Mait001 wrote:
To me, a journey is more than a mere utilitarian journey from A to B.

The manner of getting there matters to me. For example, I would
favour a journey in a breezy Routemaster than a stuffy
unopening-window heatbox of a bus any day, and if I saw a Routemaster
coming in the distance, I would wait for it rather than get the first
bus, for example, in Oxford Street.

Also, if a very full bus comes, where a seat is unlikely, I
invariably wait for the next one.

And, yes, I do want a seat, preferably near a window, and preferably
upstairs, and preferably not on the sunny side of the bus.

Ideally yes, but on a busy service you can surely not expect such luxury?

None of these factors are likely to be enhanced by someone pushing past
me as I patiently buy my ticket ...

You are assuming that they are *pushing* past, but they may be just using
the available entrance space to board the bus, thus minimising dwell time at
the stop and speeding up your journey and everyone else's. If so, it's not
a question of manners but of maximising the use of a limited resource, i.e.
the boarding capacity of the bus.

If you were driving a car towards red traffic lights, and there were two
available lanes, are you saying you would choose the same lane as the car in
front of you for the sake of good manners, or do the sensible thing and
choose the lane with fewest vehicles in it (thus maximising the flow through
the lights when they change as well as your own progress)?
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)