I have a suggestion: When you get off the bus, once you've made sure that it's safe to exit, turn your head towards the driver, raise your hand, and say in a loud, clear voice, "Thanks very much!" If exiting from the front door, raising your hand isn't necessary, and you don't have to be loud, but you must still thank your driver.
You have just put your life (or at least, your current physical condition) in the hands of someone who probably makes less than you do in wages. It is important that you provide proper respect and thanks, and simply ignoring them as you exit does not meet that requirement.
This is something I routinely do as I exit the VTA and Marguerite busses I ride; it's interesting how, once I do that, the other behind me start to as well.
Note: I'm not just referring to any specific kind of bus, I'm referring to all kinds of busses here.
Acceptance is a basic human need, much like nourishment. If anything, the author is making a very valid point about the lack of etiquette in the Bay Area.
Coming from the midwest, I am continually shocked by peoples' aloofness and lack of civility here. That stuff would never fly where I came from.
I already thank absolutely everyone who helps me or provides me a service. I just don't pat myself on the back or act like I'm a fucking genius saint for something so mundane and trivial.
I would say 80% of bus riders in Austin will thank their driver upon debarking. It may be a Southern thing, but it cuts across the social strata of the riders.
No, I'm saying that being nice and fixing systemic problems are different things that can often work not just orthogonally but oppositionally. It's not enough of an effect that it'd even cross my radar for being nice to bus drivers, waiters, store clerks, etc. It is enough that I ignore panhandlers, particularly aggressive ones.
I just don't see how you can draw that comparison though. It's one thing to act with some decency toward service workers you interact with during your everyday life while they are serving you, it's another thing to pander to an aggressive panhandler. :(
It's also possible (even likely) that the seed of camaraderie was planted in the minds of some of the following passengers who gave thanks. That may not seem like much, but these things linger in the mind more than we realize. When I reflect on the more helpful projects I've undertaken, most sprouted (I think) from some seemingly insignificant thing long before.
You have just put your life (or at least, your current physical condition) in the hands of someone who probably makes less than you do in wages. It is important that you provide proper respect and thanks, and simply ignoring them as you exit does not meet that requirement.
This is something I routinely do as I exit the VTA and Marguerite busses I ride; it's interesting how, once I do that, the other behind me start to as well.
Note: I'm not just referring to any specific kind of bus, I'm referring to all kinds of busses here.