Random conversations on buses

Thanks Primrose. We are close to Blakeney. 👍🏻

One of the reasons we chose this property is because it is on a bus route. Every ten minutes into the city, via the next village
( for dentist, optician) or 20 minutes ride to the next town for banks, M&S Food etc, 35 minutes ride to the city.
Not so great for coming home after an evening event as buses run only every 40 minutes except on Saturdays, when there are even late night buses. There is also a railway station, with good connections to main lines.
Although I walk into my own town centre, I can get the bus back home if I have too much to carry or if it is raining.
I still need to drive the car between the villages, and for my three choirs and church.

Germanshepherdsmum

I must do that!

Blakeney Village Hall car park is a great starting place as parking is free and bus stop is just outside on the coast road. There are plenty of others if that’s not convenient.

I must do that!

Germanshepherdsmum

I live in rural north Norfolk Ali. You obviously are not aware of the paucity of public transport in rural areas.

Poor you GSM not having a bus route. We do and it’s not too bad. I usually drive but if I just need a couple of things or the library or meet a friend, then the bus is really handy, free of course with bus pass and no parking problems when the small towns are full of holidaymakers.

I tell you what’s a great laugh - driving to somewhere on the Coasthopper bus route, leaving your car and catching the bus to Wells or Hunstanton, Sheringham or Cromer. You meet all sorts of people. My friend and I went to Hunstanton, walked along the Prom, enjoyed fish and chips, looked round the shops before coming home again.

A few years ago my sister and I went on a coach trip to visit the battlefields of the 1st World War. As we live in South West Wales we were being picked up at 3.00 a.m. and eventually got to Newport at about 5.30 a.m. after several stops.
An elderly man and his daughter got on and sat immediately behind us and started to talk and did not stop until we got on the ferry at Dover. My sister and I were very tired but could not fall to sleep because of their talking. Apparently the mother had dementia and this was to be a break for the father. I did mention, when we had a comfort stop, that we had been up very early that morning and were longing for a bit of a rest, but this fell on deaf ears.
It was all meaningless chatter but as we waited to board the ferry the daughter came out with a cracker. " Oh Dad she said, look that that red lorry, isn't that an interesting shade of red !"
I can only think that she had reverted to her childhood. Obviously when young she had been encouraged to comment on things she saw on a car/bus journey.
Later we spoke to the couple who were sitting immediately behind them and we all agreed that they had spoiled what was a long journey.
On a different note I have to travel more by bus these days, I used to be able to walk more. What I dislike is the smell of some of the passengers. Usually elderly men or younger ones that would not be capable of passing a driving test. I'm glad that I still carry a face mask in my bag.

I live in rural north Norfolk Ali. You obviously are not aware of the paucity of public transport in rural areas.

Going back to my original conversation, some of it was harmless enough but after a bit some of the woman’s views I found totally unacceptable. I did not want to argue with her, a random stranger, but at a couple of points I just had to interject. If there had been another seat I could have moved, but that would have looked rude. I found it very awkward that the conversation was so one- sided. It was also quite noisy so not very conducive to refuting her views with facts and examples. The situation became quite awkward.

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.'

Retread,

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

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 🤪

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?

keepcalm.
I bet you felt silly.

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

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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

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.

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.

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.