Should someone who's been waiting longer than you at the bus stop always get on first?

[Letthebodieshitthefloor]

The bus I take is essentially a coach, always plenty of seats even at busy hours.

This morning I approached the bus stop, a woman was already there, and I saw her glaring at me because I was standing in the bus stop rather than at the side.

She then let another woman on first who'd perhaps been there longer than she had, then got herself in front of me and looked at me making sure I wouldn't get on before she did.

It's all a bit petty really, the bus was almost empty, it's not going to go without you.

If there were a pregnant/vulnerable/elderly passenger getting on and I could see there weren't many seats left then I'd let them on first.

Yes of course those at the stop first go on first!

I don't get the bus now really but did today as dropped car at garage for service. There were two people at stop when I arrived, then a mother and toddler arrived then later a women and man. I was under the cover of the stop but had a work call so moved away from the stop for a bit of privacy. The second woman who arrived offered to let me on first as she recognised I was there first even though I wasn't in front of her in the queue. Bus was fairly empty so I went after her but it was nice and right that she offered me the chance to go in front of her.

It was my first time in bus since they take contactless - amazing!

Yes.
If I've waited for a bus for 20 mins and someone joins me at the bus stop and waits 2mins and gets on the bus before me I would be pissed off, 1) I find it rude and 2) I could be turned away because the bus is too busy.

If someone is there before you, they get first dibs. Anything else is simply rude. And if it is a regular ride, do you really want to be the rude eejit...

You can always tell those brought up with manners. It’s our duty to keep good manners. Some folk have no manners and skip the queue.
When people are visiting from other countries, it’s important they’re told how it works.

Tradition dictates we walk on the left, and queue when there is one. Never never ever jump a queue. It’s simply a sign of poor upbringing.
We say sorry even when it’s not our fault. We have British table manners. Never elbows on the table and never American manners with forks turned upwards. Just stick with tradition and we can’t err on the selfish or bad manner route.

Been in your shoes OP! We were two ladies with buggies and there were miraculously two buggy spaces ( I sent my sister to the side to check). I waited until everyone, including people who had gotten there after us, had gotten on the bus and she made zero move to get on. I pushed the buggy around her and as I was getting on she started sighing. She followed us on and was veeeery loudly talking to strangers about how “some people” will push in and could have made her wait because I couldn’t have known there were two spaces and I was very rude etc. The old ladies she was talking to very sympathetic and agreeing, tutting and sighing with her. I simply loudly talked to my sister about what had REALLY happened and she looked embarrassed and the old ladies even more so. We ended the bus ride on a high though, because she sat down next to the old ladies to chat shit about me in the vulnerable section and the bus suddenly stopped. I caught her pram wheeling away/tipping over and she smiled gratefully and thanked me.

That’s the difference between civilised English people and the people of Europe. We queue. It’s mandatory.

I’m guessing you don’t live on London OP
It’s fend yourself down here when getting on the bus is concerned

I'm a regular bus user and definitely let prams/wheelchairs on first. They won't bang my ankles then 😂 With elderly people, I usually find that if was ahead of them in the queue and invite them to go first, they decline and say 'thanks, you go first love/duck/pet/etc etc' .

Yes, very rude to go on before people who've been waiting longer (I live in London and am fully prepared to glare ).

Yes they should.

I can’t even believe you are asking that question.

Absolutely should get on first !

Etiquette says that you would let those waiting longest get on first. Which I’m happy to do. But what I won’t do is wait for them if when they see the bus approaching make no attempt to move forward to get in the queue so end up at the back.
I’ve had this before and they practically rugby tackle you to get through to the front to try and get on first. I won’t be so polite in that situation!

Sorry had to be done.....

Reminds me when I used to get on a bus stop that was really popular with commuters and foreign students, that used to get really heated!

Where I live they are 90% coaches. If it's someone in a wheelchair or a mum with buggy, then I go first as I can hop on, tap and sit whereas they take much longer.

It's essentially still a queue - don't we brits love queues..🤣
I hate when people butt into a queue - IMO it's the height of entitlement and rudeness.
Everyone is waiting their turn then you just come along and bypass everyone standing here like tw*ts?!
Buses are the worst - you've been waiting 10 minutes, then someone comes along and just hangs around looking all non-committal. As soon as the bus arrives you can see them looking and counting how many seats available, then counting how many are queueing. They know they're not going to get a seat so they just butt in. Why would you do that? It's basically queue etiquette and their parents should be ashamed not teaching them this basic British staple 🤦‍♀️🤣🤣

@JollyAndBright

Yes if there are people waiting you stand in a queue like fashion and those who were there first get to board first.

I hate it when people position themselves right at the front of the stop when the bus is about to arrive so that they can jump on first.
It’s so rude.

People seem to have lost basic manners. A queue is a queue and you join it, I don’t get this whole making a new q at bus stops. As you said it’s just rude.

In Britain yes. In Germany - it’s a free for all 🤪

These are the manners I was bought up with. Not like many people do it anymore. I find it really rude if someone who’s just got there gets on before me and I’ve been there a while.

Queuing is a very English tradition. Went to France last year, and the whole none queuing system there stressed the hell out of me. They blatantly push in front, not like here where people at least have the decency to sneakily push in, so it doesn’t look obvious.

Yes! That applies across the board x

Whilst I know, as a good British person, that the first person in line should be the first on the bus, I do hate having to stand outside the bus in the rain, with my bus pass ready on my phone (which I just have to show the driver) while Diedre and Rita shuffle about in their bags trying to find their bus passes (that they have to present to the driver and get a ticket for, so takes time) despite having been sat at the bus stop for 20 minutes and knowing they would need it they have made zero attempt to get their pass cards ready ... if theyd let me go first then I could have flashed my pass to the driver and be sat down while they are still faffing, but instead I'm standing in the cold and wet while they faff instead just because they were there first.

I really love it when people who are going to either need to buy a ticket or use a pass card that requires a ticket see those of us who have our bus passes ready on our phones and waves us on ahead - they are delayed a few seconds but means we all ultimately get on the bus much quicker.

Do you still get on the bus only through the front door in UK, even in London/big cities? I suppose one door only policy helps to keep queueing a thing.

Where I live, remembering order of coming is expected in countryside on local lines. In cities all doors open and people just get out and in, no organisation needed. And for a long route buses, people form the physical queue since the second one comes, as the sitting places might be limited, so you want to guard your position.
However, it is very very rare here, that the bus leaves someone behind, it is not really legal to get the bus really full, but typically if you physically manage to fit in, you go, no matter that you stand on one feet.