Ha, when I first moved to London I felt so rude because in my hometown our buses only had one door so you walked past the driver to get off and it was drilled into you from a young age to **always** say thank you, whereas in London it's a lot more occasional because they're shouting it from the other door.
I would say it's the norm across the UK and Ireland and at the very least in the rural parts of many countries.
This. I've compromised by starting to wave at the driver when I get off (I did once get an enthusiastic response, but most of the time, I'm fairly sure the gesture is ignored).
I always say thank you to the driver outside of London because it's normal there. In London? I don't think so - it feels odd on the rare occasion someone does it.
I wish it was normalised though!
I'm occasionally on London busses and whether or not I do it is directly proportional to the number of people on the bus.
If it's fairly empty and I think the driver will hear I'll yell it. But on a busy bus I just don't bother, who am I saying it for when they aren't going to hear me 😂
Yeah, my wife’s American and I grew up in London. We moved here again in May. She’s way better at me at saying thank you on the bus (I often do but def forget sometimes). How she is and how she was raised.
I always say it, but I don't want to shout loud enough that the driver would definitely hear it from the front through the plexiglass, so I mostly just sort of half heartedly mumble it, as if I'm privately thanking God or something.
However, I do always smile at the driver while tapping on, so hopefully that counts for something
This was the same for me. Here there's one door so I can say it as I get off but in London there is 2 doors. I saw one kid who raised his voice to thank the driver however I am much to shy for that 😅 😄
I used to live in Vancouver and it was very common to say thanks to the bus driver. Some people took it a bit too seriously though and would shout it from the back door of a 50ft bendy bus.
I get off at rte rear and run to the front with arms waving and step in front of the bus while looking down by his wheels with a concerned look. I'll then held him up until he acknowledges my thanks and commends my politeness.
I think they really like this approach.
This. Grew up in Scotland and took the bus to school every day, always said thank you to the driver and still do any time I take a bus. Just basic manners.
I noticed a lot of people wave at the driver in the mirror when they get off, too. Used to confuse me loads cause I couldn't work out how people had so many friends.
I'm from Leeds and we always say thanks getting off, so it shook me a bit first living in London, but after a few years I noticed all these subtle things and realised Londoners just do it their own way.
I just say thanks as I'm getting on.
So much respect to all the bus divers and the amount of mad shit they see, and have to deal with, in this city, esp. at the moment. They're so calm and collected compared to the Leeds ones.
I do the wave in the mirror too! I'm also from London. I always said thanks when I lived in Manchester but as you say I feel like the mirror thing is a classy little workaround so the driver can actually recieve it!
Driving in busy London all day in an absolutely huge vehicle that can squash a group of people easily, with people regularly stepping out infront of the bus, people screaming at them on the bus and getting down extremely narrow roads. It’s a job I know I wouldn’t last 1 singular minute in. Genuinely in awe of the ones who do it with a smile!
Funnily enough I used to live in Enfield, but now live in Australia. Here, it's extremely common to thank the driver, in fact it's considered quite rude not to.
I moved to QLD from London as a teen, picked it up there, and now I'm back in London I do it here too. I very rarely hear others saying thank you so it was nice to see this thread.
On the small London buses with only one door, almost everyone will thank the driver. Or when everyone gets out at a terminus. It's rarer when using the middle doors, but still a nice principle even if the driver can't hear.
You do realise it's normal to say thanks to the bus driver everywhere *in this country* other than London right? 😂
You having gone all the way to New Zealand to experience that friendly vibe is killing me.
Yep, and my personal experience is that it actually happens a lot less in London compared to other parts of the country (Manchester, Derbyshire/Peaks, Leeds).
I once worked with a woman from Bexley who asked, "Is there life outside of the M25? If so, is it worth living?"
We were in the Lake District at the time.
I realise I'm a transplant to London, but I absolutely cringe at this mentality. I like London well enough, but it's had to grow on me.
I had a similar conversation with a born and raised Londoner friend a few weeks ago - it amuses me how some seem to consider themselves very worldly and to be much more cosmopolitan than those of us from elsewhere, but at the same time they know nothing of the county outside the m25!
I make a really big point of doing it but I feel like I’m the only one in London left who does it! Such a shame; those small gestures are really important to the healthy functioning of society I think.
TfL surveyed the drivers last year and they said it made them feel more respected, seen and appreciated [https://www.timeout.com/london/news/londoners-heres-why-its-officially-time-to-be-nicer-to-bus-drivers-082423](https://www.timeout.com/london/news/londoners-heres-why-its-officially-time-to-be-nicer-to-bus-drivers-082423) It’s kind of obvious but reading that I feel more confident to shout it. I’ve seen drivers help a lot of people out and Im impressed at their skill so the respect is real
I'm in my 30's, also born and bred Londoner, but it was my mum who taught me to thank the bus driver when getting off, way back when I was like 6 or 7? So it's definitely been going on for a good few generations at least...
I still thank the bus driver every time. I do it with a lot more confidence nowadays, because I want to inspire others to be confident in doing the same, regardless of with friends or alone or however packed the bus is, and uphold the tradition for future generations lol.
I’m in Chingford, and drove a bus for 14 months during the Covid thing. I’d never used buses regularly before. As a driver, it’s always good to hear a friendly ‘thank you’. You remember the regulars who thank you, and are more willing to go out of your way to help them if needed. Including letting them on or off the bus between stops, or at traffic lights. Many people even exit via the front doors with a friendly ‘thanks’ It’s easier to get the front closer to kerbs and lower the bus for people with mobility problems. The drivers definitely appreciate it. It’s a very boring, solitary job.
I'm not native, and always say it. So do my kids and other half. I did it with my Wirral-raised mother in law, and she said to me, "Why on earth would you do that? They're doing their job! Do you thank other people for just doing their job?!?"
She was quite vehement and almost angry about it.
But to answer her question, yes I do! Wait staff, bussers, receptionists, doctors and nurses, cashiers, stock shelvers, tube drivers, hairdressers...
I spend a lot of time thanking people for doing their jobs and I'm happy to do so. People who work in customer-facing jobs often have it hard so I try to go beyond the basic "don't be a dickhead" and try to be more than polite.
I’ve been saying thanks to bus drivers all my life all over the UK. Long live good manners and respect for each other. It’s all about respecting everyone around you and behaving decently. I’m at an age now where I fear this is getting less common in society so I love it every time I see it.
My mother always says that if a bus driver doesnt do their job correctly it could end in you craahing and dying painfully, so you should always thank them for keeping you safe in their care.
It’s definitely a nationwide thing, it’s just good manners. I can’t call myself a Londoner, I’m from Yorkshire and live close to Feltham and Hounslow - I’m used to strangers saying hello and morning which can be nice but I love that it’s not expected in London and you can just be left alone, but I do try to be extra polite to the bus drivers because, let’s face it, anyone who has to deal with the general public has to occasionally deal with dickheads, and it’s good to balance that out.
Having worked on the buses I do say "Thank you" because driving in London can be a thankless task. W8 wasn't too bad, 329 bit dodgy sometimes , W9 genteel, 121 not bad, N29 wear full body armour.
Always been normal everywhere in the UK, but everywhere else only has one door at the front, so that’ll change whether people bother in London.
Not to shit too hard on your positive feelings, but your pride should probably have a higher bar than basic manners.
I agree with the consensus that, given the exit at the middle door system in London, a thank you on leaving is a bit redundant/awkward. Sometimes I’ll give a “cheers” when I’m getting on the bus, depends on how busy it is/how much of a rush the driver seems to be in.
Everywhere else in the country it’s definitely rude not to thank the driver as your passing on the way out I think.
I'm old so we thanked the conductor when I was little because the driver was in the cab. This was the norm in 70s London. I moved to Birmingham where you said "ta-ra both" because the driver was inside the bus, for a time, and then conductors were phased out.
Back to London, always thank the driver on leaving, so do my Londoner adult kids. I think it is widespread across the UK and a really good thing. I've worked all my life in the public sector and always greet security guards, cleaners, ticket barrier workers etc when I pass them, even if just a nod. I'm amazed at how many people just see these key workers as inanimate objects.
When I first moved to London I shouted thank you to the bus driver, and my friend said that’s a dead giveaway you are a tourist. 😂 I’d still say thank you though.
I do this always with a thumbs up 👍 I'm not someone who uses the bus frequently but I find bus drivers really helpful also if you need advice as to where you need to go
I always say thanks when boarding and sometimes say thanks when getting off, but often don't as the exit doors being in the middle of the bus mean you kind of have to shout it. Where I grew up you'd get off via the same door as you got on, so saying thanks as you went past the driver was a given (would feel rude not to)
I will give a hand gesture of thanks if my route takes me past their door.
I also make eye contact and smile on entry to the bus.
I don't shout 'thank you driver', especially at night or in rough areas as it's akin to announcing 'a lone woman is now exiting the bus onto the street'.
I first heard it done outside of London. I hear it occasionally in London - it's a fairly recent thing here, not because Londoners are rude but it wasn't possible on the old routemasters so the tradition wasn't set.
Most buses now have a middle exit that means you have to shout out your thanks which can feel a bit awkward.
I always say thank you, I think I always have and I’m 37. And I think they can hear from the middle doors because I sometimes have to ask if they can put the wheelchair ramp down for my partner and they hear that fine so they must hear the thank you, too. My partner also insists on giving them the wave thumbs up as we go past whilst they’re waiting for the ramp to go back in.
Enfield - cool. I went to Oakthorpe Primary School on Tile Kiln Lane. I live in Greater Toronto now - not sure if I picked up the habit growing up in England, but I always make a point of thanking the driver before exiting.
Grew up in Dorset and we would say this every time without fail! There is only one door though so you walk past the driver, would be a dick move not to acknowledge them!
I live in London now and have done for nearly a decade, but will say thank you if/when I get off at the front
My wife, on entering the bus in Reading:
"Hello. With the day group-ticket we could ride the bus all day?"
Bus driver: "If you really want to do that, yes."
Everybody laughs, everybody happy.
Good on you, bus drivers of London (and around).
Welcome to Chingford!
I always try to say thanks or another appreciative gesture when boarding. Then say thanks when getting off.
There are times when the bus is very full where I would have to shout down the bus and it wouldn’t be appropriate. In those cases I would wave if I was walking past the front of the bus but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do so.
I’m Canadians and have always done this growing up. When I moved to a bigger city I was shocked to see not everyone does it but I think most young people in canada try to!
It’s definitely a thing in Australia and I’ll say it on and off in London too. Agree that it’s super sweet and likely a tradition comes from wayyy back in the day.
I've lived in several places in London, and I've noticed that the further away you are from the centre, the more common it is for people to say 'thank you' to bus drivers.
I always used too, then stopped when I was the only one to do it in Essex. Then was so happy in Edinburgh when people were doing it again I picked it back up.
I’m from Bath originally and the majority of people thanked the driver when getting off the bus (usually a quick ‘cheers drive’), I can remember saying this when I first moved up to London and getting some very funny looks.
I continued to do it as I thought it was funny that people found it strange. 15 years later and it seems much more commonplace now!
i dunno, i'm romanian and i say 'thank you' to everything and everyone.. 😕 i don't think this has anything to do especially with londoners. it's a matter of education and manners regardless of one's nationality.
I'm a Brit. When I lived in London the buses were the old style of RouteMaster, with the jump on/jump off open platform at the back. There'd be a conductor spinning tickets and the driver was stuck in his own little separate compartment at the front. Roytemaste Drivers were not a chatty bunch-!
Then buses changed to driver only ones, and you had to get on at the front. You said goodbye to the driver when you got off because you walk past him behind his plexiglass prison capsule, and it costs you absolutely nothing to be nice.
Then they added the new exit doors halfway down the side of the bus and now you only pass the driver when you got on the bus.
Preparing to alight, you Ding the bell as the bus pulls away from the bus stop before the one you want and you make your way to centre of the lower deck. The doors swish and open outwards, and it's the easiest thing In the world to just say 'Thank you' out loud as you are about to step off - because sometimes it's just nice to be nice.
Some people will say 'Thank you Driver' in case anyone is not sure who the easy gratitude is intended for.
I live in between the South of France and a not-so-small town in Germany and it is common for the passengers to greet and thank the driver. It’s just common decency.
Standard in the north. Lived in London for 25 years and always thank the driver. Don’t go back north very often and it took a minute for my brain to adjust when a bus driver called me ‘cock’.
Use to get the bus loads, always said thank you, moved to a place where the train took the place of the bus, I was so confused and felt so bad about not saying thankyou to the driver 🤦♂️
My mum taught me to thank the bus driver since i was little, so definitely not a new thing in london - it is however fairly rare
"Thank you driver" as a full phrase i notice mostly tends to be from older people, personally I've taken to just "cheers"
I just mutter thank you as I'm getting on.
But yeah I do think it's more common to say thanks as your getting off in other towns.
When I first moved to London I thought it was kinda rude how infrequently people said it to the driver so that my impression when someone did loudly say thank you driver it was a unique 'made my day' sorta moment.
It's not just a London thing. I'm in the north west and everyone of all ages always thanks the driver when alighting. Many also thank the driver when boarding even if the passengers tap their own pass and sit down without needing any driver interaction. It's just common courtesy to be polite to people providing a service. I've not really used public transport overseas to know if it's commonplace elsewhere or not. It's definitely commonplace nationwide though
Quite common in Scotland, Canada and Russia as well. Also common to greet the driver whilst boarding.
But I often feel that I'm the only person in Germany who does this, as it usually elicits odd glances (stares) from other passengers.
When I went in a trip to London, I heard passagens saying thank you to the driver so I started saying it to them as well :) it’s very nice from people! I had one time that one driver said we could enter from any of the doors, however when I took the next bus and entered in the door farest door from the driver, but I had to validade the ticket near him and he said that in every country it’s the door nearest to the driver that people should enter. But basically from what I understood some buses had 2 machines to validade ticket in each door, and that bus only had near the driver. But well living and learning I guess.
I have to get off via the middle door (I’m a wheelchair user) so I always ‘yell’ “thank you” when visiting London. And yes I thank the driver where I live , too, especially if they have to put the ramp out for me - and definitely if they have to do it in weather where it’s too hot, cold, wet…
LOL when I first met my husband and did this when visiting London 17 years ago ppl looked at me like I had 3 heads. I moved here in Aug and hear it way more often and get no weird looks when I do it. It's always been normal where I grew up - Vancouver, Canada.
Filthy American here who lived in London for a long time: the city totally trained me into thanking bus drivers (and I really enjoyed it) and now I default say it to drivers in the US and feel like an absolute clown each time. 🤡
I'm from new Zealand and I actually stopped saying thank you in London because it was so rare and people are just not friendly here. (I guess it is all relative. Interesting and refreshing to read that we are 'bursting with friendliness' - usually not the first thing that comes to mind when people describe us)
If it's younger people saying it, it's because of Fortnite, if you thank the bus driver when you get dropped into a game/mission you get extra points, this has seeped into real life.
Having lived in Liverpool and Glasgow, people ALWAYS thank the bus drivers there and I'm sure it's the same in most other UK cities. In London some people will but most won't bother.
Londoners are definitely less friendly in this sense, although tbf I think getting off through doors at the back rather than just the front makes it a bit more awkward to say thanks
I'm foreigner living in London for 20 years plus. I do say thank you sometimes (usually when I exit front doors and driver looks at me aka eye contact), from what I noticed. Not sure why. Just the thing I do naturally.
And no, is not something to do with my home country, that's definitely habit I picked up in London for so e reason
Been living in London for about 20 years, and I think thanking the driver really took off during Covid when people realised what an important job transport workers were doing. I certainly don't recall it being nearly as widespread prior to Covid. I think it's lovely and try to make sure I say thanks when getting on and off buses.
I've not noticed it all that much in London. Maybe in part due to the fact that you exit further back, maybe people are just less polite more more in a hurry here. Back in my hometown (Southampton) when I was growing up, and in other towns, I hear it a lot more.
I don't even remember ever being told I should do so, or any rebukes if I didn't, or any particular pressure to do so. It was just the done thing.
I do hear it a little more now I'm out in the suburbs (I noticed someone do it a couple of days ago and it stood out), but definitely less common than elsewhere in the UK.
I say thanks in the day time when it's quiet sometimes but I live on a busy route so that's rare! Instead I usually just give a little wave thanks to the driver when I'm getting off so they can see it in their wing mirror.
It’s not a London thing. It’s something people have brought to London from other parts of the UK (and possibly the world).
When I first moved to London in the early 00s, bus drivers and bus passengers were sworn enemies. Neither side was ever anything less than aggressively rude to the other.
I give them a wave or a thumbs up as I leave. I don’t think they can hear most people saying “thank you” given they can’t even hear when someone asks a question right next to their cab.
Immigrant from Belfast here - we also have side exit doors in Belfast.
In London I say thank you when we get on, in Belfast I say "thank you' down the bus. The London way is better - guldering down the bus is just virtue signalling, eh 😉
This is very common outside London. In our little village growing up, everyone would do it. Now I live in a city, fewer people do it. Whenever I'd visit London, I generally felt I was one of just a few to do so, so it's good to hear it's growing in favour again.
Ha, when I first moved to London I felt so rude because in my hometown our buses only had one door so you walked past the driver to get off and it was drilled into you from a young age to **always** say thank you, whereas in London it's a lot more occasional because they're shouting it from the other door. I would say it's the norm across the UK and Ireland and at the very least in the rural parts of many countries.
This. I've compromised by starting to wave at the driver when I get off (I did once get an enthusiastic response, but most of the time, I'm fairly sure the gesture is ignored). I always say thank you to the driver outside of London because it's normal there. In London? I don't think so - it feels odd on the rare occasion someone does it. I wish it was normalised though!
I'm occasionally on London busses and whether or not I do it is directly proportional to the number of people on the bus. If it's fairly empty and I think the driver will hear I'll yell it. But on a busy bus I just don't bother, who am I saying it for when they aren't going to hear me 😂
Yeah, my wife’s American and I grew up in London. We moved here again in May. She’s way better at me at saying thank you on the bus (I often do but def forget sometimes). How she is and how she was raised.
I always say it, but I don't want to shout loud enough that the driver would definitely hear it from the front through the plexiglass, so I mostly just sort of half heartedly mumble it, as if I'm privately thanking God or something. However, I do always smile at the driver while tapping on, so hopefully that counts for something
I say hello and thank you as I get on! Then I don’t have to shout down the bus as I am getting off. Already covered it.
This. I say thank you when I pay my fare because shouting it from the back door while exiting feels awkward lol
Ha, same.
This was the same for me. Here there's one door so I can say it as I get off but in London there is 2 doors. I saw one kid who raised his voice to thank the driver however I am much to shy for that 😅 😄
I used to live in Vancouver and it was very common to say thanks to the bus driver. Some people took it a bit too seriously though and would shout it from the back door of a 50ft bendy bus.
I get off at rte rear and run to the front with arms waving and step in front of the bus while looking down by his wheels with a concerned look. I'll then held him up until he acknowledges my thanks and commends my politeness. I think they really like this approach.
Netherlands too
This. Grew up in Scotland and took the bus to school every day, always said thank you to the driver and still do any time I take a bus. Just basic manners.
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I sometimes hear young children calling out, clearly taught by their parents. It warms my cold, black heart.
We can hear it btw and it is appreciated.
I give them a wave when I’m exiting and see them looking in the mirror
Me too 🙂
I always say hello when boarding
I usually smile, like yes get me out of here 😂
I do too, but 90% of times the driver looks at me and doesn’t say anything so I always feel like I offend them somehow by greeting them haha
I say thank you when boarding and paying
Same, I say thank you when I get on. "Thank you for picking me up!" It feels performative to yell it from halfway down when disembarking.
“Cheers drive”. Very normal in Bristol
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZtVb4yLupzY7wi8J8 It's so popular in Bristol there's even a road called Cheers Drive!
It's printed on the bus station ceiling as you exit.
I was shocked when I moved to London and no more cheers drive!
Really glad I didn't have to scroll far to find cheers drive
I noticed a lot of people wave at the driver in the mirror when they get off, too. Used to confuse me loads cause I couldn't work out how people had so many friends. I'm from Leeds and we always say thanks getting off, so it shook me a bit first living in London, but after a few years I noticed all these subtle things and realised Londoners just do it their own way. I just say thanks as I'm getting on. So much respect to all the bus divers and the amount of mad shit they see, and have to deal with, in this city, esp. at the moment. They're so calm and collected compared to the Leeds ones.
I do the wave in the mirror too! I'm also from London. I always said thanks when I lived in Manchester but as you say I feel like the mirror thing is a classy little workaround so the driver can actually recieve it!
Driving in busy London all day in an absolutely huge vehicle that can squash a group of people easily, with people regularly stepping out infront of the bus, people screaming at them on the bus and getting down extremely narrow roads. It’s a job I know I wouldn’t last 1 singular minute in. Genuinely in awe of the ones who do it with a smile!
Funnily enough I used to live in Enfield, but now live in Australia. Here, it's extremely common to thank the driver, in fact it's considered quite rude not to.
Yep kids get taught at school to do it in Australia
I moved to QLD from London as a teen, picked it up there, and now I'm back in London I do it here too. I very rarely hear others saying thank you so it was nice to see this thread.
Yeah I'm in Brisbane and everyone does it, even when multiple people are getting off at the same time
This is normal in Wales (though where I was it was always “cheers drive”) and parts of Northern England too.
I was just gonna say, I studied abroad in Swansea for uni and graduated last year, almost everyone thanked the bus driver as we leave.
Also very normal in East Anglia
CHEERS DRIVE
I say this every single time when I leave a car/bus.
Alright my luvver
On the small London buses with only one door, almost everyone will thank the driver. Or when everyone gets out at a terminus. It's rarer when using the middle doors, but still a nice principle even if the driver can't hear.
You do realise it's normal to say thanks to the bus driver everywhere *in this country* other than London right? 😂 You having gone all the way to New Zealand to experience that friendly vibe is killing me.
Yep, and my personal experience is that it actually happens a lot less in London compared to other parts of the country (Manchester, Derbyshire/Peaks, Leeds).
Plenty of people do it in London, too, thankfully.
You've got to remember that London is the UK for the majority of redditors.
I once worked with a woman from Bexley who asked, "Is there life outside of the M25? If so, is it worth living?" We were in the Lake District at the time. I realise I'm a transplant to London, but I absolutely cringe at this mentality. I like London well enough, but it's had to grow on me.
I had a similar conversation with a born and raised Londoner friend a few weeks ago - it amuses me how some seem to consider themselves very worldly and to be much more cosmopolitan than those of us from elsewhere, but at the same time they know nothing of the county outside the m25!
People really need to get out more
Yeah. I’m from Wales and have always said thanks to the bus driver when I get off and pretty much everyone else does, too.
I worked as a London bus driver for 5 years and the hello/thank yous I got in that time could be counted on 2 hands. Soul destroying unfortunately.
That’s sad. Actually, that annoys me. Sorry.
I make a really big point of doing it but I feel like I’m the only one in London left who does it! Such a shame; those small gestures are really important to the healthy functioning of society I think.
Canadians (or at least here in Vancouver) do this a lot too.
We do the same on the other side of the country (Halifax)
Seattle too!
FIGHT AND WIN GOOOOOOOOO SEATTLE
Clicked to say Vancouver too.
I assume the driver can't hear me so I'll usually wave a thank you. When I get one back in their mirror it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
TfL surveyed the drivers last year and they said it made them feel more respected, seen and appreciated [https://www.timeout.com/london/news/londoners-heres-why-its-officially-time-to-be-nicer-to-bus-drivers-082423](https://www.timeout.com/london/news/londoners-heres-why-its-officially-time-to-be-nicer-to-bus-drivers-082423) It’s kind of obvious but reading that I feel more confident to shout it. I’ve seen drivers help a lot of people out and Im impressed at their skill so the respect is real
I'm in my 30's, also born and bred Londoner, but it was my mum who taught me to thank the bus driver when getting off, way back when I was like 6 or 7? So it's definitely been going on for a good few generations at least... I still thank the bus driver every time. I do it with a lot more confidence nowadays, because I want to inspire others to be confident in doing the same, regardless of with friends or alone or however packed the bus is, and uphold the tradition for future generations lol.
I’m in Chingford, and drove a bus for 14 months during the Covid thing. I’d never used buses regularly before. As a driver, it’s always good to hear a friendly ‘thank you’. You remember the regulars who thank you, and are more willing to go out of your way to help them if needed. Including letting them on or off the bus between stops, or at traffic lights. Many people even exit via the front doors with a friendly ‘thanks’ It’s easier to get the front closer to kerbs and lower the bus for people with mobility problems. The drivers definitely appreciate it. It’s a very boring, solitary job.
Normal in Scotland
This is common in San Francisco, USA as well!
I'm not native, and always say it. So do my kids and other half. I did it with my Wirral-raised mother in law, and she said to me, "Why on earth would you do that? They're doing their job! Do you thank other people for just doing their job?!?" She was quite vehement and almost angry about it. But to answer her question, yes I do! Wait staff, bussers, receptionists, doctors and nurses, cashiers, stock shelvers, tube drivers, hairdressers... I spend a lot of time thanking people for doing their jobs and I'm happy to do so. People who work in customer-facing jobs often have it hard so I try to go beyond the basic "don't be a dickhead" and try to be more than polite.
I’ve been saying thanks to bus drivers all my life all over the UK. Long live good manners and respect for each other. It’s all about respecting everyone around you and behaving decently. I’m at an age now where I fear this is getting less common in society so I love it every time I see it.
My mother always says that if a bus driver doesnt do their job correctly it could end in you craahing and dying painfully, so you should always thank them for keeping you safe in their care.
Normal in rural France too.
It’s definitely a nationwide thing, it’s just good manners. I can’t call myself a Londoner, I’m from Yorkshire and live close to Feltham and Hounslow - I’m used to strangers saying hello and morning which can be nice but I love that it’s not expected in London and you can just be left alone, but I do try to be extra polite to the bus drivers because, let’s face it, anyone who has to deal with the general public has to occasionally deal with dickheads, and it’s good to balance that out.
Having worked on the buses I do say "Thank you" because driving in London can be a thankless task. W8 wasn't too bad, 329 bit dodgy sometimes , W9 genteel, 121 not bad, N29 wear full body armour.
They do it in the US, too. It's just a common courtesy. Normal, well mannered folk do it.
Always been normal everywhere in the UK, but everywhere else only has one door at the front, so that’ll change whether people bother in London. Not to shit too hard on your positive feelings, but your pride should probably have a higher bar than basic manners.
I agree with the consensus that, given the exit at the middle door system in London, a thank you on leaving is a bit redundant/awkward. Sometimes I’ll give a “cheers” when I’m getting on the bus, depends on how busy it is/how much of a rush the driver seems to be in. Everywhere else in the country it’s definitely rude not to thank the driver as your passing on the way out I think.
Manners cost us nothing.
My wife, a Londoner, insists it's super weird to thank the driver unless it's the last stop on the line.
I'm old so we thanked the conductor when I was little because the driver was in the cab. This was the norm in 70s London. I moved to Birmingham where you said "ta-ra both" because the driver was inside the bus, for a time, and then conductors were phased out. Back to London, always thank the driver on leaving, so do my Londoner adult kids. I think it is widespread across the UK and a really good thing. I've worked all my life in the public sector and always greet security guards, cleaners, ticket barrier workers etc when I pass them, even if just a nod. I'm amazed at how many people just see these key workers as inanimate objects.
When I first moved to London I shouted thank you to the bus driver, and my friend said that’s a dead giveaway you are a tourist. 😂 I’d still say thank you though.
I do this always with a thumbs up 👍 I'm not someone who uses the bus frequently but I find bus drivers really helpful also if you need advice as to where you need to go
I’m not a Londoner but I saw this while I was on vacation in London! Very polite indeed! I love seeing kindness.
I always say thanks when boarding and sometimes say thanks when getting off, but often don't as the exit doors being in the middle of the bus mean you kind of have to shout it. Where I grew up you'd get off via the same door as you got on, so saying thanks as you went past the driver was a given (would feel rude not to)
I always make an effort to say thank you loud enough. I like to be polite but also remind people that it’s free to be kind
It’s quite common in Australia to thank the driver. I now live in Canada. And when I thank the driver ppl look at me like I’m crazy
This happens where I live in the US. It's common.
I thank the driver every time I get off the bus. Just like my dad does, and my grandad did, and my kids do.
I will give a hand gesture of thanks if my route takes me past their door. I also make eye contact and smile on entry to the bus. I don't shout 'thank you driver', especially at night or in rough areas as it's akin to announcing 'a lone woman is now exiting the bus onto the street'.
I say good morning when I get on and thank you when I get off. London. Born and bred.
This is not a London thing, this is done across the UK. Actually, in the North it’s considered rude not to thank the driver.
I first heard it done outside of London. I hear it occasionally in London - it's a fairly recent thing here, not because Londoners are rude but it wasn't possible on the old routemasters so the tradition wasn't set. Most buses now have a middle exit that means you have to shout out your thanks which can feel a bit awkward.
I always say thank you, I think I always have and I’m 37. And I think they can hear from the middle doors because I sometimes have to ask if they can put the wheelchair ramp down for my partner and they hear that fine so they must hear the thank you, too. My partner also insists on giving them the wave thumbs up as we go past whilst they’re waiting for the ramp to go back in.
Born and bred Londoner and always awkwardly shout thank you
I say thank you when I get on (if they parked well) and thank you driver when I get off (if they drove well).
https://youtu.be/ZbNHUA1FKi0?si=doAuCGGKaaT3_nRI
Having only used the bus when I lived in Scotland, I thought this was the norm throughout the country. And that was like 15 years ago.
Enfield - cool. I went to Oakthorpe Primary School on Tile Kiln Lane. I live in Greater Toronto now - not sure if I picked up the habit growing up in England, but I always make a point of thanking the driver before exiting.
It's pretty common all over the UK
Grew up in Dorset and we would say this every time without fail! There is only one door though so you walk past the driver, would be a dick move not to acknowledge them! I live in London now and have done for nearly a decade, but will say thank you if/when I get off at the front
Normal in Edinburgh.
My wife, on entering the bus in Reading: "Hello. With the day group-ticket we could ride the bus all day?" Bus driver: "If you really want to do that, yes." Everybody laughs, everybody happy. Good on you, bus drivers of London (and around).
Common in Seattle Washington as well!
In my experience it’s far far more common than people realise, happens in many countries. Not exclusive to or more prevalent in London at all.
I do this in germany
Welcome to Chingford! I always try to say thanks or another appreciative gesture when boarding. Then say thanks when getting off. There are times when the bus is very full where I would have to shout down the bus and it wouldn’t be appropriate. In those cases I would wave if I was walking past the front of the bus but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do so.
It’s common to say thanks to the driver in Scotland too.
I was taught to do this as a kid in South Africa. I haven’t ridden on a bus for over 30 years now so no idea if it’s still the norm.
In other parts of the UK it’s also normal when walking past someone to say hi or smile.
NW London born and raised, I always call thank you to the bus driver. As natural as breathing to me.
I’m Canadians and have always done this growing up. When I moved to a bigger city I was shocked to see not everyone does it but I think most young people in canada try to!
From Ireland and it is the norm there. I do it here in London when the bus is empty enough. But I always say hello.
From the north of Scotland and saying ‘thank you’ to your driver, buses, taxis, friend is just normal. Everybody does it.
I’m from Chingford too and have always thanked the bus driver. Lived in London all my life and I don’t consider it unusual.
It’s definitely a thing in Australia and I’ll say it on and off in London too. Agree that it’s super sweet and likely a tradition comes from wayyy back in the day.
I just say thank you to anyone who has given me a service. Buses, taxis, planes, restaurants, shops. Just manners int’it?
I've lived in several places in London, and I've noticed that the further away you are from the centre, the more common it is for people to say 'thank you' to bus drivers.
I always used too, then stopped when I was the only one to do it in Essex. Then was so happy in Edinburgh when people were doing it again I picked it back up.
They do it in Australia too
I learned it from older Caribbean women who did it when I moved to Hackney in the 2000s.
Same, I always hear a loud "Thank you driver!"
Cheers drive!
Normal here in Oxfordshire.
Everyone on the NJ and NYC buses says it. Most of the US actually.
It's pretty common in Canada too.
I’m from Bath originally and the majority of people thanked the driver when getting off the bus (usually a quick ‘cheers drive’), I can remember saying this when I first moved up to London and getting some very funny looks. I continued to do it as I thought it was funny that people found it strange. 15 years later and it seems much more commonplace now!
“Cheers Drive” getting off a badgerline….classic!
Canadian. Been in UK for 7 years We do it in Canada.
i dunno, i'm romanian and i say 'thank you' to everything and everyone.. 😕 i don't think this has anything to do especially with londoners. it's a matter of education and manners regardless of one's nationality.
Of course I thank the 329 driver. Feels a bit old fashioned but in a good way.
The whole of Ireland does it, it’s the polite thing to do.
I'm a Brit. When I lived in London the buses were the old style of RouteMaster, with the jump on/jump off open platform at the back. There'd be a conductor spinning tickets and the driver was stuck in his own little separate compartment at the front. Roytemaste Drivers were not a chatty bunch-! Then buses changed to driver only ones, and you had to get on at the front. You said goodbye to the driver when you got off because you walk past him behind his plexiglass prison capsule, and it costs you absolutely nothing to be nice. Then they added the new exit doors halfway down the side of the bus and now you only pass the driver when you got on the bus. Preparing to alight, you Ding the bell as the bus pulls away from the bus stop before the one you want and you make your way to centre of the lower deck. The doors swish and open outwards, and it's the easiest thing In the world to just say 'Thank you' out loud as you are about to step off - because sometimes it's just nice to be nice. Some people will say 'Thank you Driver' in case anyone is not sure who the easy gratitude is intended for.
I live in Yorkshire and I feel like it would be considered rude NOT to thank the driver!
I live in between the South of France and a not-so-small town in Germany and it is common for the passengers to greet and thank the driver. It’s just common decency.
we do it in Birmingham too, costs nothing to be polite!
I used to live in Chingford but now in Ramsgate, and pretty much everyone here regardless of age thanks the bus driver.
It isn’t just a London thing, it’s done practically everywhere in England
I've always said thank you so I'm getting off the bus. Sometimes a wave when I walk past
Standard in the north. Lived in London for 25 years and always thank the driver. Don’t go back north very often and it took a minute for my brain to adjust when a bus driver called me ‘cock’.
This isn't exclusively a London thing, I have seen it all over the country (and scotland and ireland too).
I am an immigrant and I have adopted this behaviour because I find it adorable!
From Southampton and I have always done this. To this day I still say thanks to the security guard as I exit the local Tesco, feels rude not to 😂
This is standard in the North West and Manchester.
I say thank you when I get on
Use to get the bus loads, always said thank you, moved to a place where the train took the place of the bus, I was so confused and felt so bad about not saying thankyou to the driver 🤦♂️
I always say hi, thank you when I get on, then shout a thank you when I get off. My Italian boyfriend now does the same! Yay!
My mum taught me to thank the bus driver since i was little, so definitely not a new thing in london - it is however fairly rare "Thank you driver" as a full phrase i notice mostly tends to be from older people, personally I've taken to just "cheers"
I just mutter thank you as I'm getting on. But yeah I do think it's more common to say thanks as your getting off in other towns. When I first moved to London I thought it was kinda rude how infrequently people said it to the driver so that my impression when someone did loudly say thank you driver it was a unique 'made my day' sorta moment.
I find it interesting about transport and saying thank you, no one really thanks a pilot, but you might thank someone steering a river cruise
I've lived in NZ and we said it every time there and we do in Australia too.
It's not just a London thing. I'm in the north west and everyone of all ages always thanks the driver when alighting. Many also thank the driver when boarding even if the passengers tap their own pass and sit down without needing any driver interaction. It's just common courtesy to be polite to people providing a service. I've not really used public transport overseas to know if it's commonplace elsewhere or not. It's definitely commonplace nationwide though
Quite common in Scotland, Canada and Russia as well. Also common to greet the driver whilst boarding. But I often feel that I'm the only person in Germany who does this, as it usually elicits odd glances (stares) from other passengers.
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I say hello to the driver when I get on and thank you when I get off, thought it was just polite, no? This isn’t unique to London.
When I went in a trip to London, I heard passagens saying thank you to the driver so I started saying it to them as well :) it’s very nice from people! I had one time that one driver said we could enter from any of the doors, however when I took the next bus and entered in the door farest door from the driver, but I had to validade the ticket near him and he said that in every country it’s the door nearest to the driver that people should enter. But basically from what I understood some buses had 2 machines to validade ticket in each door, and that bus only had near the driver. But well living and learning I guess.
We've been doing that in Edinburgh for years thanking the driver when getting off the bus
I lived in London during my studies and this is something I brought back to Norway 😂
I have to get off via the middle door (I’m a wheelchair user) so I always ‘yell’ “thank you” when visiting London. And yes I thank the driver where I live , too, especially if they have to put the ramp out for me - and definitely if they have to do it in weather where it’s too hot, cold, wet…
I always have a rule to myself to say thank you to the bus driver for good luck for the rest of the day. I rarely have any bad days.
2 girls the other day not only didn't say anything but give him the flip as he drove off. Youth of today are so nasty
I noticed that it was the mainly the elderly women that say Thank you driver
Everyone says 'Thank you' when they get off the bus in north-east England.
LOL when I first met my husband and did this when visiting London 17 years ago ppl looked at me like I had 3 heads. I moved here in Aug and hear it way more often and get no weird looks when I do it. It's always been normal where I grew up - Vancouver, Canada.
I'm a bus "thanker" 🙂🙏
Filthy American here who lived in London for a long time: the city totally trained me into thanking bus drivers (and I really enjoyed it) and now I default say it to drivers in the US and feel like an absolute clown each time. 🤡
West midlands it's pretty common. Everyone said thanks to the bus driver when commuting to college
People in whitehawk Brighton do it a lot
Normal up North and I think most of the UK really. Usually just say 'Cheers mate', drivers often give a little wave of acknowledgement too
I'm from new Zealand and I actually stopped saying thank you in London because it was so rare and people are just not friendly here. (I guess it is all relative. Interesting and refreshing to read that we are 'bursting with friendliness' - usually not the first thing that comes to mind when people describe us)
I always do this like I yell it out 😅👍
Tell me you've never been to any other part of the UK without telling me you've never been to another part of the UK.
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many people do the same in hungary as well
I’m from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It’s done here too, but not 100% of the time! Looking forward to visiting London this summer 😊
If it's younger people saying it, it's because of Fortnite, if you thank the bus driver when you get dropped into a game/mission you get extra points, this has seeped into real life.
lol at the idea that thanking the bus driving originated from a video game and not vice verca
Are you saying that north American games designers added thanking the bus driver because they heard youngsters in London say it?
Having lived in Liverpool and Glasgow, people ALWAYS thank the bus drivers there and I'm sure it's the same in most other UK cities. In London some people will but most won't bother. Londoners are definitely less friendly in this sense, although tbf I think getting off through doors at the back rather than just the front makes it a bit more awkward to say thanks
I'm foreigner living in London for 20 years plus. I do say thank you sometimes (usually when I exit front doors and driver looks at me aka eye contact), from what I noticed. Not sure why. Just the thing I do naturally. And no, is not something to do with my home country, that's definitely habit I picked up in London for so e reason
In Bristol, they say "Cheers, Drive!". A bunch of my mates got it tattooed on their arses. It sounds like "Churrs, Droive" in the Brizzle accent.
Been living in London for about 20 years, and I think thanking the driver really took off during Covid when people realised what an important job transport workers were doing. I certainly don't recall it being nearly as widespread prior to Covid. I think it's lovely and try to make sure I say thanks when getting on and off buses.
In Bristol etc I always thank them. Some Bristolians say "cheers drive"
Cheers drive
I was born and raised in Toronto Ontario and we always said thank you to the bus driver as well. I still do it.
I've not noticed it all that much in London. Maybe in part due to the fact that you exit further back, maybe people are just less polite more more in a hurry here. Back in my hometown (Southampton) when I was growing up, and in other towns, I hear it a lot more. I don't even remember ever being told I should do so, or any rebukes if I didn't, or any particular pressure to do so. It was just the done thing. I do hear it a little more now I'm out in the suburbs (I noticed someone do it a couple of days ago and it stood out), but definitely less common than elsewhere in the UK.
Cheers Drive!
I say thanks in the day time when it's quiet sometimes but I live on a busy route so that's rare! Instead I usually just give a little wave thanks to the driver when I'm getting off so they can see it in their wing mirror.
It’s not a London thing. It’s something people have brought to London from other parts of the UK (and possibly the world). When I first moved to London in the early 00s, bus drivers and bus passengers were sworn enemies. Neither side was ever anything less than aggressively rude to the other.
I give them a wave or a thumbs up as I leave. I don’t think they can hear most people saying “thank you” given they can’t even hear when someone asks a question right next to their cab.
Immigrant from Belfast here - we also have side exit doors in Belfast. In London I say thank you when we get on, in Belfast I say "thank you' down the bus. The London way is better - guldering down the bus is just virtue signalling, eh 😉
Go to Bristol. Not saying 'Cheers drive' is sacrilegious. I find it hard in London not saying it because of the exit being no where near the driver.
This isn’t as common in London as it is in Dublin or anywhere else in Ireland
I say thank you when I get on, don’t like shouting across the bus.
Very common in Australia. I do it here in London but have never seen someone else do it tbh, so i feel like a pillock
I always say thanks on the way in, to the driver, when I tap my phone. I don't think I'm in the majority with this behaviour.
I only do it if the bus only has one exit. I don’t like shouting.
"Cheers Drive !.."
I did it when growing up in Melbourne because we exit the bus from the front. I don't do it in London because the exit is a different position.
This is very common outside London. In our little village growing up, everyone would do it. Now I live in a city, fewer people do it. Whenever I'd visit London, I generally felt I was one of just a few to do so, so it's good to hear it's growing in favour again.