Research conducted in the U.K. indicates that a majority of passengers believe that saying hello to their bus driver has a positive effect.
However, the study also reveals that fewer than 25% of passengers actually make the effort to greet the driver.
People were more likely to acknowledge the driver on buses that had signs encouraging them to, a pilot project by the University of Sussex, Transport for London (TfL), and social connection enterprise Neighbourly Lab found.
A small survey of 77 drivers suggested a greeting from a passenger was meaningful to them, the researchers said. Of 116 passengers questioned at a bus station, 84% said they believed engaging with the driver had a positive impact, according to the findings.
As part of a pilot project, signs encouraging a “hello” or “thanks” were installed on the driver's cab door and exit doors on over 150 buses across Hammersmith in west London.
When passengers were observed on 117 bus journeys, just 23% greeted the driver on buses without signs, while this rose to 30% of passengers on buses with signs, researchers said.
Using 2019/20 bus data from the U.K.'s Department for Transport, the researchers said the difference could equate to 140 million more potential interactions each year.
Bus drivers interviewed as part of the research said passengers saying “good morning” or “thank you” had a positive impact on their happiness and job satisfaction, adding that it made them feel “respected”, “seen” and “appreciated.”
"This research makes an exciting contribution to our understanding around the value of small, daily interactions," Grainne O’Dwyer, who led the research, said.
"The positive impact that something as small as a ‘hello’ or ‘thank you’ can make for our brilliant bus drivers demonstrates the power of these small actions," she said.
"It argues the case for looking up from your phone, even briefly, and giving a friendly smile or greeting when on your daily commute, grabbing your daily coffee, grabbing a few bits from the shop. After all, a thanks or hello means more than you know."
Dr. Gillian Sandstrom, director of the Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness, said the results suggest “micro-interactions like these are more well-received and more meaningful than most of us realize”.
“The fact that a simple nudge, in the form of a sticker on the bus, was enough to encourage people to greet the driver suggests to me that people want to reach out and connect with others, but sometimes feel like they can’t or shouldn’t,” she added.
