Speaking of bus drivers …
Speaking of bus drivers, I was thinking this week about the Seattle thank-the-driver norm. Thanking the driver is a very civilized thing to do, but it wasn’t so big in the bus-riding culture of other cities I’ve lived in. It is therefore a subject of (minor) wonderment. Are we thanking our drivers for bringing us safely to our destinations? Do folks have criteria that determine whether a ‘thank you’ is offered? If I say ‘goodbye’ instead of ‘thank you’ is my driver slighted? Is it automatic, and if so, does that make it meaningless?
[If you want to thank your driver in a more official manner: the Metro feedback form.]
Well, I generally ride the same routes at roughly the same times, so get a lot of the same drivers. Depending on my mood and what I’m thinking (or, often, not thinking), I’ll say thanks, good morning, have a good day, good night, see ya later, etc.
I don’t know why, really - it just seems like the thing to do. I often thank waitresses or bartenders for doing their job, so why not thank the bus driver for doing theirs?
Bus drivers seems to have a thankless job so when I have solicited them for something, I will make sure to thank them after they give me an answer and then again when I disembark. And if I come upon one who is taking an extra effort to smile and greet people, make the ride more jovial, I will thank that one, too, if I’m passing by the front door.