When I joined the company I currently work for back in 2009, I was located in a store an hour and a half away from my hometown by bus. This story takes place on the bus coming home. My friend and I had been working a long day in the store — ten hours each — and we got on the 20:30 bus home. Around twenty minutes into the journey, a young man boarded and stood and talked to the driver, who he seemed to know well. 

This didn’t bother any of the passengers already on board until we got to the next town over. There, a couple in their late sixties boarded and sat down on the lower deck. (We have double-decker buses in the UK.) About five minutes after they boarded, I could hear them moaning about the young man talking with the driver. They then started to loudly make their opinion on the matter known to anyone within earshot. 

It went on and on and on, constant complaining and crowing about how the young man should behave like a proper passenger. No one else was bothered by it at all. Eventually, we arrived at the main bus station in the town before my home town. The older couple began to get off, but not before they berated the driver for a solid ten minutes.

At this point, the rest of us were tired and just wanted to get home. I was about to stand up and say something when a middle-aged man stood up and walked over to them.

Man: “Look. We are all tired and stressed after a long day at work. Leave these men alone and p*** off before I shove my umbrella somewhere.”

The older couple looked at him and then got off the bus to cheers from the other passengers.

I was returning from a trip, on a bus from the ferry terminal to the train station. The bus was so full that some people had to stand. It was hot and crowded, and everyone was tired from the trip. One man in particular was frustrated. He claimed that some other passengers were cutting the line and being rude to him. They tried to move away, but it was impossible to escape as the bus was between stops. It almost seemed like there was going to be a fight… until…

One lady sitting next to the angry standing man started to talk to him. She asked where he lived, how long he had been living there, how he liked the place, if he had been on vacation, etc. Little by little, he started to calm down. When he tried to complain about the other passengers’ behavior, the lady just calmly stated:

Lady: “I guess we are all tired from the trip. This is always the worst part of traveling, don’t you think?”

After a while, they were joking and laughing, and everyone relaxed.

When the man got off the bus, one of the passengers thanked the lady. She replied with a smile:

Lady: “Distraction techniques for children are often useful with adults, as well.”

I have since found out that she was right!

I’m sixteen years old and very shy. I have an ankle injury. I’m on crutches, waiting for the bus. When the bus arrives, it’s overly crowded and there’s no seat for me to sit. I stand near the driver and try to get a grip on a railing, so I can hopefully keep my balance on one foot.

The driver turns the engine off.

Passenger: “Sir, why have you turned the engine off?”

Driver: “Isn’t that obvious? I can’t drive when there’s someone standing here on one foot.”

Passenger: “But I need to get to the hospital. My wife is there, in labour.”

Driver: “Then I suggest you stand up and let this girl sit down, and I’ll drive.”

Passenger: “But I was here first. I’m not going to stand.”

The hospital is two stops away — about a twenty-minute walk.

Driver: “Girl, come here. You can have my seat.”

I sit down in the driver’s seat. A few passengers are beginning to talk among themselves, but nobody stands up.

Another bus driver passing by notices the bus is turned off and comes to investigate what’s going on. He notices me in the driver’s seat.

Driver #2: “Hello, where’s [Driver]? Oh, there you are. Nobody’s standing up, then?!”

Driver: “Nope.”

Driver #2: “You know what I did last week? I cleared the entire bus; only the person on crutches was allowed to stay. The rest had to either walk or take the next bus.”

Passenger: “You can’t do that. I NEED TO GET TO MY WIFE!”

Driver #2: “Then stand up and he’ll get you there.”

Passenger: “NO! I PAID FOR MY SEAT! I’M NOT GOING TO STAND!”

Both drivers exchange a look.

Driver: “All right, that’s it. Everybody out! NOW!”

Driver #2: *To me* “You just stay here, honey. It’ll be all right.”

Both drivers begin to clear the bus. Passengers who are unwilling to leave are simply thrown out by the two drivers. By now, a crowd has formed around the bus and I feel really anxious. When everybody is thrown out, I’m crying out of anxiety. [Driver] helps me to a seat and [Driver #2] gets back to his bus.

At the next stop, a few people get in, and one very professional-looking woman comments on the empty bus.

Driver: “Yeah, nobody was going to stand for this girl, so we threw everyone out.”

Woman: *Laughing* “Great! Good job.”

She sits next to me and tells me she’s an inspector from the bus company. She’s doing a random check to see if the driver is behaving like he’s supposed to. I begin crying again, fearing he’ll be in trouble for throwing paying passengers out.

Woman: “Oh, honey, don’t cry. He’s done brilliantly. Now, had he been driving while you were standing up, he would have been in trouble. But this will not get him in trouble. I won’t let that happen.”

I had a really nice chat with her and the driver after that.

A couple of days later, I got on the same bus at the same bus stop. Again, there was no seat available and nobody got up. At first.

Then, the driver — a different one from the two the other day — got up and loudly proclaimed, “Do I need to clear this bus?”

It’s unbelievable how many people actually stood up.

This story is part of the Highest-Voted-Stories Of-2022 roundup!

Read the next Highest-Voted-Stories Of-2022 roundup story!

Read the Highest-Voted-Stories Of-2022 roundup!

In the early 2010s, my husband and I were somewhat short on money in good old Germany. For some travels between my parents’ and our place, we used the newly opened and cheap long-distance bus lines.

My husband worked as much paid overtime as possible as a freelancer. He sometimes jumped on the bus directly from construction sites wearing full protective gear, including a yellow reflective jacket. These buses usually stopped at every larger town on the track with some waiting time for the passengers leaving and the new passengers to get on.

My husband — again, directly from work — was hungry and went out at one of the stops to get a snack at one of the takeaways. While he was standing next to the bus eating, an angry guy came from behind the bus, shouting at him.

Man: “What the h***?! How dare you just stand here eating?! How long should I wait out there and block the road? Move your g**d*** bus! There is enough space in front of you now!”

And he stormed off.

My husband, oblivious that he was the target, just continued eating, thinking the bus driver must have been nearby. A few minutes later, he got onto the bus again and was stopped by a nice old lady in the front row.

Old Lady: “What a rude guy. There are no manners anywhere anymore.”

My husband was polite as he made small talk a little with the old lady, still oblivious. While he was still talking, the angry guy came again, now poking his finger at my husband, screaming again.

Man: “Will you get your butt in that seat and move it, g**d*** it?!“

My husband finally realized that they all thought he was the driver.

Husband: “I can’t; I am a passenger.”

Man: “Haha, nice try. YOU WEAR THEIR JACKET!”

My husband turned around to show the actual label of his client — a well-known company in Germany — on the back of his jacket.

Husband: “No, I am not.”

Man: “Oh.” *Long pause* “But why don’t you tell me where the driver is?”

Husband: “Because I don’t know. I. AM. A. PASSENGER.”

Man: “Oh.”

Then, the angry guy turned away and left. The real bus driver came back a few minutes later and obviously had needed a longer “bio-break”. He moved the bus of his own accord, and during the left waiting time, the old lady told him the story and he had a good laugh. And no, the angry guy did not come back.

When I am in high school, I take the public bus to school every morning as it is about a ten- or fifteen-minute ride in a straight line, and it stops very near the school.

One day, I’ve left home and am walking to the bus stop as usual when I notice two shady-looking guys my own age walking behind me, looking a little suspect. 

Realizing their intent, I walk the rest of the way to the stop as fast as I can. Fortunately, a bus has just pulled up, and a queue of people is waiting to board. Seizing my chance, I jump in front of the queue and into the safety of the bus, leaving my would-be muggers disappointed.

This, however, sparks the ire of the people in line, many of whom are elderly. They start loudly complaining about young people cutting lines and how I have no respect — all the usual stuff. Being mature for my age, and having recovered from the stressful situation, I turn to them and politely explain.

Me: “I’m very sorry for cutting the line, but those two guys over there were following me and were going to mug me.”

I pointed at the two guys as I said this, and the message got relayed down the line. Cue an instant change in demeanour from everyone waiting to board, as they went from berating me to wanting to know if I was okay and telling me I had made the right decision cutting in front of all of them!