h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was always told as a child that I should give up my seat on a bus to anyone older than me who was standing. I still do.
I was recently asked by a woman on a train if I'd mind giving up my seat to her seven-year old child (who looked quite capable of standing to me). My reply? 'Yes. I would mind. No. I'm not going to.'

Funny. We have a bus driver here in Bournemouth who looks like Blakey.

He told a member of the public, who tried to get on our Uni bus, that "This isn't a public bus you f*****g p***k."

I haven't seen him in a while.

bus drivers aren't particularily friendly either, most of them simply grunt a ticket price at you, take your money and drive. when you say 'thank you' politely at the end of the journey they seem to ignore you... they're not all like this, but most of them are on my local bus service...

Actually standing up for younger children especially those not yet in their teens is a matter of safety as they do not yet have as well defined level of balance as an adult yet. While you can quite happily manage the bends and sharp halts.

So if you do see a mother struggling with a younger child give up your seat, she is not only having to balance herself but also her child.

If you're going to use the bus (or any other form of public transport) you're going to be in close proximity to other users. Do them a favour and control excess smells, we're talking about BO / bad breath etc here. It's not difficult!!

You forgot yesterday evening's garlic always a great joy on the underground from about 25% - 33% of the other users

Mmm... fun...

Most of the bus drivers here are quite polite, and I always try to remember to say thankyou to them when I get off the bus. Most will acknowledge it, and most are also very helpful to people who aren't entirely sure where they're supposed to be going, if they're on the right bus etc. etc.

I've given up my seat to elderly people and children before - I've got a perfectly sufficient sense of balance to handle standing up, so it's not really a problem for me. In fact, I generally feel less nauseous standing than I do sitting on the bus, so it's almost a bonus!

I never sit near the front seats, because people less able to walk should be able to get to them. But I do try to sit down a few rows back. Although I appear fit and able to stand, I actually have an ear problem which means that I find it very hard to balance, especially on something moving*. That doens't mean I won't stand when others clearly need the seat more than me though - I just have to hang on very tightly with both hands on separate things to hang on to.

I will let (tired or younger) kids sit - they have a much shorter stamina than adults and the younger ones are still learning to balance etc. But if they are running around and active and over 7ish then they are probably well able to stand.

*well if I am standing still with my eyes shut on a perfectly flat surface with nothing around to knock me or cause me to lose my balance, I can struggle to keep my balance.

the pushchairs annoy me: my hubby is disabled [plain to see] so uses a front seat, but, he gets loadsa hassle off ignorant rude people wiv buggies. surely they can fold their buggies up like we've done for years!! lazy!!

It's better for kids to stand because in the event of an accident they will do less damage to the people around them as they go flying through the air...

If a train or tube is busy I make my son sit on my lap, although that's not always easy on a bus because of lack of space. It's good to move down as much as you can, and keep the stairwell clear on double deckers.

Also KEEP YOUR DMAN PERSONAL STEREO VOLUME DOWN! For sake, we don't want to hear it.
And you with the paper, keep your elbows in please.

Bad commute in this morning then Mina.

Oh no, this morning was really good actually. Nice empty bus, a whole double seat to myself at the front at the top, it was lovely. It's going home that is the Journey From Hell.

Aha. I'm got home on Tuesday night with jsut me on the bus at the end was like being chaffeured

mobile phones on buses are annoying. especially if their ringing evry few minutes and you don't want to hear someone's conversation, even if it is one side of it...

Queues:

Admittedly these days there are multiple queues for different buses all at the same stop. But still try and remember who got there before when it comes to gettng unto you bus and don't push to far ahead of others when your bus does eventually turn up accompanied by two others on the same route.

dont talk to me about mobiles i used to commute fron dublin to limerick every weekend which is a 4 1/2 hour journey at best. One friday there was this girl on the bus who's phone kept ringing every few mins. That wouldnt be too bad but she had the vol up to the last and it was playing YMCA. For god sake could there be a more annoying ringtone. Well i was at the back with a bunch of guys heading home from college and this was really P*****G us off. So i couldnt help myself and the next time the phone rang i started singing the song quietly to myself
(What can i say it's one of those songs)

Well to cut a long story short the next time the phone rang she answered it and the only thing the person at the other end could hear was 15 guys singing YMCA at the top of their voices.

Needless to say the phone didnt ring again

nice one!

I doubt it's as annoying as one guy I was working with's ringtone, especially since he was a 'go away from desk and leave it ringing' type. I can't quite describe the tune, it's a well-known little motif, but one of the most unsuitable to be made into a ringtone that I ever heard.

Dispite having no problem walking and just clumsily bad balance I will always try to sit near the front of the bus...or if not at the front on the left hand side. I get really bad travel sickness if I can't see out of the front window...My bus home from work used to always be packed so I would have to sit upstairs...I'd usually get off and walk for the last half hour of the journey because I'd get so nauseous.

However I'm more than happy to give up my seat to someone who needs it more...I just have a reason for prefering the seats which just happen to be the nearest to the door (if the door was at the back of the bus I'd be sorted because I could get out of everyones way and not end up feeling queasy after 10 minutes)

The bus driver's viewpoint:

THANK YOU'S
I generally say thank you to every passenger getting on my bus when they pay their fare - even the ones who throw a pile of smash in the fare box and expect you to know what fare they want.
Our buses have separate exit doors in the middle of the bus which tends to limit communications between alighting passengers and drivers.

BUGGIES
We have a mix of lowfloor, easy access buses and older "steps up" buses. Unfolded buggies are only allowed on the former where they can be parked in the wheelchair space (on the older vehicles the law says they must be folded to avoid blocking exits or gangways). A wheelchair always has prioity over a buggy.

SMELLS
You think it's bad being a passenger travelling with a smelly co-passenger. Imagine what it's like for the driver - at least you can get off if hte smell is too overpowering! On some of our routes we can be subjected to everything from s**t to Chanel.

GIVING UP YOUR SEAT
There are days when I wish I could give up my seat to ANYBODY.

MOBILE PHONES
Should be switched off on ALL forms of public transport. The number of times I've had to listen to quarter of an hour of:-
"So I just said to him, like......"
"And I said, like......"
"Did she, like....."
etc, etc.
ARRRRGH!!!!!!!!

KIDS
Children under the age of 85 should only be allowed on public transport if accompanied by both parents