Am I the only one who actually enjoys travelling by bus? People can be so negative about it!

[Wisteriabloom]

For context, I can't drive. I'm dyspraxic, (not everyone knows this), have struggled through a lot of lessons/tests over the years, to find my spatial awareness & hand/eye co-ordination just isn't up to it. I obviously found this frustrating, but accepted I'd never be a driver back in my 20's, I'm in my 40's now! So public transport is second nature to me!

I work part-time, 3 days a week somewhere that is half an hour bus ride away. (Bus stop is only 5 mins from my house). It's fine, I get on the bus, coffee in hand, and arrive at work 10 mins early. If it's been a particularly stressful day (sometimes it is!), I'm glad of the half hour ride home, just to gaze out of the window and de-stress!😀

My parents live 20 mins away by bus (coastal route, bus stop 5 mins away from their house). Nice easy journey.

Town is walking distance from us, but sometimes we like to go over to a City Centre, approx 40 mins train journey. (Dh does drive, but likes a day out without worrying about parking) so taking the train is an easy option!😀

I don't generally mention how I get to places, but if a driver knows I've caught a bus or train they seem to pity me/say how awful it must be🤔 It's really not, and I feel quite patronised at times!😲

Obviously if time is short/emergency/stuff to carry etc I'll take a taxi, and have done at times, but generally find public transport works fine for us! Do any other non-drivers have this issue?

I catch the bus rather than the train. Much prefer it. I am also loving Covid restrictions of a whole seat to myself. I always used to grab the high seat directly behind the driver as it wasn’t directly next to someone. I’m chubby, and like the room!
Trains at the moment are far emptier than the bus but probably not far long.
I like being able to get off the bus anytime. I usually read or go on my phone but it’s lovely to go to work through countryside into the city. It takes longer but I don’t mind at all.

@Wisteriabloom

Lottie - I've sometimes had people reacting surprised (and even mocked me🤔) when they see I'm waiting for a bus, not sure why!

Recently I was at the bus stop, waiting for a bus to visit my parents. These buses come every 15 mins, and it's a lovely half hour ride along the coast. Just before it came I was suddenly aware of a friend of ours, shouting across the road from his car window, for me to cross over and he'd give me a lift!

Across two lanes of traffic I eventually got him to understand I was fine, bus was approaching the corner (I could see it!), and waved him on. He seemed frustrated, threw his arms up and shrugged, then drove off. I felt a bit bad at refusing, as it was nice of him, BUT -

I had headphones in (listening to podcast), just picked up a Costa coffee and was actually looking forward to a peaceful journey!

He DOES mean well, but I've accepted the odd lift from him before, and he always lectures me about not being able to drive! He knows I've given it a good try (due to my Dyspraxia it proved impossible), ok he doesn't KNOW I'm dyspraxic, (I don't think he'd understand🤔)

I'd rather relax on the bus than go through all the questioning though!

I've had this too, and it's awkward, you're made to feel at best a bit awkward and at worst ungrateful if you turn down a lift.

Bit of a strange one, as @Sparklingbrook says, many offer lifts because they feel it rude not to, even though (if non driver threads here are anything to go by!) they may not want to, or resent it, but feel obliged to do so (not suggesting that's the case with sparkling) and then the non driver feels obligated to accept the lift even if they don't want to, and then you've got two people in a car that both would have preferred not to happen, but has through polite manners being observed!

Not sure what the answer to that one is!

Yes @Iquitit you can see the AIBU threads can't you?

'I was waiting at the bus stop, my friend saw me, waved and drove on by. AIBU to think they could have offered me a lift we were going the same way after all what an inconsiderate cowbag'

or

'I was waiting at the bus stop and my friend drove past, saw me and offered me a lift. I didn't want one but felt obliged to get in AIBU to think they shouldn't have bothered? I was quite happy to get the bus'

I think being a mind reader is the only solution.

I am glad that social distancing means the end of being squished up the window on a bus making it hard to get out in time for your stop. But we have a rubbish bus service here. They don't go where I want to go at the times I need to go.

I quite enjoy the bus tbh. I don't drive as I am rubbish at it. Walk the kids to school, get the bus everywhere else. We have buses every 20 mins from 6am till 11pm so it's not really an issue for me.
I have been told so many times that "it's a life skill" or similar. And someone once told me it was cruel to make my kids walk to school in the rain (it's a 20 min walk). Some people are strange about driving.

I have been told so many times that "it's a life skill" or similar. And someone once told me it was cruel to make my kids walk to school in the rain (it's a 20 min walk). Some people are strange about driving

Funnily enough my parents have said similar to me. As my dd1 now has a 30 + min.walk to school. This coming from a man who never took me to school and left me at the bus stop soaking wet on numerous occasions even when the bus didnt stop and went straight past us as it was too full. I.just had ti wait til next one or walk.3/4 miles.

One thing I was very conclusion of and have tried not to do whe I.learnt to drive, is become to lazy to walk to the local.shop or to.work.

Cars do seem.to.make some people lazy. They'd rather camp.outside a school fir 30 mins to ensure a space than walk the 5/10 mins to the school. We have to drive as dd2s school.is 4 miles away but I still.walk.further than some of the locals

I like travelling on the bus, but I live in a major city so public transport is really good. There are three bus stops within less than a five minutes walk and a choice of eight services. I can get anywhere in the city. And I love the journey home from work! It's lovely to just relax and look out of the window as the world goes by. I worked from home for a time during the first lockdown and really missed that bit of the day.

I don't even mind the odd people you encounter on buses. I used to, but I think I've acclimatised and now see them as a spot of colour.

A car here would be useless. Parking is awful, and even worse in the city centre. It would genuinely take longer to get anywhere if I drove. However, I used to live in a village with a terrible service, infrequent, expensive and unreliable, you really did need a car there.

Well I certainly wouldn’t mock someone for taking the bus - how rude! I would be suprised to see another person that I know at the bus stop though, for some reason I associate them with youngsters and the elderly. Of course many people will use them for a variety of reasons, I guess it comes down to where you live as well. For a night out, we’d always all get taxis and no one would drive anyway!