North American EXPOSES UK public transport
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ก.ย. 2020
- Here's how British public transport works outside of London (did you know outside of London even exists?) Check out my experiences (and horror stories) taking the bus and trains in the UK! Using British public transportation can be tricky and awkward to take as a foreigner, but once you get the hang of it, you're all good!
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Hey! I'm Alanna - a twenty-something documenting my life as a Canadian living in England.
I share the ups and downs of an expat living abroad and what it's really like living in the UK. It's not always easy, but there's been so many wonderful experiences, too. I post a TH-cam video every Tuesday and an additional video every Saturday on my Patreon account. I also livestream every Wednesday and Sunday at 6:30pm GMT on Twitch.
Alanna x
#ukpublictransport #britishculture #britishlife
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You failed to mention the nightmare everyone fears, when the nutter on the bus chooses to sit next to you. Happened to me once. I was upstairs on a number 71 to chessington zoo, when a bloke wearing three overcoats snagged the seat next to me and started ranting about keeping animals in cages at the top of his considerably loud voice. "Don't get me started on pandas" he said, rolling his eyes. "They hate it over here because its too hot to shag..." etc etc for several miles until my stop!
Oh nooooo 😂
The comedian Jasper Carrott did a brilliant routine about the nutter on the bus.
@@jerry2357 th-cam.com/video/oYYo49R_ZS0/w-d-xo.html
If it was that uncomfortable, I would get off the bus earlier then walk or get the next bus.
If people talked to that person calmly the person might have better mental health.
I used to be a London bus driver many moons ago and would be standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus to or from the garage, someone would always ask " how long is the next no. 77" or whatever, for a laugh I would always answer "30ft".
Tony S My Mum was a clippie at Battersea Garage and would say the same as she rang the bell three times, and away before they could give her a mouthful 😂
@@barrygower6733 Ah, those were the days, buses with conductors. I hope your Mother was not like one of the mates I had, completely work shy and up to any fiddle he could find, finally captured by the jumpers and sacked. He did have one redeeming grace, he would always warn me when a spot was on the bus with a certain bell ring so I could stick to giving the pax a more comfortable, gentle ride by not trying to make up time.
ha ha!
When people get on the bus / train smile at them and pat the seat next to you... That will guarantee everyone will steer clear of you :-)
Yes that's a good way of keeping to yourself
Is that one from uncle Fred ?
A friend became a clergyman, and he said that his dog-collar was guaranteed to get him a table to himself on the train.
He used to be a Canon in the Church of England, but was fired.
some people will take any seat near an exit if they are slow or need to get off fast before the bus starts off again.
But if someone responds by accepting the invitation they are probably THE WORST person to be next to.
I'm a Japanese.I want to take the train name "Canadian"in my future.I started to watch your video to study english.Japanese especially pray that no one sit besides us.
Ah yes UK buses, where somebody prevents you from sitting down because they have their shopping on the other seat. But you don't say anything, just look at them with burning eyes of contempt😡🤣
I just politely ask if the seat is taken.
That usually does the trick.
But I would ask to sit there. If they won't let me, I'll just take the bags off. Simplezzz.
@@richardlaasna8372 Yes Richard. I usually say sorry before removing the stuff but I do move it. But then I am old and obviously cantankerous - as well as being both big and armed with a heavy stick. All of which makes for a good combination.
Just start rummaging through their bag.
Excuse me. Is there anyone sitting there apart from your bag?
It's pretty ridiculous that you can fly to Spain, have a few drinks, stay in a hotel then fly back for cheaper than getting the train in the UK.
I recently took the train from Edinburgh to London first class for £40 one way. Not too expensive and very relaxing.
@@MeFreeBee Did you book 8 years in advance?
@@chanchito4401 About a week. Just had to be flexible on which train I wanted.
@@MeFreeBee Was it at an odd time then?
@@chanchito4401 Midweek late afternoon departure.
Many years ago, I was getting the bus home from work, and was trying to read a magazine - however I ended up getting a bit distracted by the young lady on the opposite side of the bus... She was quite pretty, but it was not her looks that distracted me, she was having a conversation on her phone.
Obviously I only heard one side of the conversation (and was TRYING to be polite and British, and not to listen in) but she was talking about how, the previous weekend, she had made herself a big pan of Spaghetti Bolognese (one of my favourite meals) and had not finished it. She had then gone out drinking that night, and she said that when she woke up the next morning, she had somehow made it back home to bed, and oke up completely naked, with spaghetti bolognese spilled all down her front!
When she said this, I could not help myself, and let out a very small laugh - and, to her credit, she took it well - said to her friend "I think I just amused some guy on the bus!" - and when her call ended I did apologise, I said I was not trying to listen, but couldn't help overhearing.
Many years ago me and my brother were sat at the back of the bus when the bloke next to us farted really loudly. We both just cracked up.
Glad I'm not the only one who's cried on the bus. I really appreciate people just pretending you aren't having a breakdown, it's nice.
Loved this! The body language thing to indicate to the person next to you that you wanna get out is always so funny but anxiety enducing 😂
And I feel the whole bus person vs train person thing. I have to get 2 busses to work and 2 busses back, like you did. It always feels like there's a stigma surrounding it whenever I mention to a colleague that I use the bus to get to and from work.
I’ll keep this short! One-time horror story!! So, I’m in town on a late-night bender in Covent Garden with friends, anyway it’s time to go home, I head to Leicester Square to jump on the Northern line to Embankment and then change onto the District line to Putney Bridge (This is the Wimbledon Tube). All good so far, except I fall asleep (just to add to this story I was told this was the last tube for the evening). Anyway, I suddenly wake-up only to see a sign on the platform saying Southfields! Two stops past my stop and on the south side of the river, Noooo! Plus, the tube was completely empty! Anyway, I jumped up and stepped off the tube, however, still a little disorientated looked around and then the doors close and the tube moved off and then I realised it was heading back into town!! Nooooooo! Yes, it was the last tube to Wimbledon but also the last tube back to Upminster! So, no one woke me up at Wimbledon and when I woke, I could have stayed on for two more stops!! Anyway, a long walk home with a tad too much alcohol on board! One hour added to my journey home and almost sober by the time my head hit my pillow! Lol!!!
Someone sat next to me on a train in Kent when there was lots of other empty seats. So I got up and moved to one of the empty seats. He seemed offended.
On the public buses here in Ireland, there are USB ports beside the window seats so thankfully the rule about not taking empty seats almost never gets broken.
They have two on the buses where I live.
I've been on a train that get lost. Edinburgh to Stirling, it went the wrong way. Halfway across the Forth Rail Bridge the driver noticed and realised that there are no giant metal bridges on his planned route.
"Line up" not "queue"? You've been back in Canada too long Alanna.
In N.I. we also say "Line up" or "Stand in the Line"
Basically 7 months!
Another top notch video from my favourite Canadian (and honorary British) TH-camr! Regarding why bus passengers are looked down upon, I guess it's simply because buses are the most common and cheapest mode of public transport in the UK. When I go to Manchester, I don't take the bus, just because the journey seems to drag. Sometimes, I take the train, but usually the tram. Same time next Tuesday 😉
The UK lost a lot of its rail network in the 1960s cuts. Many small branch lines serving towns and villages closed under what became known as the Beeching Axe. Some got their train service back years later, many still have no rail link, as the trackbed route, land and station buildings etc, were all sold off.
See you Thursday Alana, let's go!
A few years ago, a number of guys from Hull, where I lived, would travel to work in Leeds every day by train. We'd all known each other for a long time so would often travel together - ALL EXCEPT FOR JOHN! He didn't like using buses, and certainly wasn't willing to take the bus from where he lived to Hull train station, and driving there would have meant him having to pay to park there, but he discovered that Brough station, about 12 miles further along the line, had free parking; so it was that he'd drive to Brough from his home in Hull each morning, then take the train from Brough to Leeds, returning in the evening from Leeds to Brough by rail and then driving the rest of the way home. A good plan on paper I suppose, that actually worked out slightly cheaper, but things didn't quite go that well.
This was in the days when there were still smoking sections on the train, which were always situated toward the back of the train, and since there were a couple of smokers amongst us, we'd sit at the rear end of the train on our return journey from Leeds - ALL EXCEPT FOR JOHN! He was a devout anti-smoker, so would sit alone nearer to the front of the train, but he had the habit of nodding off to sleep on his way home, so there were numerous times, when we all began walking to the front of the train as we approached Hull station, (Hull station is an end-of-the-line interchange, so leaving the train at the front gets you off the platform and onto the station concourse that bit quicker,) that we were surprised to see John snoozing happiy when he should of course, have got off at Brough, 12 miles back, (and 15 minutes ago.) That meant that John had to buy another ticket back to Brough to collect his car. This happened a few times and we suggested that it was costing him more than just parking his car at Hull station, but he wouldn't listen.
One evening, while waiting for our train on Leeds station, he announced he'd found a solution to his problem, and from his inside pocket he produced a card, folded in half longways so it would stand on the table by the seat he always sat at on the train, and in BIG red letters along one side it read "PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHEN WE GET TO BROUGH". This was his solution to falling asleep and missing his stop.
A few days later however, as the rest of us were making our trudge from the back of the train to the front on approaching Hull, there was John, snoring away. We gave him a nudge to wake him up; he awoke with a start as we told him he appeared to have done it again. He grabbed his card from the table, and underneath his red "PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHEN WE GET TO BROUGH" instruction, some 'wag' had written in biro: "We're at Brough!" We all laughed hysterically at this - ALL EXCEPT FOR JOHN! who insisted that one or all of us must have done it; (we hadn't, but we all swore that if we ever found out who had, we were going to stand him a pint.)
This video is so relatable!! The fear of someone sitting next to you on the bus is intense! Looking forward to the YT stream! Great video, I really enjoyed it!! Hope you're having a good day!!
Thank you so much!!
Hi I used to go on the Herne bay bus rally every year we were driving down in a 55 year old London bus when a little old lady put her arm up at a stop we pulled over in the Antique bus she never spoke just sat in her seat rang the bell 2 stops latter and left the bus ghost bus or ghost old lady [ spooky].....
Hi Alanna, great ad/nap always enjoy your take on our life style. No mention of waiting hours for the bus then 3 come at once
A long time ago... when I was a kid some woman got on a 65 bus in Richmond (Surrey) and wanted to pay by cheque!
Love catching up with your uploads, and the up beat positive outlook on life, I should have gone to Toronto in July, still gutted I was unable to go, but maybe next year, stay safe and live life too the full
Hiya Alanna, thanks for another first class video! I used to get the bus to work and especially late at night the bus didn't turn up, which in Yorkshire is called Knocking. I've also put my arm out to let the driver know I wanted to get on and he still just drove past lol! See you Thursday evening ☺
Haha you’re definitely letting the Britishness seep in, nailed it with comment about the “don’t sit next to me on transport but also then why don’t people wanna sit by me, what’s wrong am I scary kind of vibe” 😬🤣
I find if I pat the seat next to me and beckoning them or by pouring a drink bottle into my lap, usually gets two seats to myself
#Lifehack
This reminds me of the days when people still used landlines and I went on holiday. I'd come back and check my answer machine and think "oh good I have no messages", but then I'd think "in all the time no-one wanted to speak to me".
Oh god I do this when on the Caltrain, never thought it was my Britishness kicking in.
Nice video Alanna. Looking forward to the livestream. 🙂
"the traffic can be offal" - like black pudding, or haggis?
Haggis is actually brilliant.
I can't tell you how many times I used to get to a bus stop and have no change and only high notes and the bus driver would look at you like you kicked his Nan because you'd handed him a twenty. See you on Thursday :)
That's why I always pay by card. I never have change.
The city I live in will only accept exact fare for cash fares, no change is ever given.
i went on bus yrs ago with £20 note & driver didnt have enough change so he let me on for free
I once had to travel back from camber sands to Portsmouth. I had to buy a bus ticket to get to rye train station which would have cost about £2. But I saw you could buy an explorer ticket for 3.50 and then use the bus to travel all the way to Portsmouth. Why not I thought, it will save me a £65 train ticket. 9 hours later I realised why this wasn't such the great idea I thought it was😂😂
You get what you pay for. lol
😂Very true dude👍😂
This reminds me of a story the comedienne Susan Calman once told on The News Quiz about taking a bus from Glasgow to Peterborough, which she introduced as "my Vietnam"! xD
Hi Alanna. Your observations are SO funny and very well articulated ! I guess we are so used to these quirks of our Public transport we don't think about the idiosyncrasies until it's pointed out by someone who wasn't born here. Brilliant and I look forward to the Live stream 🏴😉👍
Hey Alanna, hope you are well. Saying "The bus is a special place" is enough for every UK person to know exactly what you mean. You are completely spot on with your points on bus travel. You always take an empty seat (unless you know someone) and you never sit next to a stranger unless there's no option. The worst thing is seeing people get on an almost full bus, when you have an empty spot next to you. You can see them weighing up their options and you pray that they don't pick you.
There are occasions where the entire train or bus is empty and for some inconceivable reason a person gets on at the next stop and sits right next to you. I don't know what they are thinking, does anyone?
@@redf7209 I've had that. I thought that maybe they were after someone to chat to, so I said "Hi" and asked if they had enough room. They said it was fine and I'd given them an opening but they didn't say a single word for the journey. Thankfully, it was a short trip and even though I got off first, they didn't need to move out of the way as it was those side facing seats at the front of a bus.
@@lwaves and then there's the ones on trains that will only sit facing the front or the back or sit at the front of a carriage or sit at the back.
@@redf7209 Yes. Public transport definitely seems to bring out the 'odder' aspects in some people.
Love this video, my favourite situation on a bus is when you get that person who gets on and genuinely just sits there talking to themselves, and I'm not even talking about people using hands free... Absolutely hilarious
This is so true for me, I took the bus so much when I was younger, literally for everything, the bus etiquette is spot on in my opinion. Ghost buses, that is a great name for it, I’ve experienced one bus being early, and one being late, and they were literally following one behind the other.
I like how you do your introductions as always. Your one of my inspirations! =)
Where I live, the railway was built first just outside the towns/City, so when the bus companies wanted roads built across/under the tracks, the railway was very difficult about it, as the buses were competition. To this day, some buses can only be single deckers on the old routes, as the railways wouldn't allow their infrastructure to be altered to take larger buses.
Another interesting talk Miss Alanna/Alana/Alannah/Alaina (see, you started all this word stuff!), thank you.
Nice observations on the bus etiquette. I’m a Brit living in Ottawa and the etiquette with seat choice and body language to get up are exactly the same here. I once put my book away half way through my journey and the person next to me started getting up. Had to apologize for giving the wrong signal. Also, ghost buses very much exist in Canada, especially in the winter!
The bus I used to get to work had a “flexible” timetable so it was a bit hitty missy at what time I would get to work because I would miss my connection. If the bus was early and I had to run and still miss it, to rub it in, it had on the back “catch us next time”. These early routes were subcontracted to companies who used ancient buses. For example, it used to flood with water coming up from the wheel arches and the windows wouldn’t stay closed. There’s a whole saga about “flexible routes”. That’s for another time.
Wonderful and sometimes sad/funny english bus experiences Alanna ! I'm from England, never mind it's all experience for you ! Take care.
Some very interesting (and humourous) social observations - as always. Have a great weekend.
Thanks, you too!
Your observations are spot on and made me laugh. The shuffling to get off is less so in places where folk are more sociable (as you say up north, or in general away from the big cities). Anyway, just getting on the train.... need to dash... got to get a double seat... 😂
Wahey an Alanna live stream!!! But how did I know about this already 🤔? Ah... The perks of Patreon of course 😁 See you Thursday Napster! 😀👍👀😀
Hi Alana, A 'ghost' train are actually called "Parlimentary" trains.
A Parliamentary train is a passenger service operated in the United Kingdom to comply with the Railway Regulation Act 1844 that required train companies to provide inexpensive and basic rail transport for less affluent passengers. The act required that at least one such service per day be run on every railway route in the UK. Now no longer a legal requirement (although most franchise agreements still require such trains), the term describes train services that continue to be run to avoid the cost of formal closure of a route or a station but with reduced services often to just one train per week and without specially low prices. Such services are often called "Ghost trains".
Another interesting tidbit is that trains in the UK are the most expensive AND the most cheapest in Europe at the same time. Paying on the day for your ticket can be quite expensive but if you book online some months in advance, they can be one of the cheapest in Europe. I once booked a return from where I live Weston super Mare to Royston which is in Hertfordshire for £13.60 and that even included travel on the London Underground, at that same time (it was years ago) it was a £96 return just from London alone if I had paid on the day. I havent checked what prices today are I'm too lazy. The reasoning for the high price disparity though is because train travel in the UK gets a fairly small government subsidy than our European cousins hence the hiked price on the day, and cheaper prices in advance to rope you in and fill the seats.
You're a great talker. Also, this video was packed with some super informative things.
Yay, thank you!
Sooo ... what about when you're on the train/bus and when it's busy someone sits next to you, but then as the bus/train empties out, how do you feel if they change seats to get away from you? Do you feel relieved? Rejected? Did they smell? Did you?
The Magic Bus route down Oxford Road, Manchester at 3am is an experience you'll never forget
I used to take the trains a lot and the funniest thing I can think of off hand is 'set down only stops'. These were stops the train made to allow you to get off, and while there was nothing to stop you getting on, they weren't timetabled for you to get on. They could arrive-and leave-early, and IRC they wouldn't advertise them at the station! Sort of secret stops really.
I don't know if it's a reflection of 'northern friendliness', but people do speak to you up here on, waiting for the bus. I do always seem to attract the strange chatty ones. Bless! It passes the time 😁
Excellent video, of course. Hope you're well!
As someone who regularly used public transit in my little part of the US, overall the bus/train system is not set up for regular use unless you are in SF or something.
My bus experience in the UK was much better, though I have nearly missed flights because of ghost buses 😆
It’s also very good in DC.
And in Oslo (most of?) Norway
Love the train/bus etiquette observations, and they are all so true. I always silently hated the people who insisted that they sat in the aisle seats when the train was full, so I had to get them to stand up and let me sit in the window seat....how dare they not shuffle over!? But finally a big shout out to VIA rail in Canada who transported me from coast to coast over a period of almost 6 weeks on a memorable holiday many years ago, starting in Halifax NS and ending in Vancouver BC - it may not have the network of UK trains but it was relaxed and spacious and there were people actually spoke to each other!
You would love the new bus system in Sevenoaks. It's almost like a hybrid bus/taxi system.
You use an app (can be done with a call too) and you tell it where you are & where you want to go. App gives you a price, tells you what stop to wait & how long the bus will be (usually about 10 mins) and then you pay with the app.
App then keeps you updated on where the bus is, what the registration number of the bus is & the name of the driver.
You get on the bus & it may alter routes slightly as new people request it but it will always be going in the right general direction & you can watch it on your phone. Then it drops you at the bus stop closest to your destination.
All very clever computer stuff to make it all work.
Here in Malta we get ghost buses too! The trick is to know the actual time tables not the published time tables. I've also never taken the bus in the UK, only trains since I was staying quite close to the Dartford train station.
I remember once on separate buses when I was a kid in the 90's they had a TV on the top wall, and a few years later they played music. They never bothered with them again. lol
Really liked your vlog about public transport in the UK. I am a Canadian but also a British citizen and have enjoyed the great train service in the UK, especially compared to Canada. I live on Salt Spring Island about 30 miles off the coast from Vancouver. Frankly I never take the train on the Island mainly because we don’t have one. We have little buses that I don’t take either because they don’t let you load firewood and gravel in the bus, can’t figure out why. Keep up the good work.
I live in Mid Wales where some the rural buses are very few and far between.
The odd thing I have noticed is on some routes, often the passengers will know each other though they may live many miles apart.
I can imagine . My Aunt used to live in a fairly secluded village in Shropshire and she knew people ,to chat to , that she only ever saw on the bus, which was only one each way per day , folks from all over the Black country .
Haha thanks for converting the British time to Canadian time. I was just about to google it. I’ll be watching!
Bang on with regards to train or bus seating etiquette.
Thanks for watching!!
Hi Alanna, great video!! Public transport is one of my big interests, especially trams (streetcars). Here in Melbourne, we have trams, trains and buses. Melbourne actually has the largest tram network in Australia. For travelling, we have the Myki, which works to pay fares on all public transport in Melbourne. The Myki is a card, which we constantly top up with money to keep it active. To pay fares, we touch on and touch off at the Myki machines inside the vehicles. Where we live, we have all three types of public transport available, which is very handy. We also have taxis here. People don't worry about sitting beside each other here, though an empty seat is more attractive. I think, If we try fidgeting here, we may be asked by a person nearby if we are okay!!! LOL. Here is a horror story: one evening on the tram, there was a football crowd riding on the tram. Most of these blokes were at least 10 to 15 feet in height and absolutely huge. Then there was this little guy about 3 foot 2 inches with broad rimmed glasses, talking like Peter Laurie, who decided to start provoking the footballers big time. I was waiting to see the slaughter, but the footballers all kept their cool. Finally, the driver, who was a small Italian guy, grabbed the provoker and removed him from the tram. He then got a rousing cheer from all the footballers. Incidentally, have you ridden on any of the Toronto trams? Anyway. all the very best. Robert.
Hey you did my suggestion from a few videos ago Thanks 👏👏
‘Fine and dandy”. Not heard that used much recently
Not since the 17th century. 😉
It's all fine and dandy till someone says they haven't heard it recently.
@@grahamross6397 Well that's all fine and dandy then.
@@djwaynelive Oh I'm not so sure on that Wayne. I've heard it on plenty of occasions, but it does seem to be used by certain older age groups, well it seems so in my area of Yorkshire.
Communication is done in semaphore on public transport, can't talk to people you don't know! 😂 So glad I drive & haven't had to commute anywhere for a few years... Its always an interesting experience though, especially the London to Brighton train at 1am 😂
I've been taking the bus my entire life, in Brazil and here in UK, and it's awesome to see someone fascinated by things that to me were normal because I've been doing this things since always! Like feeling relieved and offended that anyone sat beside me or knowing that the person next to me need to pass by their body language haha
Is cool to have this perspective, great video 😊
Further to the last section, Liverpool bus drivers on roads that have parts of different routes that overlap, decide for the people waiting at stops if they will let them on. Groups of Liverpool buses can be seen doing a strange leap-frogging of each other as they travel down the road
Hi'ya, Our roads are old, the Roman's started building them! We have a few of them within the Bath area :-)
A few ? Slight understatement lol. Bath - a delivery driver's worst nightmare , and that was 20 years ago . Hello from Bristol 😉👍
Oh yeah and the anxiety sweats trying to find your change or ticket sucks. Cardiff bus doesn't give you change either if you only have a note😭. But they do have an app these days where you can buy your tickets and scan on your phone. Also live updates to let you know whats up with traffic and that ghost bus. But remember being stuck on cold wet winter nights with no bus 😩
So glad you pronounce routes as "roots". Americans drive me mad with their pronunciation.
Hope you can come back to the UK soon. We need an outsiders view of our quirky nation.
She may well be offended at you referring to her as American. She's CANADIAN.........
@@Brian-om2hh I took TonyJ's comment to mean that he realises that Alanna is Canadian, but I can't be sure.
It’s regional in the US. Pretty even split between roots and routs
Try the buses in Malta. A holiday experience all on its own. They have the opposite of ghost buses. We got on one and the driver wouldn't let anyone off until he was good and ready, no matter what stop you wanted. Seat names for future reference; window seat, aisle seat, simples!
At Ely railway station there's a bench with a sign beside it stating that if you want to talk to people then sit on this bench. It's always empty.
Back when I was working, we used to have a particular type of 'ghost train'. Occasionally breakdowns, signal problems etc etc would mean all trains got delayed significantly. At some point you could end up getting on a train that went a few stops but never went on to its destination. You would not know this when you got on. There was a peculiarity in the penalties that a company got for late running. The 'fines' related to when the train got to its destination (regardless of whether there were passengers on board). You would get to a station, often in the middle of nowhere, and be told to get off. The train would then run empty through to its destination as a 'ghost train' reducing how late it was because it didn't stop anywhere else. Now, because of the disruption this train was already overcrowded. The next train to come along was also overcrowded so the chances of getting on were minimal - it often took waiting for 2 or 3 subsequent trains to be able to get on one. I stopped using these trains after three of these events (in the early 2000s) so I don't know if this is still an issue.
Oh man, I haven't been on a busy bus in like 6 months and this video was like a hit of nostalgia.
There's legitimately nothing more terrifying than walking onto a busy bus where all the double seats have at least one person and you can FEEL every single person clench and try not to look at you because looking at you might give the impression they want you to sit next to them. It's just a sea of people not looking at you in a very specific way. And if someone sits next to me when there's empty seats, boy are they gunna get a dirty look. Not directly at them, it'll be directed to the houses going past outside, but it'll convey to those houses my feelings exactly about the person who's decided they need to sit next to me when there's open seats everywhere. Also, if there's like a hundred open seats, don't sit directly in front or behind me. That's not cool either.
Also pretty much everything you said is the same up north as well. Don't make eye contact with me. Ghost busses sounds far too cool, I prefer to call them "FFS I've Been Stood Out In The Cold For 2 Hours Where's My GD Bus?!" busses.
I was once stood at my bus stop in the middle of town, about 30 people crowded into the shelter, was probably raining, and the bus that half of them (not me) needed to get on turned the corner up the road and you could feel them get excited about it, they did that little shuffle that people do, and not a SINGLE person waved to flag down the bus, it just drove by the lot of them. Boy were they annoyed. Felt like telling 'em it was entirely there fault. Couldn't do that o'course, it'd be too rude to say, but I thought it very hard at them.
Thank you Alana, I've really missed complaining about busses. This was a great video.
In West Yorkshire, many bus stops have a display that tells you the next few buses. If it says “5 mins” or similar, then you know that it’s pretty likely to turn up in about 5 minutes because most of the buses are tracked and the information is real-time information. If it just shows a departure time, say “17:35”, then either there is a problem with the service, or the bus is one that doesn’t have working tracking equipment.
If you’re using a small bus stop without a display, then you can still get the real-time information using your phone, either using an app or a website, or there’s even a service via text messaging.
Another good vid. That said, aren't we overdue another youtube, viewers comments video? Funny and eye opening for us, possibly cathartic for you. Cheers.
PS what exactly was it that brought you to tears on the bus?
Can watch your vids for age's it's those hipnotic eyes so addictive your a bundle of joy I'm in Eltham SE London Kent borders hope you come back soon 😊
"Incidentses... accidentses" - We may have a Canadian Gollum on our *-handses-* hands ;)
That made me laugh out loud and disturb other people on the bus. I think I just became that 'nutter' we all enjoy. Sigh.
Some years ago while in the north of Scotland the main road included a ferry to the north. If the ferry was out of service the diversion was about 100 miles. They built a bridge.
I was very impressed by your account of Ghost Trains but there is another type of train that you omitted. That is the Runaway Train. It doesn’t do much. It just went over the hill and it blew.
On many buses in my area, if you don't have the correct fare, or use a £5 or higher note to pay a small fare, you won't get any change. You get a "change voucher" for that company's buses. It's a second bus ticket, basically an i.o.u. You then have to offer it for, or towards your next fare. You could cash it in for money at the company's office, or just keep getting another voucher until you use it up, or get a driver who has enough change to refund you. They do it to encourage contactless payments and pre pay buspass use. Drivers now have only a small amount of cash change, especially at the start of their shift.
you can travel from Landsend to John O/Groats by public Transport (it's because the word transport Covers All forms of mass movement) in the UK we have so many different types
Oh I get the anxiety sweats with those ticket matches too. A dyslexic / social phobic nightmare and the queue is waiting for me to hurry up 😱
Ghost buses: I grew up in a town in the middle of a bus route between two large towns, buses used to be twice per hour and a single bus would take around 2hours to go each way, so each vehicle basically ran the round trip twice per day. On a route this long with many potential stops (only where somebody signalled that they wished to alight or a person was waving at a stop, of course), a bus could occasionally get delayed and it was not unknown for a driver to ignore a waving potential passenger if he (occasionally she) was trying to recover lost time. This happened to me at least once when a (late-running) bus literally sprinted past me on its way out of town.
However, this could lead to the ghost bus phenomenon where the operator just cancelled a run (because it would be too close to the next scheduled service) but the relevant vehicle still had to complete its four-hour loop, so it would roll past my stop at an odd time (making potential passengers either curse at the lateness or alternatively thrill that they might get a bus slightly earlier than expected) and carry on regardless of people waiting.
As for the availability of public transport in the UK compared to Canada, you should bear in mind that there are many rural parts of the UK where it is not viable to operate services and people are in the same boat as non-metropolitan Canadians. Kent (being close to London and housing a lot of people who work in London) is untypical of English counties - you were lucky in having decent services.
Had a distant Relative turn up on the doorstep from Kanata, Ottawa, Canada, he said the tube and the train to Liverpool, then the local train was so easy to use he had no problems.
I'm from Japan, and a huge fan of The UK, but I'm moving to Toronto in 2021:)))))
I'm so looking forward to living in Toronto XD
🎉 Ahh that's so exciting!!
Toronto is amazing but the transit system is awful 😞
@@AdventuresAndNaps Yesss:) Can't wait to explore the city!
@@kathleenyates6026 Really? I thought it's good...
Yuya I am sorry I did not mean to be so negative Japan’s transit system is amazing. Toronto could be better but hopefully you will have no problems. Enjoy the city and Canada’s it has so much to offer 😊🇨🇦
I love listening to you talk
When I lived in Nottingham, back in 2008/2009, if you were paying with cash, you had to have exact change. Thankfully they also had these easyrider cards you could just top up with money and just swipe when you get on the bus.
Hi babes
Just a quick thankyou for your entertaining vlogs,with your sense of humour are you sure that your not british.
I have watched you for many years and only just subscribed,i just love your bubbly sense of humour , you make any subject interesting, enjoyable and highly watchable,
Haha you just reminded me of a really funny thing that happened back when i used to get the bus to the station to catch a train into London. My house was right on the bus route. I was so close to the stop that I could stand at my living room window or the front door drinking my tea and could see the bus coming at the top of my road and could walk leisurely across the road to the stop. One morning I overslept though. I was rushing around throwing clothes on, brushing my hair etc. etc. Then saw the bus coming but it was halfway down the road so i had to grab my stuff and run, just making it in time. The bus driver was really smiley and winked at me, haha! I walked down the aisle to get to the back seat and everyone seemed to be extra smiley, it was very cheering. I got to my seat and sat down and some people (guys mostly) were turning in their seats to smile at me, so I smiled back 😁. It was a little while before I looked down and realised my shirt was completely undone, all the way down, and my white bra was on display to everyone! When the people who were looking saw I had noticed and was going very red while trying to do up the buttons (dropping my bag on the floor in the process) they laughed at me ...... Very mean but it was in a good natured humorous kind of way. Soooooo embarrassing! I was 21 at the time, and luckily my bra was a new one 🤭
Another unwritten rule about bus seating is that if someone sits beside you and then later in the trip, an empty double seat becomes available, that person is expected to move to the empty double seat. Needless to say, I've been on the top deck of a bus with only just me and someone else sitting next to me on the entire top deck and they didn't budge until we reached the bus terminus!
Still better than reaching Terminus via rail. =p
I think my favourite derogatory term for a bus is 'The Peasant Wagon', like you said the sterotypes are enduring no matter where you're from. Here in the West Midlands you have to throw students into the train mix as well though.
Another enjoyable video. Ghost buses are a regular problem near me, there is supposed to be three an hour but if one turns up it’s lucky. That or a favourite of national express West Midlands is for three to buses to turn up at once, due to trying to run a ten minute frequency up a busy road, the infamous Hadley Road into & out of Birmingham. Trains round here are hit and miss aswell. My local route in particular has a useless timetable start and end of a day so I mostly end up driving. Given the choice though if I’m going for a day out I prefer to use the train as I like being able to sit back and watch the world go by, that and you haven’t got to worry about having man extra pint or not, as long as you don’t miss the your train that is. Though as someone who works at a station I wish some of the people wouldn’t try and get on trains, they’re a danger to themselves and others, that and the joys of having to take a train out because someone couldn’t keep it dow. Not fun when it’s the last train on a night. One more thing, as a rule we say railway station as the railway is stationary not the trains, well they shouldn’t be. Anyway enough waffling, stay safe and I look for to Thursday and next weeks video.
I was reading about the PATH system in Toronto, seems a really good idea, being able to walk all around the downtown without having to go outside when the weather is shit.
The sight of you looking filled with horror and trepidation at people looking for somewhere to sit is probably why they stay clear, Alana! haha ps the image of you standing alone watching your bus home go past was very poignant ....and also so funny! lol
I’m American and I lived in Oxfordshire for almost three years. I’m getting ready while watching this and I almost messed up my eyeliner entirely when you described what a ghost bus is 😂😂😂 I did not know there was a term but oh let me tell you I have been a witness. Staring hard at the time tables as if that was going to make the bus come.
Hi Alanna,
What can I say that I haven’t already said. You are so positive and funny, keep up the great content. 👍👍
You forgot to mention the best part of public transportation: The Metro newspaper and Rush Hour Crush!
I had a bus stop friend- we would typically get the first bus of the morning from the same stop, but got off at different points. Even though we would talk every morning, we would never sit next to each other, it was always in opposite aisles. We would continue to talk on the way to her stop with at least 1 seat and the aisle between us.
Hi Alanna, I'm gonna drive to Ontario and sit down right beside you!!! Great video, have a great week.🍸🍸🍸🍸
It’s been many years since I’ve taken public transportation in Ontario. However I remember taking a GO bus from an outlying smaller city to a nearby train station. From there I would board the double decker commuter GO Train which would take me to Union Station in downtown Toronto. But the whole GO (Government of Ontario) bus/rail system has drastically evolved since then..!!
-Ex-pat Canadian now living in the USA.
At present in England buses try to keep space between passengers. Payment is mostly by card. Some country areas seldom have any buses.
Your observation of British public transport is spot on. Never really thought about it until you mentioned it.
Never sit next to someone if there is an empty double seat elsewhere. True.
Rustle your belongings when you want to get off at the next stop to inform the person next to you. True.
Don't speak to the person you are sitting next to unless you are old. True.
Some things you did not mention.
Don't have headphones that are playing to loud. You will getting a serious tutting at.
Don't eat food on a bus...seriously don't.
Don't put your bags on the empty seat next to you. You will be told bluntly to move them.
Just a genius social observer. Love your posts, never cease to make me smile.
Thank you so much!!
Nicely done.
For the record, busses have started going contactless with "smart cards" (like Oyster), app based tickets and credit/debit card payments. With Covid-19 this is actively encouraged to avoid having to make contact through money. The one per seat rule is a bit better enforced now too thanks to social distancing, though it doesn't always work when it's busy.
Ghost busses really do suck - thankfully some companies are getting better with GPS tracking but some will still have dot matrix indicators with countdowns on that get to the "due" status and...nothing.
Also, don't forget if you're visiting Croydon, Nottingham, Sheffield, Rotherham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Northumberland, Blackpool, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Newcastle or Sunderland - there's also Trams and Metros as an alternative option.
The man you bought the train ticket from, was he Clerk Kent?
That joke was super, man.
I live in Plymouth (Devon) and my son lives in Falmouth (Cornwall) about 70 miles away - a return ticket by train costs about £10. That's cheap, and it's a beautiful scenic journey and the trains are never busy.
I really like your smartness Alanna. The way you present things is really nice. And I am excited to see you live on Thursday. You are undoubtedly a smart girl. Stay safe from COVID 19.
Thank you! You too!
Public transport varies a lot in terms of quality and frequency in different areas of England. Here in the Yorkshire Dales there are few buses and even fewer no trains. So because cars haven't reached this far north yet, we have to drive our tractors, or ride sheep, to get anywhere.