Bus Etiquette: What Drives Travelers Nuts? Sex on the Bus

Busbud Global Survey of 4,500+ Intercity Bus Riders Reveals Most Annoying Things Fellow Passengers Do

MONTREAL, Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Ahead of the busiest travel season of the year Busbud, a global ground travel booking platform, announces its global bus etiquette survey finds that participating in sexual activities while on the bus is one of the top things that drive fellow passengers nuts. However, what drove a bus passenger the most nuts varied by country with North Americans (Americans and Canadians), British, and South Africans saying poor personal hygiene is the greatest offense.

Busbud surveyed 4,500+ passengers worldwide who take intercity bus trips and found that the top nine most annoying things other passengers do is:

#1 Playing music loudly
#2 Participating in sexual activity
#3 Poor personal hygiene
#4 Smoking or vaping
#5 Talking loudly
#6 Passing gas or burping
#7 Leaving trash around their seat
#8 Arguing with other passengers
#9 Reclining the seat without asking first

Top 5 Most Annoying Things a Fellow Bus Passenger Can Do by Country (in order):

The Airplane Seat Reclining Controversy Applies to Buses Too:

The majority of bus passengers recline their seats, yet it's one of the things that most irks fellow passengers. Worldwide 89% of bus passengers reported always or sometimes reclining their seats, yet 42% are annoyed when fellow passengers recline their seats.

Chileans were the worst offenders with 99% reporting that they always or sometimes recline their seats. The Canadians and British are perhaps the most polite with 60% reporting that they always or sometimes recline their seats.

"Our global etiquette survey found that most bus passengers have zero tolerance for bad behavior from other passengers but are forgiving when they do that same bad behavior themselves," says Christine Petersen, CMO of Busbud. "The holiday season is a very busy time of the year for bus travel and it's important for bus passengers to keep manners top-of-mind."

North Americans Say No Thanks to Seat Belts:

North Americans are the worst offenders at not always wearing a seatbelt. The survey found that North Americans (Americans and Canadians) were significantly less likely to wear their seats on an intercity bus trip than South Americans. 28% of North Americans reported they never wear a seat belt on the bus whereas 1-3% of Chileans and Brazilians reported never wearing a seat belt. In addition, 1 out of 10 Americans felt it's not important for a bus to even have seat belts. The British and South Africans landed in the middle of the road with 12% of British passengers and 16% of South African passengers reporting they never wear a seat belt.

Passengers See the Bus as an Opportunity to Disconnect:

Worldwide passengers see the bus as an opportunity to disconnect from an overstimulated digital life. Americans, Chileans, and Brazilians are aligned that the bus is for sleeping. Whereas the British feel bus rides should be more idyllic and reported their favorite activity is to stare out the window. The Canadians and South Africans are outliers in wanting to stay connected, reporting browsing the internet/social media as their favorite bus activity.

How Bus Operators Can Improve the Passenger Experience:

Few passengers had significant safety concerns about their bus trips, however, what they worried the most about regarding their safety varied greatly between North and South Americans.

• Nearly half of Americans, Canadians, and British had no safety concerns. Yet, for those who did have safety concerns, personal safety was their biggest worry.
• In contrast, when South Americans are worried about safety, it is the bus operations that worry them the most.
• Entertainment options matter little to bus passengers. Worldwide only 6% of intercity bus passengers selected entertainment options (such as movies and music) as one of the top five most important to them during their bus journey. 
• Passengers rarely complain about poor bus service: 68% of worldwide bus riders report that they never complain. When they do complain, don't expect them to pick up the phone or line up in person. The most common complaint platform is email or a review platform as reported by 15% of surveyed passengers who indicated they have complained about a bus ride.

Buses will play a key role in connecting family and friends this holiday season as more than half (51%) of all inter-city bus riders reported that their primary reason for taking the bus is to visit with friends or family. Canadians in particular rely on the bus to visit family and friends with 60% of bus riders reporting this is their main reason for taking the bus followed by 57% of South Africans and 48% of Americans reporting the same. So happy holidays to all who are traveling by bus to celebrate with family and friends!

For more survey findings and additional information about the survey, please visit:  https://www.busbud.com/blog/onboard-offenses-what-annoys-passengers-most-on-buses/

Methodology:

Findings are based on a survey of 4,500+ intercity bus riders across the U.S., Canada, England, South Africa, Chile, and Brazil during November and December 2024.

About Busbud:

Busbud is a leading global mobility group that operates marketplaces focused on ground travel where travelers can book intercity bus and train tickets on over 3 million routes in 80+ countries worldwide. The company also offers B2B software that powers the business of ground travel operators across the globe. For more information, please visit busbud.com.

SOURCE Busbud