In your area do people usually stand up before the bus has stopped?

[py_megapixel]

The official advice from the bus companies always seems to be that when alighting from a bus, you should ring the bell from your seat, and then remain seated until the bus has come to a halt, rather than trying to walk down.

Is there anywhere in the country where this is widely followed? I've never seen a driver attempt to enforce this - whenever I've been on a bus people have generally rung the bell and then walked to the front and stood just behind the drivers' cab (where there is usually a line on the ground) until the doors are open - which also tends to be what I do as I don't want to slow down the service for others further than necessary. That said it's probably not great from a safety perspective for people to do this.

 

[150249]

The official advice from the bus companies always seems to be that when alighting from a bus, you should ring the bell from your seat, and then remain seated until the bus has come to a halt, rather than trying to walk down.

Is there anywhere in the country where this is widely followed? I've never seen a driver attempt to enforce this - whenever I've been on a bus people have generally rung the bell and then walked to the front and stood just behind the drivers' cab (where there is usually a line on the ground) until the doors are open - which also tends to be what I do as I don't want to slow down the service for others further than necessary. That said it's probably not great from a safety perspective for people to do this.

Never seen it happen in the south west except from mothers with small children and the elderly

 

[Adtrainsam]

From my experience living in both the North East and in Essex, it seems much more common to start walking down to the front in the North East. Some start walking just as the last stop has passed and ring the bell on the way down, before standing near the driver.

In Essex, there are more people who remain seated until fully stopped or get up 'later' than counterparts in the North East. It's a very interesting observation.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Definitely happens quite a lot in Glasgow, often just after the previous stop (as mentioned in the above post).

Also happens in Surrey, although on a lesser scale in my experience - mainly elderly people.

I always make an effort to remain seated once I've pressed the bell, but the one place you can't really fuss around too much getting down the stairs is London, as the drivers are often a bit too eager to shut the doors in my experience.

 

[JD2168]

Usually in South Yorkshire when the bell is pressed passengers get up & walk to the front of the bus, known a few times the driver sailing past the stop with someone shouting at the driver that they have pressed the bell if no one was there.

 

[geoffk]

Since moving to Exeter, I've found that most passengers do remain seated, even those upstairs. There are notices from Stagecoach asking passengers to remain seated but I've never done it and am always on my way to the door. Similarly Exeter drivers always wait for everyone to sit down, something I've rarely seen elsewhere except where someone has a visible disability. All this must affect time-keeping.

On First buses in West Yorkshire there was for a time an automated message, presumably triggered by pressing the bell, asking everyone to remain seated. I imagine drivers got fed up with it and it was disconnected.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Yes, and I do it - simply because I've had occasions when the driver hasn't heard the bell and driven past the my stop! So I do it so that if the driver does inavertently drive past, I can make them aware.

 

[Dfatcontroller]

Since moving to Exeter, I've found that most passengers do remain seated, even those upstairs. There are notices from Stagecoach asking passengers to remain seated but I've never done it and am always on my way to the door. Similarly Exeter drivers always wait for everyone to sit down, something I've rarely seen elsewhere except where someone has a visible disability. All this must affect time-keeping.

On First buses in West Yorkshire there was for a time an automated message, presumably triggered by pressing the bell, asking everyone to remain seated. I imagine drivers got fed up with it and it was disconnected.

It only affects time keeping if the timetable doesn't allow for the practice.

 

[2192]

The notices are only there so if the driver had to brake suddenly and a walking passenger fell over and was injured, the bus companies have a defence against being sued for damages. I ring the bell and start walking towards the door as soon as we are around a sharp corner, and I hang on with both hands at the next corner before the stop (Derby Arriva 8 & 8a). Other folk stay seated. Some do as I do.

 

[LiviCrazy]

In West Lothian (all operators) if you stay seated most drivers will just go past the stop unless there is known disabled or elderly passengers on board. Similarly if the bell isn’t pressed most drivers refuse to stop.

 

[geoffk]

The notices are only there so if the driver had to brake suddenly and a walking passenger fell over and was injured, the bus companies have a defence against being sued for damages. I ring the bell and start walking towards the door as soon as we are around a sharp corner, and I hang on with both hands at the next corner before the stop (Derby Arriva 8 & 8a). Other folk stay seated. Some do as I do.

Yes they're covering their backs in case of a fall etc., same with the railways. Looks as though there's a wide range of practice on buses around the country.

Reminds me when I arrived in Sheffield as a student in the 60s. I pressed the bell when wanting to alight, as I was used to doing in Bristol, and was told in no uncertain terms by the conductor that I wasn't to touch the bell, it was her job, and I had to ask "next stop please".

 

[Paul_10]

Where I'm living at the moment in the north west its definately the younger generation who does this the most. I personally don't and never will, the risk of an injury is very low and its time consuming. Nothing more annoying than a late passenger walking down to get off the bus and people are getting on because they assume no one is getting off so that hold things up slightly even more and if its done stop after stop then the minutes soon add up.

Sadly its the health and safety world we live in.

 

[Magdalia]

Reminds me when I arrived in Sheffield as a student in the 60s. I pressed the bell when wanting to alight, as I was used to doing in Bristol, and was told in no uncertain terms by the conductor that I wasn't to touch the bell, it was her job, and I had to ask "next stop please".

Eastern Counties was like this too. They had a mix of routes with conductors and routes that were driver only. But passengers on the driver only buses still did not ring the bell, they walked to the front and asked "next stop please".

When I first worked in London I had to get used to ringing the bell myself, even on Routemasters, and I had to remember to stop using the bell if I went back to the Fens.

These days in the Fens everyone uses the bell, but there is a wide variation on when they ring it. Some go as soon as the bus has passed the previous stop, while others wait and wait, probably hoping that someone else will ring first. Getting up before the bus stops is effectively compulsory, especially at busy stops. Out in the Fens lots of people don't understand off before on, unlike in London, where everyone seems to know that.

 

[150249]

Since moving to Exeter, I've found that most passengers do remain seated, even those upstairs. There are notices from Stagecoach asking passengers to remain seated but I've never done it and am always on my way to the door. Similarly Exeter drivers always wait for everyone to sit down, something I've rarely seen elsewhere except where someone has a visible disability. All this must affect time-keeping.

On First buses in West Yorkshire there was for a time an automated message, presumably triggered by pressing the bell, asking everyone to remain seated. I imagine drivers got fed up with it and it was disconnected.

Strange, I've seen things differently then.

 

[Ediswan]

In Stevenage, most wait for the bus to stop. Except early morning arriving at the station. There are some borderline bus/rail timings where every second might make the difference.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Seems to vary around here. Usually younger people stand early, older people don't. Sort of makes sense, as on the grid you do get thrown about a bit because the operation is relatively high speed for urban buses.

I did note a sign last time I used one saying "no standing while the vehicle is in motion" but suspect that's left over from COVID days, as the vehicle concerned did have a standing load specified on the capacity sign. However, Milton Keynes buses are so poorly used that the risk of a standing load is pretty low other than on services leaving the shops between about 1715-1745, and a crush load is near-unknown.

 

[Falcon1200]

Definitely happens quite a lot in Glasgow, often just after the previous stop (as mentioned in the above post).

Agree re Glasgow, on the McGills, Staghecoach and First routes I use, also in Oxford on Stagecoach again and Oxford Bus Co; For the latter in particular, as most routes are operated by double deckers, if at every stop the bus waited for folk to leave their seats and come down the stairs the buses would take twice as long, and they are slow enough already!

 

[riceuten]

Strangely enough, a mere 30 miles from London, sitting until the bus stops is very common in Stevenage. I am usually alone in getting up and proceeding to the front, being careful not to stand too close to the driver and the doors.

It does mean endless delays though, mixed in with morons trying to get on the bus before it has completely finished offloading passengers. And people asking if the bus "goes to the hospital?". And people trying to pay a single fare with a £20 note. And mums kicking off and saying it's "absolutely disgusting" when there are already 2-3 people with buggies on the bus.