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What's up with the way Scandinavians stand in line for the bus?
- Thread starter Taki
- Start date
Yes! Perhaps not in some city buses, but otherwise of course (safety is a big deal here, [infact we invented the airbag and the three point belt :) ]). Not that everyone uses them, but most sensible people do I hope.
It's actually the same on commuter rail around New York City. It's actually a little funny, if the train is just crowded enough that every other seat is taken, a few people will stand rather than sit next to people. But if it's actually crowded, every seat fills fast. I'd love to see some data on exactly when the tipping point occurs. (Also just this past weekend I was on a train where every seat was occupied and there was barely standing room in the aisle, which is where I was stuck. So that was certainly an extreme.)
The more you know. We used to have them here as well, but I haven't seen one in newer busses for the past 10 years. The current trend is moving towards more and more standing positions as well.
A few years ago I went to a movie and found myself sitting in a theater that was almost completely empty. A 30something couple were sitting several rows in front of me and that was about it. During the previews they suddenly got up and sat RIGHT NEXT to me without saying a word. I didn't even know how to react. Was this to prove a point? Was there a reason for this? Seemed like anything I could say or do in that situation would spark a shitshow, so I just shrugged a fuck off and continued watching the film in a mostly empty theater with the couple. I will say this, at least they were chill enough to not talk through it!
When I visited Norway, I was a bit surprised at this. I remember waiting to cross a road and someone just shot ahead because apparently we were too close to each other.
But it will also increase the chances that the driver out of control hits somebody.
Even those going like 70 km/h and up?! But for city buses I think that trend is accurate here as well.
My experience in Finland is that if someone stands too close to you at a bus stop (even by a fraction), then they are without exception either tourists or, in the case of Finns, drunk or mentally ill, so politeness doesn't really come into the equation. The same applies to our convoluted social norms on choosing a seat in public transport. If someone sits next to you when there's an empty seat somewhere else, it's time to fear for your life.
Population density mate, it's low
Okay, seriously. I didn't know that anyone considered standing up before the bus stops to be weird. Not doing that would be super weird to me.
Long route bus, e.g. between cities, has belts and use of them is now legally mandatory afaik. There were some nasty accident or two involving bus years back and seat belt laws were expanded onto the bus traffic too.
This is how we stand in Canada.I think maybe this is more extreme as you go further north, I live in the south of Sweden and while people still give each other plenty of space it is not taken to the extreme shown in most of those pictures. Closer to this one
although that seems to be in Finland so that blows my "more extreme in the north" theory apart. I don't know, how do you queue in the States?
There was one time when people were standing all spread out like in the other photos and I decided to wait by the stop because I was late. I got yelled at by some guy for skipping the "line".
Why is being a "stranger" such a pejorative to you that the simple act of standing next to one is an event?
It sounds paranoid and bizarre.
Yes but not the whole crowd, just one or two people. And everyone hopes they'll be lucky ones.
We Finns just avoid unnecessary socializing. If there isn't rush hour going on then there is literally no reason to get unnecessary close to strangers while waiting for e.g. bus.
Anywhere when possible, we like to give each other breathing space.
I don't like huddling next to strangers either but the pics in the OP are an impractical exclusion zone taken to extremes. This is how it is in the UK:
Gaps are about the width of one person.
Pictures in OP are like extreme of most extreme. I say that as Finn.
I would say reality for most situations is between OP pics and those UK pics.
These examples are a bit extreme. We don't always keep a 4-5 meter bufferzone around us. But sure, if there's only a few people, we won't get within 30cm of each other but keep a polite distance of maybe 1,5-2 meters. Usually if there are more than 3-5 people waiting for a bus, people can come a bit closer.
I've been in Helsinki for a year now and almost never see this fabled bus arrangement. Clear sky, windy, raining, snowing: people happily pile up at the bus stops like sardines. The same compact lines I saw everywhere else in the world.
Someone else did the same thing to me on the bus. Just straight leaned on me the entire time.... Ugh
Can people smell bad if it's frozen outside?
Reminds me of the time on GAF I was wondering why a Finn poster never smiled in photos. I was quickly scolded by another, who was glad he didn't come from a "forced smiling culture" like America.
Looks pretty similar to what you'd find in the UK. Actually thought it was quite funny the other day noticing that because everyone sits or stands as far away as possible from other people in the shelter, you always end up with everyone evenly distributing themselves. People would also rather stand outside rather then having to sit next to someone else.
I've lived in the US my entire life and I wait for the bus like that. I don't want other people to be repulsed by me, plus I like having my own space. One time a lady said "You can sit on the bench with me, I won't bite". Plus not many people here use the bus outside of people for who it is a necessity (disabled, elderly, or homeless) so there's usually only one other person waiting if that so it's not like I'm taking up much unnecessary space by standing far apart from the others
At some bus stops it is difficult to know who was first, but the queuing etiquette is still in place for many other situations... except for the young and the savage teenagers (who are all arseholes).
This is true. I did it today when there was plenty of space at the bus stop. Technically there was enough space for 8 but 2 was enough and I stood outside.
You smile when you have a real reason for it, not all the damn day.
If you are smiling all damn day, you clearly have it too good and need to get lost.
- edit -
You can smile when you are alone in the winter evening/night, it's snowing and you see no-one and hear nothing besides your own footsteps crunching the snow.
But only then.
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In Finland we have this thing called "personal space".
lmao, so this is how it feels when someone makes a blind guess about your culture and gets it completely wrong
lmao, so this is how it feels when someone makes a blind guess about your culture and gets it completely wrong
Man, I would love that... In Brazil you are almost supposed to let people touch you while they talk to you [if you ask people not to, they get REALLY offended], and you can't walk a semi crowded street without being touched by at least 15 different bodies in a short walk. As an introvert I need some personal space - totally get the Scandinavians.
I live in Norway and I haven't seen anything that extreme, reminds me more of people waiting for the tram or subway in Oslo where there are several entrances.
There is of course more personal space here than in other countries, but I think it also comes from the small size of the country.
You're not going to walk 500 meters to a bus stop to stand 20 cm from a single person waiting for the bus. I mean, take the subway in New York outside of rush hour and you have
similar distances between people.
There is of course more personal space here than in other countries, but I think it also comes from the small size of the country.
You're not going to walk 500 meters to a bus stop to stand 20 cm from a single person waiting for the bus. I mean, take the subway in New York outside of rush hour and you have
similar distances between people.
Pretty much the same here in Northern Germany. I guess that's what happens after 1000 years of danish rule.
Hah, it does seem bit funny when pointed out with multiple pictures like that. But yeah, personal space as people have said. Many times when waiting in a bank, pharmacy etc. I rather stand than sit next to somene. Now if there's atleast one empy seat between us then it's tolerable.
