Research news
#ThankYouDriver - How a Simple Greeting Can Improve Bus Drivers' Mental Health
Posted on behalf of: School of Psychology
Last updated: Thursday, 22 August 2024
An example of one of the stickers used to encourage passengers to interact with bus drivers / Image from Neighbourly Lab
Last year, researchers at the University of Sussex partnered with Transport for London (TfL) and Neighbourly Lab to launch a campaign promoting greater appreciation of bus drivers and encouraging more positive interactions between passengers and drivers.
The research, prepared by psychologists from the School of Psychology in collaboration with TfL and Neighbourly Lab, revealed that only 2 out of 10 (23%) passengers acknowledge their bus driver when boarding, and less than 1 out of 10 (8%) do so when getting off the bus.
The pilot project involved placing stickers on the doors of 150 buses traveling throughout West London to encourage passengers to greet and thank their drivers, which resulted in a 7 percent increase in positive interactions. This equates to 140 million more potential interactions across a year, based on 2019/20 bus data from the UK Government Department for Transport.
The stickers included prompts such as ‘Who can say “hello” first?’ and ‘A “thanks” or “hey” can make my day’. The hashtag #ThankYouDriver features on each sticker. Neighbourly Lab surveyed drivers to identify different ways in which positive interactions could be encouraged, which helped inform the prompts.
Bus drivers who participated in the pilot project said passengers saying “good morning” or “thank you” had a positive impact on their happiness and job satisfaction. They said it made them feel “respected”, “seen” and “appreciated”.One driver said, “it boosts my immune system when passengers say thank you”.
As a result of the campaign’s success, TfL has expanded the use of stickers to around 1000 buses on routes from Stratford, North Greenwich, and Finsbury Park.
Dr. Gillian Sandstrom, who was consulted on the initial research, said: “It’s so easy these days to objectify others – to see them primarily for what they can do for us. The bus sticker and driver celebration initiatives counteract that, by reminding us to pay attention to each other’s humanity. It may seem like a tiny thing to say hello to the bus driver, but small acts of attention and connection like this are often seen as acts of kindness. We can all use a little reminder, from time to time.” Dr Sandstrom is a Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Kindness and Director of the Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness.
Grainne O’Dwyer, a Senior Programme Manager from Neighbourly Lab, a social connection enterprise, who led the development and execution of this research, said: “We are delighted to see TfL continue its work celebrating and championing bus staff. We have met so many wonderful and talented bus staff as part of this campaign, it has been a real joy to help bring their personal stories to life. We hope this campaign will continue to have a positive impact for bus staff and increase passenger engagement with them. They are part of the lifeblood of communities and make a real difference in the life of so many passengers. So don't forget to thank your bus driver for all they do next time you hop on board!"
TfL and Neighbourly Lab have also launched a poster exhibition at North Greenwich and Stratford Bus Stations, which spotlight the range of people who work as bus drivers across London.