Know what the word in Swiss German for Bus driver is:
Busführer
Would it be inappropriate to heil everytime that happened?
There is no way that word could ever be used in Germany.
I'm sure I'm not the only one it happens to but it kills me every time I'm running for the bus, the bus driver sees me but CAN NOT open the door even though they just closed about 2 seconds before.
Hi CG, in all the years i've been in this country i have never heard that expression from a Swiss. I think you may have mis-heard, they are called "Bus Chauffeur"
P.S I wouldn't heil if i was you, it would be in very bad taste.
Nope, on the trams and buses right now in Zurich there are ads up saying that you can ride the public transport for free by becoming a "busführer"
And no, I wouldn't really heil.
I don't get upset with the busfuehrer - you are right, there is something weird about that word - when that happens. After all, sometimes they do actually wait and let you in. What does really get me though is when you're running to catch the tram/bus and the passengers inside are watching you bemusedly, maybe even taking bets on whether you'll make it or not before the tram pulls out, but it wouldn't occur to any of them to push the door button for you to make sure you do!
Well i stand corrected, it does sound a bit strange.
Maybe it does occur to them... However, once the driver decides to close the doors there's nothing you can do to open them again. The only way to keep the doors open (especially on trams) is to stand on the bottom step. Just keeping your finger on the button won't help.
That failing, you can rest assured that usually another bus/tram will be along in less than 10 minutes. In that time you can always do one of the anti-stress excercises that they've posted on the ticket machines
Just asked my Swiss (Zurich dialect) husband, and he says the name for a bus driver is a busfahrer or buschauffer - not busfuehrer. But with the tram - it is a tramfuehrer.
Definitely don't heil, even if some of them deserve it.
Regardless, there are ads up right now using the word busführer. And again, I wouldn't really heil.
Any complaints about the TPG in Geneva, let me know, a couple of mates work there and I can relay comments
Swiss-French is another story, i've had another bus driver come into our bus and tell us that there was more space in his bus and that he was going on the same route.
I've had a bus stop for us about 50 meters after it departed because the driver saw us running.
Two weekends ago in Geneva, we asked a bus driver for directions to another bus stop. We followed the directions and when we got there we realised that he had given us the wrong directions. A few minutes later he arrived; after realising that he had given us the wrong directions, he got out of his bus and came to find us.
A train driver saw us running for the platform and waited for us. As he greeted us while leaning out of the window we told him that we didn't have tickets. He asked where we were going and it was only one stop (not a tram stop, a reasonable distance) he said not to worry, get on and have a nice day.
Only once in Zurich have I seen a tram open the doors again.
Whenever I cross the Rostigraben I get a mild attack of culture shock and it mostly manifests itself through the public transport, odd I know but I can't explain it.
The French part is a little more chaos, need some chaos.
I'm not sure whether it's geographical region or just the size of the city, but I also had very nice experience with drivers in public transit in Lausanne.
One of my first times riding a bus here, I got onto the right bus number, but in the opposite direction. By virtue of an English-speaking student in the bus I communicated with the driver, who concluded I was going in the wrong direction, stopped, honked to a passing bus going in the other direction and told me to go catch that other bus. The other bus waited for me at the opposite side of the street until I came and happily took me to my destination...
One of our favorite cardio exercises is catching the metro as we see it coming. I get impression it often waits for us whenever it can afford it. I suppose it sometimes just have to move on to keep with the schedule, which it follows fairly accuratately (imagine you keep having one more guy to wait for, this could take forever). Buses and trams seem more reluctant to open the door once closed, it seems to be a matter of principle (perhaps involving safety: I've seen people trying to get onto a bus even when it was not at a bus stop but a traffic light stop...).
Viktor
I've sprinted for the trams in Basel many times and the tram drivers opened the front door after they've been closed.
I think the trick is to go for the front so that they can see you. Don't forget to smile and say thanks
I think the problem is that you're confusing swiss german with 'swiss' high german. Busführer would be high german, but nobody would use it that way in swiss german. Most would say bus chauffeur or Busfahrer.
btw, the term 'Führerschein' is widely used in Germany as well, so I think you're wrong that such a term would ever be used there. Führer is a common german word and it's only in the non-german speaking world that it's exclusively used in a hitler-context.
oh, and Zugführer is widely used in the swiss army (and I think in the Bundeswehr as well)
On another note of tram observation...
The trams in Basel have a blue buggy button below the regular door open one, does this mean that the tram driver gives you longer to get off?
Might be useful of the last tram home when drunk
something i've wondered about is what is the little button the floor at the back of each tram carriage..? when you stand (or stamp) on it a little bell rings??
That's when they have to drive the tram backwards. The hatch at the back of the tram opens and they can attach a steering wheel. I've seen them doing it a couple of times around the Opernhaus/Bellevue area.
Apparently, the tram drivers have a really strict timetable to keep to so don't reopen the door to let people on after they've been finally closed.
I love to watch people running alongside the tram as it drives away frantically jabbing at the button.
[quote=Sandgrounder;120691]That's when they have to drive the tram backwards. The hatch at the back of the tram opens and they can attach a steering wheel. I've seen them doing it a couple of times around the Opernhaus/Bellevue area.
so the bell on the floor is warn people as they are reversing?
[quote=Brianb_ie;120696] Same as if they are going forwards: just to warn people who are in the way.
Alternatively, it provides an amusing toy to kids (or drunk people) who like to stamp on it all the way home...
Amusing......I don't know about that really!!
I find the tram and bus drivers in Zürich very, um, punctual. They also seem to have a somewhat short and business-like attitude. But I observed a lot of people running for and missing the trams - it happens all the time. At some point, maybe the drivers just have to run the tram on time and let stragglers go (can't afford to be nice).
On two occasions, when the tram was just sitting there because of the lights, they opened the tram doors for me. But that's rare.
Wouldn't take it personally.