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.

Short answer is : yes always.
Long answer : sometimes you can have a conversation about it ie; are you last in the queue/where’s the end of the queue/ are you queuing for number…?
But always there is an order. If you want to let older/disabled/pregnant people on before you that’s nice, even better if you help get them on. But don’t make the mistake I did and offer to hold the baby as they’ll think you’re a mad baby snatcher. I didn’t do the pushchair cos I didn’t know how to fold it up😬😆🤓

Yes of course they should get on first.
It's basic manners.

@zoeFromCity

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.

Not in Central London at least, it's 2 or 3 doors used for both getting on and getting off. Which is why I'm so confused hearing about all the Londoners that are queueing, maybe it's a parallel London. I know when I'm somewhere residential/quiet/suburban it's easy to see who is there before me and there might be a queue. But the part of London I grew up in, unless it's night time or very early in the morning there's no queueing or asking. Obviously there is some idea of who got there first, if you're last to the stop you're at the back of the crowd. Unless you crowd surf to the front you're not going to get on first. But the first ten people on the bus aren't going to be in any particular order.

I am tempted to extrapolate the Edinburgh examples though. Maybe at Tottenham Court Road I can ask the stream of tourists and commuters flowing past me towards three different doors on one of four buses if they're waiting for this bus and try to figure out which one of us got there first.

@Letthebodieshitthefloor

A savage.. 😂 If you arrive later and there are many people there it's hard to know who got there first etc. Unless you form an orderly queue based on arrival time

Generally people at the front by the actual bus stop were there 1st, not really hard to work out

As everyone says. It's how it's done here . You wouldn't walk into a shop/bank and wander straight to the front of a queue. I agree let vulnerable people on. But then take your turn.

Do you still get on the bus only through the front door in UK, even in London/big cities?

On some routes no. The 55 has the newish route master buses which have three exits / entrances.

@MsJaneAusten

I got very confused when waiting for a bus in Cuba as whenever anyone new arrived at the bus stop they would ask ‘ultimo?’ and the last person to arrive would raise a hand or nod at them, but everyone just sat or stood where they wanted to. When the bus arrived, they seamlessly formed themselves into a queue, with each person standing behind their ‘ultimo’. It was a thing of beauty.

That’s incredible- thank you for sharing... I wish we did that here!

Well usually there is a queue and yes those there first get to get on first! Obvs! But yes I'd probably let a young child or senior on before me

@Letthebodieshitthefloor

A savage.. 😂 If you arrive later and there are many people there it's hard to know who got there first etc. Unless you form an orderly queue based on arrival time

It's many years since I used a bus regularly, but everyone knows where they are in the gueue, even if there isn'tan actual gueue. It's built into the dna of every bus user.

Anything other than getting on the bus in the correct order is chaos and the next thing you know the whole of society has broken down.

You are being unreasonable.

Yes they should go first

@WrongWayApricot You get on the bus using the front door only these days - it's been a thing since the start of Covid. Anyone getting on via another door is either a fare dodger, or someone with a buggy or wheelchair who can't get on any other way than the middle door.

Talking of queuing - it's interesting how it happens at stations like Canary Wharf. You don't get it at stations without the glass dividers, and it wasn't mandated by TfL staff. British people just like queuing; it's in our DNA.

I think the lack of queuing winds people up, because it means you haven't integrated into polite society.

If I'm waiting at a bus stop and the bus pulls up closer to me than an existing queue, I step to the side and way for the other queue to get on first. Sometimes a bloke will gesture I should get on ahead of him because I'm nearer and female, even if he's been there for longer, and I'll accept. But I'll never get on first without being offered.

I agree with the previous comment that to barge in ahead of someone who's been waiting in the cold for longer is just savage behaviour!

If it's a busy London bus stop with multiple bus routes stopping there then no, I don't keep track of who is ahead of me (or behind me), I'll just get on when I can. A local bus or a quiet stop then yes I'd let people ahead of me go first.

On the tube or trains no way - if you're a regular commuter then you know where to stand for the doors so stand in the best place available (which creates a natural queue among those who know the station).

Where I live, there are always more vacant seats than passengers waiting to board our single deckers. Only one double decker operates here. It's very infrequent but the route and destination means there are more passengers than use the single deckers, although they are never close to being anything like full.

This must be a joke right? If not, you deserve every glare.

Sometimes it's difficult to know who was where first because people don't form an orderly queue where I live. If I am aware that certain people were before me, I will wait to let them on, but in the OP's situation, I think the woman was being very petty because the coach/bus was virtually empty.

@tapeandglue Admittedly I haven't used buses during the pandemic (walk or drive for long distances now). My mum still does though and she laughed when I told her about this thread. However these are the sorts of images in my memory. It could be that I'm just a fare dodging arsehole who is missing the London bus queue genome and was dragged up by wolves. It could be that I'm used to very busy bus stops.

@WrongWayApricot Yeah, it used to be everyone for themselves using every door pre-pandemic, but now you all have to get on at the front (with accessibility exceptions). Try getting on using one of the other doors and the bus driver will refuse to move until you come to the front of the bus (even if you've attempted to tap in at the back) and will give you a lecture.

Sigh. It makes running for the bus that bit harder. You have to run all the way to the front now, rather than jumping on at the back, tapping the reader there and then merrily collapsing onto the stair in exhaustion.

I grew up in Hertfordshire and find that people in Herts queue and people in London (particularly Central London) are less likely to queue.

Befor I started driving I remember visiting Herts and forgetting the bus queue rule (after being in London for a while) - I felt so uncomfortable with the looks when I realised I had queue jumped.

Very rude to not let people who have been waiting longer onto the bus/coach first. Just like if they opened a new till at the supermarket you don’t just jump the queue and get served first at new till before everyone else. Just a natural polite filtering in line

Yes it is good etiquette to let the people who have been waiting the longest get on the bus first.

When I have been the first at the bus stop and elderly people have joined the queue, I usually let them get on first so that they can get out of the cold, sit down and get settled before the bus takes off. It’s just good manners.

God knows where everyone else lives but they definitely don’t in London, I was at the bus stop yesterday and the first one there 3 people arrived after me but all boarded before me.

@RedCandyApple

God knows where everyone else lives but they definitely don’t in London, I was at the bus stop yesterday and the first one there 3 people arrived after me but all boarded before me.

So true. Mornings at a bus stop near me, you can have up to 10 - 15 people waiting with 2 or 3 buses arriving at any one time.