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Public transport - different countries - do you say "thanks"?
Inspired by the bumped thread on sitting up front in taxis, in different countries, do you say "hi" and "thanks" to the driver of a bus?
In NZ: ALWAYS say thanks (considered rude not to) when alighting SOMETIMES say hi/gidday when getting on |
Originally Posted by akl_traveller
(Post 31204012)
Inspired by the bumped thread on sitting up front in taxis, in different countries, do you say "hi" and "thanks" to the driver of a bus?
In NZ: ALWAYS say thanks (considered rude not to) when alighting SOMETIMES say hi/gidday when getting on |
Originally Posted by Qwkynuf
(Post 31204090)
What a bizarre statement. Wouldn't a better title for your thread be: "When dealing with humans - do you say 'thanks'?"
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Originally Posted by akl_traveller
(Post 31204303)
I don't think saying "thanks" to bus drivers on alighting *is* universal. Just like queueing etiquette. Thus sociology and anthropology!
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Originally Posted by HMPS
(Post 31204313)
This depends on the Society and the Culture where you are. Some countries it just not done ! They look at you strangely if you do / say the "civilized" society mannerisms.
Thank you for indulging me. |
"Thank you" in the native language is key to know. I usually say it when getting off, even if leaving by a mid-bus exit.
Boarding, there's often a jam of people and I typically just smile/nod if the driver is looking. S/he often is not. I'm not sure I've visited anywhere that I wouldn't considered civilized. Such a location (e.g. North Sentinel Island) probably doesn't have a public transportation system. |
I’m not on a bus all that often, but in my experience, norms even vary within a country. I hear people thanking the driver often in San Francisco as they disembark, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard it in Manhattan. I always thank taxi and ride share drivers, and I always thank bus drivers if I disembark at the front (i.e. smaller car rental shuttle). I don’t feel the need to yell across the length of a city bus if I’m getting off from the back. |
Canada: DO say thank you
Switzerland: DO NOT say thank you (just do not talk to strangers at all :) ) |
I usually hit them with that head nod haha
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Originally Posted by Smiley90
(Post 31204549)
Canada: DO say thank you
Switzerland: DO NOT say thank you (just do not talk to strangers at all :) ) |
Originally Posted by Smiley90
(Post 31204549)
Canada: DO say thank you
Switzerland: DO NOT say thank you (just do not talk to strangers at all :) ) Really? My impression is that at least parts of Switzerland follow German norms and one would be expected to say hello and goodbye in small shops, etc. as well as thank you. IME it's more in big east coast USA cities where one doesn't talk to strangers (except to thank taxi drivers, etc.). |
In many places you board a bus through the front door but exit through a rear door. Does anyone in any country thank the driver when exiting at the rear door?
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Originally Posted by Smiley90
(Post 31204549)
Canada: DO say thank you
Switzerland: DO NOT say thank you (just do not talk to strangers at all :) ) |
I think the design of the bus is also important . I commute in the UK on a bus that only has a front door and the driver sells the ticket or check the passes when you board, I say Hi and thanks everyday I get on and off last time I was in Zurich I bought my ticket from a machine on the platform and boarded and alighted the bus through either the middle or rear door and didn’t interact with the driver at all. |
I say "Thank you" if I am disembarking at the front door by the driver. I also say "Hello" as I am boarding. For reference, I am American, and I do this no matter in which country I am.
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