Morning Pleasantries!!

[flythetube]

Good Morning!!

I recently boarded a Tfl Route 270 bus where the female driver was greeting each and every customer with a Good Morning or Hello which put smiles on everyone’s faces and I thought that was a nice touch probably initiated by that member of staff.

Then today I board a 390 route bus to find the male driver doing exactly the same thing.

Has a new dictat gone out expecting all drivers to adopt this? Or is this a random coincidental situation?

 

[PG]

Of couse in other parts of the country this is quite normal

 

[mangad]

Probably just happy, friendly, chatty drivers. I remember getting a night bus once in London. Most of the drivers were head down, get through the night without fuss. This one guy was chatty, friendly, and helpful. All going to depend on the driver and their mood really.

 

[820KDV]

Perfectly normal in this part of the country, indeed on many routes drivers will know the regulars and have a quick chat on boarding or alighting, and often enquire after anyone they've not seen for a while. I appreciate that the sheer volume of passengers (and drivers) on urban routes makes this impossible but is quite common on our inter-urban and rural routes.

And I always make sure I ask for or present my ticket with a friendly greeting; its a two way process. And yes, I have been on the other side of the cab door, so know what its like from there too.

There is a poster on here who frequently advocates London style off-bus ticketing, where no driver interaction is needed, on every bus everywhere. No thank you, we'll take a few seconds longer and value the interaction. In fact its something we have often mentioned in reasons to fund bus services, they are more than just a means of transport, they are part of life and have far reaching social benefits.

Its good to see London catching up with the rest of us!