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.

@RedCandyApple

Can I ask why people say the bus and train are different? Why do you queue for bus but not for train?

On trains people with reserved ticket numbers on their tickets always have priority. So it doesn’t matter if someone barges in -they have to get up when the correct seat holder boards. Also at busy stations many people with reserved seats prefer to queue where the notice boards are just in case platforms change and won’t go down to the platform until the train is arriving, while people who don’t have reserved seats prefer to wait on the platform itself and may even queue in the areas where they know the train doors will open. It doesn’t really matter who gets to the train first because people with reserved seats, disabilities etc always get priority.

Tube has a similar etiquette too but it less well observed and a tube has multiple doors so you can just move down the platform to get ahead of the “queue”
One thing you should observe though is to let people off first. Don’t try and get on if others are trying to get off!
I also regularly give way to people waiting to tap their card at the gates if we arrive at same time. I am a model tube passenger

Why do you even have to ask this ?

Standard British bus stop etiquette is for everyone to arrive and stand in random places. Do not whatever you do, form an orderly queue. You should however make a mental note of who is already waiting and who arrives after you. This dictates the order of who joins the bus when it arrives. You of course also need to conduct a vulnerability assessment of the waiting passengers and let on anyone elderly or with children etc ahead of the "I arrive first" priority order.

Very simple really, not sure why anyone wouldn't know this or it have any difficulty with it. 😬

Yes, if you've been in the queue longer then you get on first. I noticed recently in London it doesn't seem to work this way.

Can I ask why people say the bus and train are different? Why do you queue for bus but not for train?

Probably because trains have lots of doors. The order gets confused when people are separated in to lots of sub groups

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon

Are you Italian? Getting on a bus in Amalfi was worse than covent garden tube station at rush hour.

The bus arrives and everyone launches at the door like a large and unrefereed rugby scrum irrespective of age/disability/time waiting.

We're British, we queue, I think it is part of the citizenship test 🤣

This was my experience in California. Bus arrived, previously tidy queue descended into chaos as 30 people tried to fit through what was essentially a minibus door. I wised up to that one quick. On the next occasion I sharpened my elbows, rolled up my sleeves and dug in. I confess it did feel very strange though and I felt most out of sorts over it for the entire journey 😂

It's basic manners FGS.

There are very tidy queues to get on the Jubilee line at Canary Wharf.

We Brits love a queue, so yes, to be a true Brit you should have at least not got on first. However, you make a very good point that it makes bugger all difference.

I always get in to a slight panic if I see there are people before me but the bus happens to stop right in front of me, rather than them... never know whether I should resume my correct place in the queue, or just go for it!

Are you even British? How very dare you.

i have been known to let someone in front of me if they look frail/buggy or something

in london its a free for all usuually

Of course people get on in order of arrival.

But, she was being U to object to you using the shelter. That seems very silly to me - where you see a queue outside the shelter but room inside. Why would you not choose to sit down or shelter from the rain? That's what the shelter is for.

In the city I grew up in, everyone queued in a long straight line for a bus. Pushers In were severely frowned upon. When I moved to the next city. I was shocked to discover there was just a bunch of people. And no orderly queue. Still makes my teeth itch after 18 years!

Of course. Presumably you're not pregnant etc., so why can't you offer a common courtesy to the person waiting longer than you? Or do you always barge your way in front in life on waiting lists

It's good manners to cede to people who've been waiting longer than you, whether at a bus stop or buying a drink at a bar.

Just common sense to let the people who were there first on before you, surprised you’re even questioning this.

Yes, basic manners

I assumed that was just unspoken British bus etiquette. You always know who was there before you. I do always let elderly people on ahead of me though. Some bus drivers have a tendency to pull away as soon as the final person has paid/swiped so they could go flying.

This idea that British people are champions at queueing makes me laugh. This illustrates the opposite. I live in London and I have never stood in an orderly queue at a bus stop, people just pile on. Mostly because it's impossible to tell who arrived first as no one actually forms an orderly queue.. Same on the tube (except for Canary Wharf, where orderly queues happen seamlessly). That Cuba queue does indeed sound like a thing of beauty. I've seen photos of Finnish people queueing at bus stops, also looks very efficient.

@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.

This! I was in Cuba too a few years ago. Fascinating and beautiful to watch

@FourTeaFallOut

Of course the people who get there first go on the bus first. What are you, a savage?

I thought it was very funny. Own it.

I would agree with the general etiquette. However standing in the shelter is fine if the weather is bad and there is room. If people give you dirty looks, ask what their problem is

And if it is raining, then everyone in the shelter should budge up, to let more people in.

I lived in Germany for a year and quickly realised it's each man for himself when the bus arrives. I had to readapt when I moved back to England. Even waiting at a bus stop in London serving multiple buses, you still find time to assess who should get on the bus before you.