I didn’t ride the bus much when I live in Chicago, the “L” got me where I was going. I ride the bus every day in Vancouver, and it seems to have an etiquette, especially when it comes to seating on three-door buses like the 99-B Line.
For example, if the bus arrives mostly empty and you board from the back, you sit with a seat between yourself and the other passengers. The corners always go first, and then the middle seats. If you board in the middle or front of the bus, this isn’t the case as the seats are in pairs. Then it’s just a matter of who wants to slide in first.
As the but moves along its route, the seats fill in. During the evening rush hour, the bus becomes a sardine can. Except there are times when people decide to wait for the next bus, leaving some breathing room.
It is not uncommon for people to run into friends or others they know on the bus. Sometimes it’s planned, sometimes it’s coincidence. Either way, it cannot go unacknowledged. Even if just a simple hello or a wave, though sometimes one party will maneuver through the bus to say hello.
When the bus driver has delivered you to your destination, you say thank you as you get off the bus. Granted not everyone does, but I have yet to step off a bus and not hear it. And passengers will yell “thank you” from the back of the bus as they step off.
Trains, well, that’s for another post.