Poll: Do you say 'thanks' to transport workers (bus drivers, taxi drivers, train drivers etc.)?

[Ronald Nand]

I was wondering how many people say thanks to transport workers like bus drivers and taxi drivers.

It's a formality that doesn't really make sense, we 'thank' the driver by paying our fair which goes towards their pay, so we don't really need to say thanks, but a lot of people still say it.

I always say it anyways since it barely takes up any of my time and it feels more polite to me, although I won't say it if I felt the driver drove unsafely or missed my stop or something like that.

EDIT- I screwed up the question and its not letting me change it, the question should be:
"Do you say 'thanks' to transport workers?"

EDIT 2- I only put train in the brackets to make the transport workers definition clearer, I don't think it would be possible to say thanks to a train driver without disrupting them and jeopardising everyone in the train

 

[Random Argument Man]

I still do. Who honestly stays up for a 12 hour shift (If things go well) and have to take care of the crazy people in the world. You should ask your taxi driver if he has any crazy cab stories and he/she will never stop reciting. Plus, they don't have the biggest wages. Therefore, I tip them.

They're people like you and me. They have some shitty moments in life and their jobs. The least you can do is make it easier for them and at least be respectful for the service they just gave you. It's not much, but it's enough.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

Just taxi drivers, really. A taxi drive feels a lot more personal than a bus with you often having a conversation with your driver on the way to your destination. At that point it's just plain courtesy, really.

 

[Nikolaz72]

Taxi, yes. Bus, yes. Train? No. I don't often see the train conductors and when I do they aren't in any position to receiver thanks, often very busy and not very social.

 

[Keoul]

Bus always, train no simply because you don't see em.
I don't take a taxi either but if I did I would thank em as well. It's just common courtesy I guess.

 

[Scarim Coral]

For Bus, yes but for Train driver, no. Wait! Hear me out! I don't ever see the train driver personally when I travel in train and for Taxi yes althought I rarely used them.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I thank the bus driver when I pay for my ticket, and the taxi driver when I pay him for the ride.

 

[carnex]

To taxi driver I show appreciation when he does his job right since it's a personal transport. To bus/tram drivers I show appreciation when they go out of their way to help me, like holding vehicle in stop for me to catch up.

 

[DoPo]

Yes I do. I tend to treat other people as...people. Sure it's the driver's job to, well, drive you so in some ways being grateful that he does his job (which he does anyways) is like being grateful for anything else they do anyway - like eating or breathing. But that's not really the case. I don't think people are defined solely by their jobs. It's not like "being a driver" is an intrinsic quality of a human being and the crux of their existence. Showing even a tiny bit of appreciation that other people exist[footnote]I guess as opposed to be some background detail like the texture of a wall or a cog in a machine.[/footnote] 1. takes a negligible expense of effort 2. is positive. 3. I see no real reason to not do.

 

[Private Custard]

Yep, I thank bus and taxi drivers. I do the same when the person behind the till hands me a bag with my stuff in, or a waiter/waitress delivers my food/clears the table. Loads of other examples too. At the Duxford air show last weekend, the M11 had seized up with the sheer number of people travelling to see two Lancaster bombers flying together, there was a solitary police motorcyclist, directing people into the junction, and dealing with people cutting in late and causing a hazard. We had a brief chat about the lunacy of it all, and then we thanked him before moving on with the traffic.

I thought it was good old fashioned common courtesy. In an age where just about everything costs a fucking fortune, manners still cost nothing!

 

[viscomica]

I used to, then I realized then really didn't care anyway so now I only thank them when they look receptive.

 

[Mister K]

If I see a person operating the transport, then for sure.

 

[FlatCat]

I was wondering how many people say thanks to transport workers like bus drivers and taxi drivers.

It's a formality that doesn't really make sense, we 'thank' the driver by paying our fair which goes towards their pay, so we don't really need to say thanks, but a lot of people still say it.

I always say it anyways since it barely takes up any of my time and it feels more polite to me, although I won't say it if I felt the driver drove unsafely or missed my stop or something like that.

EDIT- I screwed up the question and its not letting me change it, the question should be:
"Do you say 'thanks' to transport workers?"

EDIT 2- I only put train in the brackets to make the transport workers definition clearer, I don't think it would be possible to say thanks to a train driver without disrupting them and jeopardising everyone in the train

I say thanks to *everybody* - my mum worked in the service industry and I still recall how poorly she was treated most of the time. (She was a waitress during college, some of the things I saw - since she was still putting herself through when I was a wee lad - yikes.)

It doesn't cost anything to thank somebody, is the way I see it.

 

[kasperbbs]

I say thanks to taxi drivers since i'm riding shotgun and most of the time we have a little chat on the way, it would seem rude otherwise. But i have never said anything to bus drivers except 'Hey, you missed my stop!'. Buses are almost always crowded and i sit down somewhere towards the middle since i can't get out from the front, so yelling 'thanks' from the middle of the bus would seem stupid, nobody does that.

 

[Verlander]

I tend to say thanks to everyone who's warranted it, retail workers, waiters, public transport operators, cleaners. Even tiny appreciation like that can make a difference to someone's day, and costs me nothing, so why not?

 

[Angelous Wang]

Train Driver no, but then you rarely see them.
Bus Driver, only really if he holds the bus for me to get on.
Taxi Driver yes.

I would say that's because a taxi driver deals with me personally, whilst you never really interact with train driver and only occasionally with the bus driver.

 

[rgrekejin]

No. I probably would if I ever took a taxi, but I've only had a handful of cab rides in my life. I used to use buses all the time, though, and I never would. The reasons for this are more logistical than courteous, though - the buses in my city are designed so that you get in and pay your fare by the driver, then move in to the back of the bus. When you get off at your stop, you exit through a different pair of doors at the back of the bus, so that the people getting on at this stop don't have to wait for all the disembarking passengers to leave before they start getting on. It makes the bus system slightly more efficient, but it makes it very hard to thank the driver without having to shout the entire length of the bus, which I imagine would not be appreciated by either my fellow passengers or the driver. And thanking them before I got to my destination just seems weird.

 

[VectorSlip]

I wish there was an other option. I don't really say thanks persay. I greet them with the typical good morning/afternoon when I get on and wish them to have a good day/night when I get off. I've done thins for a good portion of my life so im not sure if it counts toward the question but I'd like to think im still showing my gratitude towards them.