Guide to english culture

Public transport –
Buying tickets: 
If you are catching a bus or train, you should always try and buy 
your ticket before boarding. On buses, you should get a ticket 
before boarding if it is possible to do so (some bus stops have 
machines which tell you to buy a ticket before you get on), 
otherwise you can buy them from the driver or the conductor.
Sitting down: 
If you get on a bus 
or a train, it is 
acceptable 
to 
sit 
down 
next 
to 
someone (you don’t 
need to ask!) If you 
arrive at a spare 
double seat, you 
should sit next to the 
window and leave a 
spare seat for other 
people to use. It is 
considered impolite to sit in the aisle and expect fellow passengers 
to climb over you in order to sit down. If someone is sat next to 
you and you want to get off the bus, just say ‘excuse me.’ 
There are priority seats on most buses. These are reserved for 
the elderly, the disabled, pregnant women or people travelling with 
very young children in their arms. It is ok to sit on these seats, but 

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you should get up and offer your place if anyone of the 
aforementioned people get on. 
Standing up: 
You are allowed to stand up on public transport. Some old buses 
have a limit to the number of people who allowed to stand and the 
conductor will not let you board if the bus is full. You must not 
stand upstairs on a double decker bus! 
Social behaviour - 
Personal space:
You should not stand too close to people when you talk to them.
English people find this uncomfortable.
Meeting and Greeting: 
Most people shake hands when they meet for 
the first time or in a formal situation. When 
people are good friends, they will sometimes 
hug or kiss each other on the cheek to say 
hello, goodbye or thank you. 
Eye contact - 
In public, and particularly on public transport, people avoid making 
eye contact with strangers. Most people either read or look towards 
the ground slightly rather than at peoples’ faces. People in England 
find it uncomfortable if they feel as though someone is watching 
them. 
‘Sorry’ 
The word sorry in England is almost a reflex reaction. ‘Sorry’ is not 
necessarily used to indicate an admission of guilt and English people 
say it a lot so don’t be surprised by it! We use sorry in a number of 
situations – here are just a few! 

If you bump into someone, or if someone bumps into you – 
both people say sorry, do not respond by saying ‘that’s ok!’ 

We say ‘sorry’ if our arm accidentally brushes against 
someone else’s when passing through a crowded doorway.
We even say sorry if we don’t actually touch them. They will 
probably say sorry too! 

We say ‘sorry?’ when we haven’t heard someone. 

Sorry precedes any intrusive question e.g. ‘Sorry, do you 
know if this train stops at Liverpool?’ ‘Sorry- do you have the 
time’ ‘Sorry- is this seat free?’ 

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
We say ‘sorry but’ before we complain about something e.g. 
‘Sorry, but I didn’t have a towel in my hotel room’ ‘Sorry, but 
I bought this shirt and it’s got a rip in it.’ 

We sometimes say ‘sorry’ instead of ‘excuse me’ when we 
want to attract someone’s attention or we want them to 
move.