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Random conversations on buses

(109 Posts)
Cabbie21 Thu 23-May-24 11:36:27

This morning I caught

Norah Thu 23-May-24 14:43:58

Off topic. Before legal restrictions, on a long haul flight, my husband nudged me and whispered "well that couple just had fun in the loo" -- how he worked that out I've never discerned.

Aldom Thu 23-May-24 15:38:24

Luckygirl your anecdote reminded me of when my daughter had her first baby. The morning following the birth a nurse came into her room. The nurse was very excited and said 'We have a consultants wife on the unit.' My daughter had to tell her that she was that wife. grin

grannysyb Thu 23-May-24 17:20:45

Overheard when a group of us were lunching in a carvery, " well, she does like having things shoved up her!"hmm

MissAdventure Thu 23-May-24 17:21:36

grin

Coronation Thu 23-May-24 17:55:16

I got talking to someone on a bus who disclosed they had met their husband on a bus! They just hit it off and ended up together and are happily married.

Grandmabatty Thu 23-May-24 17:59:00

My mum and dad met on a bus in 1956. She was a conductress on the circular route. Dad got on and never got off!

Gin Thu 23-May-24 18:09:11

Many years ago in Scotland we went past the cinema and the lady behind me exclaimed ‘GREASE’ How can they make a film about grease, is it about a garage? The word grease, was pronounced ‘greeze’ which did make it sound like the chip shop variety!

Kate1949 Thu 23-May-24 18:52:00

A few years ago I overheard two ladies talking in the bus. One had obviously recovered from an illness.
Her friend asked 'How are you now that you're alright? Alright?'. The other lady replied 'Alright thanks'. It just tickled me for some reason.

Grammaretto Thu 23-May-24 19:22:06

I use buses a lot and the daytime ones are particularly chatty.
I spoke to at least 3 people yesterday on different buses. It helps the hour-long journey go faster.
The conversations are not deep and often involve the weather and holidays or unsuitable footwear.
If someone doesn't want to chat, you can tell and I'm the same. I will be on my phone.

I was the passenger from hell on a bus to Aberdeen once. I'd almost missed it, couldn't find my ticket and spilled the contents of my handbag on the floor.
I sat beside a woman from Shetland who had come to Edinburgh for medical reasons and now had to get the ferry from Aberdeen. She was fascinating. I had a lesson on life in the far north.

BrandyGran Thu 23-May-24 19:41:55

Conversation from seat behind heard on a city bus. One lady to another”She told me a lie in that she didn’t tell me anything at all!” It takes a minute to sink in.

flappergirl Thu 23-May-24 20:40:04

When I was 5 years old my mother and I caught the bus from our Gloucestershire village into Bristol.

Whilst my mother was reading a broadsheet newspaper, a very nice looking lady sitting nearby smiled at me and I left my seat to go and chat to her. My mother peered over her newspaper and satisfied herself that I was safe.

After exchanging pleasantries with the very nice lady, I decided to switch the conversation up a bit. I was a rather articulate child.

I began to tell her about the dreadful ruckus that had occurred at our house last Sunday when my father simply would not stop mending the car and come in for lunch.

I told her how terribly upset mummy was, how the lovely roast dinner had ended up in the bin and how hungry poor daddy was. I then assured the lady that mummy wasn't usually so fractious but she was having lots of hot flushes.

By this time the whole bus was riveted. It was better than the Archers. As for my mother, she remained hidden behind the newspaper for the entire journey.

Georgesgran Thu 23-May-24 20:54:24

Oh dear - I’m reminded of Billy Connelly and the very un-PC story of the dwarf on the bus!

Truffle43 Thu 23-May-24 21:23:53

I travelled on a bus that stopped at a prison and wives and girlfriend’s were usually returning after a visit. One loud conversations overheard was a girl with 2 children under 5 she looked I would think early 20s talking to her companion.They were discussing old school friends and relationships. One was saying how her boyfriend loved her and can’t wait for him to get out then moved on to talk about the girls they knew and one said can you believe they still go nightclubbing and partying they need to grow up like me. I was astonished as I know where I would rather be and it wasn’t visiting a prison. That was one of many strange conversations I overheard ,never got to hear the end of a story as either they or myself had to get off.

Floradora9 Thu 23-May-24 21:33:30

I was sitting on a bus which had stopped to let passengers on when an elderly lady came on and handed the bus driver her house keys instead of her buss pass. He smiled and said " Sorry love I am working just now " As she left to take her seat he added " but I am off at 6.30 ."
Lucky us in Scotland being able to use our buss passes all over the country which we just about never do .

Janetashbolt Thu 23-May-24 21:39:11

DH used to be a bus driver the tales he came home with, young girls discussing their sex lives, how to use the benefits system to their advantage, people making loud phone calls about really intimate matters.

Primrose53 Thu 23-May-24 22:05:56

I don’t use the bus very often but when I do invariably someone starts telling me their life story.

Wherever we go people seem to single me out. One day I was waiting at a supermarket till and a lady came up behind me and told me she had just taken a call telling her her son had just hung himself. I offered to take her home but she said she was OK. My daughter didn’t believe I had never set eyes on her before.

I went on an art class with a friend. The tutor kept speaking to me and my friend said “wherever we go somebody knows you.”
I had never seen him in my life.

I have met some very interesting people.

MissAdventure Thu 23-May-24 22:19:52

I love spontaneous conversations with total strangers.
It's what life is all about - establishing connections, and if it helps people, all the better. smile

NotSpaghetti Fri 24-May-24 01:57:00

Georgesgran - me too - I draw people to me it seems - but my chats are on trains and very infrequent now.

The man travelling to take a Didgeridoo to a relative, an explosives expert who loved fireworks and had worked with someone I knew, a woman who could only tell me half a story as her partner (?) close by might read into it, the engineer who was on his way to check out a new fairground ride. I seem to be found by really interesting people.

Never a dull journey - even if I want one!

nanna8 Fri 24-May-24 02:08:16

I don’t go on buses here but on the trains everyone is always on their phones, no talking! The trams are over crowded so no one talks, no chance with standing room only.

keepcalmandcavachon Fri 24-May-24 07:59:39

Ooh Look! Chuffy -Chuffy, Chuffy-Chuffy! Me alone on bus, children at school.

Aldom Fri 24-May-24 20:30:44

keepcalm. grin grin grin
I bet you felt silly.

Ali08 Sat 25-May-24 02:35:16

Germanshepherdsmum

We have no buses here. You definitely didn’t get into conversation with anyone on a bus in the City (which I always enjoyed using)!

Where do you live? Jupiter?

Ali08 Sat 25-May-24 02:48:15

At a bus stop down my old street, I'd often chat to neighbours. One young girl in particular seemed to like conversing with me. It was never anything important, just about the weather or if she was going out etc.
I say young, maybe about 5-10 years younger than myself.
One day, my daughter was with me and she looked very shifty about something and it wasn't until we reached town that she said,
"Do you know her, mum?"
I said I didn't exactly know her but I knew she lived in one of the flats at the end of our road, and that we often chatted at the bus stop.
Oh dear! It turned out I had actually heard about her, not realising it was her - and thank heavens I never asked if she had heard the gossip - she only had a thing about men, and had stabbed her bf, narrowly missing actually murdering him, and was out on bail pending a court case leading to possible prison time because he was the second one she'd done it to!!
She did get to stay at Her Majesty's pleasure, and by the time she was out we had moved.
She was lovely to chat to at the bus stop, though 🤪

Ali08 Sat 25-May-24 02:58:15

Retread,

Those types of conversations, don't you just feel like sitting beside them and joining in with their conversations? 🤣

Aldom Sat 25-May-24 07:12:07

Alio8 not on a bus but in a coffee shop. A friend and I were discussing something topical. Eventually the lady at the table next to ours turned and said, 'I agree with you.'