Edinburgh bus users in ‘thank you, driver’ two-door dilemma

It is a long-standing Edinburgh tradition that costs locals nothing.

And yet there has never been so much conversation about the simple ‘thank you, driver’ phrase that passengers have long said while stepping off the Capital’s buses.

The introduction of the new 100-seater Lothian buses - with a middle door - has got polite travellers in a bit of a pickle, with many questioning what the new etiquette should be for thanking the driver.

One user took to Twitter: “Do you yell thank you to the driver or do you not say it at all?”

Another replied: “This is a proper dilemma - maybe they need to add an intercom!”

“I make a point of earnestly thanking the driver when I first get on,” posted a traveller.

“Still doesn’t completely negate the feeling that one is being terribly rude when one gets off, but what can one do?”

Bus users across Edinburgh have traditionally said 'thank you, driver'. Picture: TSPL

The 100-seater buses, the biggest in Britain, were introduced in March on two routes - the 11 and the 16 - and were designed to improve passenger experience.

The vehicles are able to carry up to 129 customers in total, including 100 seated, and have been designed with a front and middle door.

On Twitter, one user posted: “This has been stressing me out so much with the lovely new buses. I keep yelling thank you and hoping that works.”

It would seem that many travellers - particularly those who remember when all the Lothian fleet had two doors - maintain that calling out your ‘thank you, driver’ is the way to go.

One traveller took to social media: “Back in the day you just yelled thank you as you went out the exit door.”

And the response from Lothian Buses?

“We would say either wave to the camera, yell it out loudly or say it when you get on. Either way the driver will appreciate it. #twodoorroar”

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