Why don’t people queue in bus stop anymore?

In my experience in London outside of the city and west end, most busses are full of the elderly and under 18s who get free travel

Since when did under 18's get free travel suzied ?

They certainly don't up here in the North East.

Still queue here, too, as far as I see when I pass any bus stops.

Under 18s who live in London can travel free on bus and tram. Under 11 from anywhere can travel free in London. This means hordes of kids queue for buses to travel one or two stops when in the past they would have walked.

I really enjoy bus travel, especially now that I have my bus pass and don't have to pay the exorbitant fares. We have a bus terminus in town and people catching buses there are a model of decorum. People are usually deferential, courteous and polite. If some of the Italian and Spanish students from the local international school are there (easily recognisable by the increased decibels when they're speaking/screeching) it takes only a ferocious look to quell them and get them herded into position.

Blimey they are lucky suzied children have to pay here in the North East. But this is the back end of nowhere (the land that governments forgot) so hardly surprised.

Yes, half price or thereabouts for children here. I find a lot of London born people who move down here are disappointed with what's on offer for pensioners.

To those who commented that people don't queue in London because they are mostly foreigners and it is probably not in their culture to do so.... well, enjoy your civilised village/small town living for now because if you fast forward 30 years or so, on present birth and immigration rates the statistics show that the British will be in the minority in the UK.

I've got a right bee in my bonnet today about bloomin' bus fares.
First I am cross that rich oldies travel for free when they could easily pay a token fare, then I find that children in London pay nowt either.

Our young people and their parents here in the North (and elsewhere I would guess) are being well and truly ripped off.

Last Bus in this village was 1956.

And no, that didn't stop me from applying for a Bus Pass... which I only use when I go to London.

gillybob The only free travel my DGCs get is to school and back their mum has to apply every year to make sure the are still a certain distance from school to qualify other wise it would cost her £7.50 per day for each child and she has 2 there at the moment,but other travel on buses has to be paid for only school travel is free.

Growing up we had a pole with a bus stop sign and everyone would line up neatly starting at the pole. Nowadays most of our bus stops have shelters so everybody just crowds in and there is no opportunity to "form an orderly queue". Having said that I have never not been able to get on a bus because it was full so it doesn't really matter.

We queue round here - East Midlands. If someone's there before you, you proffer your hand to motion them on first. We talk to each other too. It must be the very much larger cities where it's everyone for themselves.

GrandmaMoira
I live in the southwest and frequently come across a similar behaviour with our park and ride system. There are seating facilities undercover which many use instead of standing in a queue at the bus stop. Immediately the bus appears the 'rush!!!' starts. I am one of those ' living longer' but find the worst offenders are not the' young' but sadly the 'not so young'

My 2 youngest DGC have a long journey from home to school. I try to pick them up and take them as much as I can otherwise its 2 (service) buses at 60p per child per bus. Plus the adults full fare each way. In other words very expensive.

Isn’t the habit of thanking the driver so lovely, and such an anachronism. When you think of how many old fashioned courtesies have been dropped over the years. Mind you, my adult children, from childhood, always thank me or their dad, whoever’s driving, when they’re leaving the car, and, now I come to think of it, I thank my husband when he drives too!!

Bus passes for Senior Citizens can't be used before 9.30 unless that's now changed. I had a Disabled Bus Pass when DVLA withdrew my Driving Licence which allowed me to travel at anytime however when Senior Citizen's Passes could be used nationwide instead of starting/ending in County Disabled Pass was altered from all day to same restrictions as Pensioners, most unfair if you worked as I did. I haven't travelled by bus for a few years but rarely had a problem with people pushing in

We're very polite here:
"After you"
"No, after you!"
"No, I insist, after you!!" Until someone gives in.

My London Freedom pass allows me to travel on buses, tubes and British rail out as far as Zone 6 at any time for nothing.
I think in general giving children free travel has been a bad thing. Their behaviour at best is noisy and at worst obnoxious. Kids in London invariably go to school near their homes as the catchment areas are so small so they pile on buses just to go one or two stops which they should really walk. When I worked in a London secondary school teachers had to do duty supervising the kids on to the buses as there were always so man6 complaints about behaviour!

In Lancashire every one gathers in the shelter and usually chats. There is no queue but when the bus comes everyone gets on meticulously in the order of arrival at the bus stop. There is a lot of “after you”, “no you were first” etc.. Also there is a lot of thanking the driver, mostly by the older people.

Only the British queue or used to for buses and trains. Anywhere else in Europe you edge or push forward hoping to get on.

The real free for all are the Spanish intercity trains, where the elderly go in for bashing their luggage against other passengers' legs while fighting to get on

We all get on in order of arrival and everyone thanks the driver when they get off. Most drivers are chatty. I'm only using them at the moment as I temporarily can't drive, I've been pleasantly surprised as I hadn't used buses for years

I just don't get the point of not queuing - it's the logical thing to do and makes life so much easier for all concerned. Fortunately we still do it up here - even when there are seated areas and a queue people usually insist that they get on in the right order. And yes, we all thank the driver! I dread getting on buses and trains with suitcases when on holiday. You can be there first and still be trampled underfoot!

Though I am dreading the day the schoolchildren push their friends back "to let the old lady on", which I've seen happen here!

People still queue here, love it

The woman sitting next to me on our village bus yesterday was tutting away to herself about passengers talking & joking with each other & the driver. She said " You wouldn't get that in London where I come from". "Nice isn't it" I said, "we know lots of people on this route," Nice?" she scoffed "it's effin' weird".....end of conversation.