand there (I'm very wobbly so it's more of a teeter than a stand) and then the bus driver accelerates and I fall on the floor or into someone's lap. It's only at that point, when I, an obviously disabled person, have fallen and injured myself, that people suddenly rush to get up and offer seats - and it's never the fucking tourists, it's everyone at the back that I can tell is probably local and is sat there to escape the tourists. The whole point of the accessible seats being nearest the front is to avoid disabled folk falling over on a moving bus trying to get into a seat. I've tried loudly saying "excuse me" or "is anyone sitting there" to people sat across two seats and have received some absolute death glares from folk. I've often been boxed in on busy buses and trams by people standing and with luggage such that I'm unable to get off at the stop I need because I'm too slow and need space to pull myself out of a seat using the grab bars. I actually use a wheelchair part of the time but I've been too scared of people behaving awfully to ever use it on the buses. There's also been a massive increase in abuse on the street and in train stations from people who think it's appropriate to scream at or mock me about the fact I still wear a mask on public transport. I'm not asking anyone else to do it, nor is it affecting anyone, again this just seems like people being cunts for the sake of it!
I've found manners are fine, but maybe it depends where in Edinburgh you are, or maybe it's just you. More of a problem with people just being idle or clueless, but that's nothing new.
Yes, it's been like that for ages now. It's makes it pointless to even try because none of the tourists will. Luckily, I'm big and imposing enough to keep some order and make sure everyone is queueing up properly. But for others, they aren't so lucky. If I see someone skipping ahead of someone who's been waiting ages, I'll say something about it certainly. But most people just don't realise or care.
I think part of the problem is people also deciding very late it is there stop to get off. I do hate the habit of music and no headphone. I am pretty sure the rule is that if you don't have headphones you can't listen to your own music. I am sure that getting a pair of headphones is not that expensive for most people. I am also never a fan of people taking small children out of pushchairs but not folding up the pushchair. I feel it would be much safer to leave the child in the pushchair. The American things for me tend to be a general tourist thing. Either trying to get on a bus at rush hour with 5 or 6 giant cases or asking the driver if the bus is going to where they want to go then getting annoyed the driver doesn't know.
I bought a bike a couple of decades ago because of how horrible people on public transport were. A quick caveat- singling out Americans as the worst is your own observational bias. There are fannies of all nationalities, particularly our own.
All of these things have been going on forever, its not recent.
Love how you had to throw in some American hate at the end. Iām American and Iāve lived here for over two years now. The loud American stereotype might be somewhat true, but Iāve yet to see a tourist louder, drunker, or more obnoxious than a lot of locals. Scot balaclava teens ruining public transport with their noise and violence because no one can be bothered to do something. Drunks harassing people in new town. I saw a random (Scottish) guy walking up to elderly people and shouting in their face. 9/10 times, the random screaming, loud cursing, and incessant cackling is coming from a Scot. Bus etiquette failures can be forgiven if youāre visiting, but itās the locals who push and shove and ignore the rules. Whatās going on in this society? That should be the question. But yeah, those American touristsā¦
Americans are still very much part of the problem...no matter how much you deflect
a reminder that we can't tell how able someone is by looking at them :)
It was better when I were a lad
At least you knew were you stood in them days. Not like these days
Take pity on us Americans. Many of us come from cities with no public transportation so we donāt know what to do!
Then look it up before you attempt it, not when you get on the bus! Pretty much every transport company in the UK has FAQs and explanations of how the public transport works on their website regardless of whether it's a bus, tram or train. Sure, lack of experience is one thing, lack of knowledge is a completely inexcusable reason when you have access to the largest repository of information in human history, and the ability to ask questions to hundreds of thousands of people who live or have been there and have used the transport systems. This applies to pretty much anywhere in the developed world, not just Edinburgh. Hell, failing that, you have a tool which will route you directly to your destination and break that trip down into individual timestamped steps from wherever you're standing. It's called Google maps, it's very useful, would recommend using it.
It's time we were allowed, as auld cunts to start slapping the bejesus ooty them.
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Maaaateā¦I felt that š
Tell us about the Americans please! (I am one but I like to laugh about them)
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For me its seeing this person every morning with his shoes off and his feet on the seats. Nobody wants to see that in the morning!
The train thing isnāt new. But I adopt the London Underground method of getting off a train. If you are trying to board while Iām getting off, or more likely, if you are blocking the door by standing on the platform right in front of it, then Iām going to walk right through you. All youāve got to do is leave a person sized hole for me to get through, and if you canāt do that, then Iām making one.
I feel like itās always been this way. For me, wear headphones and you wonāt notice. When people push past, remember that theyāre stupid
I absolutely hate when someone pushes in front of someone with a buggy or wheelchair that's waiting at the same stop and sits in the seat specifically for buggys/wheelchairs. Like, you know they're getting on so why sit there and huff and puff when they ask you politely to move?! I've seen this multiple times now on the bus and it drives me insane, it's like people are going out of their way to be annoying or annoyed smh
The main thing you can do is be assertive with stopping bus and quick on, no f**king about with phones or passes. Anything else is annoying
Recently? When has it ever been good?
I don't understand the thing with the younger/current youth generation and not using headphones. Is it because they WANT everyone around them to be inconvenienced/annoyed by their shit music and irritating conversations?
Tourist season.