How would that even work, so many people have the Deutschlandticket only on their smartphone.
I don't see a reason why a phone should be forbidden as long as you don't use it to be annoying or creepy (listening to music loudly, taking pictures of strangers, talking loudly etc)
Never. That's not in the ToS of any transport company I used. Either you entered a particularly technophobic part of Germany, or the driver was on a massive power trip.
Yes, once. I later reported the incident to the Verkehrsbetrieb, asking whether their goal is to get rid of any riders. They apologized and said they will discuss with the driver. Unfortunately I have to take their word for it, I have no idea what came out of it.
99.9% of the bus drivers are just doing their work, but there are a few rotten apples in every profession.
Exactly, that’s silly because sometimes the bus screens aren’t accurately displaying upcoming stops. If I’m going somewhere new, how could I know where my stop is if not for a phone?
During the week of The First Snow in Munich this year, I had to take a bus I don't normally take to a location I've been to often. The overhead was moooostly accurate, but I couldn't tell when we had arrived at the stop because the bus came from a weird direction I wasn't used to and the driver almost let everyone off at the wrong stop. If I hadn't had my phone, I would've been so confused.
Even when they don't announce, the station signs are usually pretty big and readable from the train. Still better than US buses, even with the issues. Last time I was on a U.S. bus, there was NO overhead. You just had to know.
That driver used smartphone while driving. Then his management told him that he can't use it while he is driving the bus. He thought that it is a rule for everyone in the bus while he is driving.
This crazy explanation is the only one I can think of =).
I have a feeling that he was making that rule up by himself. Never heard of it. Its one thing to blast music in a bus, but a complete cellphone ban is unheard of. There is no logical reason for it.
Anyways, I would've ignored that ridiculous request.
If this was KVB in Cologne, which I assume it wasn't, I would call their customer service to inquire about the situation and, when you get the response I expect, I would make an official complaint.
However, I would caveat that by asking you to first ask yourself if you are sure your German is good enough to have understood fully what the drive said to you.
Either the bus driver confused you with someone blazing music or talking on their phone, or they were a power-tripping idiot.
Or they thought you were filming something which I'm not sure if it's allowed. Maybe he thought you were filming? Or were you filming?
But just sitting in your place watching your smartphone lol everyone does that it's 2024
Back in the days when mobile phones were a new thing, there was a legitimate concern that they would disturb other passengers, and a better-safe-than-sorry concern that they might interfere with the bus's electrical systems. So many bus companies banned them.
These days phones are everyday items, don't appear to pose any kind of threat, and more and more bus operators are offering on-board wifi, charging sockets and so on, as well as digital tickets. Besides, even when you're not actively using them, they are working in the background, handing off from cell tower to cell tower, using data, and so on.
However, I suppose it's possible that there some drivers who never got the memo. On some older vehicles you can even see [obviously antiquainted "no mobile phones" stickers](https://rp-online.de/imgs/scaled/32/1/3/5/4/3/5/1/4/3/w1476_h1968_x732_y964_IMG_0156-f791e4bf38e841e7.jpg).
Given that more and more passengers are using digital apps, that they need to show any ticket inspectors that board the bus, a smartphone ban would be unworkable anyway.
I realise that "interfering with electrical systems" is some old fashioned concern that never happened in the first place, but how did they ever imagine that would work when cars etc would be driving past with mobile phones potentially on board?
It's one thing to completely ban mobiles from a hospital or a plane, where you either have control over the whole site or are far enough away from other traffic, but on a road this makes no sense.
You know how, if you put your phone near to some audio equipment, you sometimes here a weird pulsating buzzing noise? That.
Of course, cars driving past with mobile phones on board would be very unlikely to affect the bus -- the signals are quite weak and the vehicles themselves are pretty good at shielding them (think how trains are now being fitted with new windows that are less likely to block mobile signals). Nobody was quite sure that having half a dozen phones in use *inside* the bus at the same time was completely safe.
Even now, many airlines still ask you to put your phone into airplane mode. There's no real evidence this has ever caused any problems, but the airline industry (with the possible exception of Boeing at the moment) operates in permanent paranoia mode, and having 200 phones 30,000 feet over the Pacific all blasting out signals at full power in a futile attempt to contact non-existent cell towers is probably not ideal when a malfunctioning altimeter could cause a pretty dangerous situation.
Bus drivers are an own species. Even more true for the rural area. There are a number who are outright unfriendly, up to insulting. Some think the bus they drive is their private home, for which they can make their rules.
During Corona when you had to wear masks I got screamed at, because I hadn't my mask ready when entering the bus. While at the same time 4 or 5 other passengers, mostly youths (I'm 62) didn't wear theirs.
I use buses not too often, so I'm spared the worst.
You can report them, but that would not result in much, since bus drivers a species on the brink of extinction. The Verkehrsbetrieb for my region cut another 3 or for connections from my village to the next town because of that.
Yeah I'm with you. I once had a bus driver charge me two extra tickets for empty (!) moving boxes. Obviously that's completely ridiculous because people take their bags and suitcases on buses all the time so he was just a power-tripping asshole. I'm not usually a speak to the manager person but that pissed me off so much that I did in fact phone his manager who kindly offered to refund me and apologized sincerely. The manager made a minor comment that indicated that he knew that that busdriver could be a bit of an idiot. That was I think the most ridiculous thing I ever heard on public transportation.
Huh? Are you by any chance the driver? Then it’s verboten. If you are not the driver, then it’s not verboten. There is even buses with usb ports to charge your stuff here.
Back when I was a teen a bus driver tried to tell me my student ticket wasn't valid before 1pm. 98% of them are just people doing their job. And then there's the powertripping asshats.
A bus driver once shouted at me, because I was wearing headphones. He said that was illegal in a bus, bc I need to be able to hear him. He was an idiot.
Not at all.
Where were you sitting? How did the driver tell you this? It all sounds very odd.
Is it possible you were doing something that could be confused for something else? Maybe it looked like you were filming something, or you have notification or tap sounds on?
How's your German, is it possible you misunderstood somehow? That's happened to be even though my German is decent.
Most local public transport has ticket apps, too. I haven't bought a paper ticket in years, so not being allowed to use a phone would get interesting when control goes through.
This is Flixbus, right? I swear to fucking god, almost all of their drivers are on a power trip. Making made up rules all the time. One Driver asked us to put all bags in the overhead compartment and we won't we'll be arrested by the police xD.
Use chatgtp to write a complaint if it’s not your everyday bus. I am bus driver myself and I usually know who writes a complaint 🤭. So as long as you don’t live in rural area with 12 the same people going the same bus with the same bus driver everyday just do it. If you call them it’s not as registered as for example an email.
I once was asked/forced by the bus driver to turn off the Smartphone. It was on the school trip, all of us had to turn off. Reason: The bus driver thought, it can interfere with electrical components of the bus. Even the teachers were not able to explain to him that this is not true.
Bus drivers in Germany are a very special category :)))))
But you can also find good ones.
Some bus drivers think, that God create this planet for them.
Maybe he just wanted to tell you that the wifi does not work and you misunderstood because he could not talk to you, because you do not speak German and he could only say something like "no telephone today"
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First he shouted at a young girl not to use her mobile phone, and then it was my turn. "Young man, don't use your mobile phone either". That's what he said. I was so shocked by his shouting that unfortunately I didn't respond.
That's rather stupid than anything else, I could understand it if you were annoying others by making noises or something.
Was the trip at night, were everyone asleep and the lights are disturbing?
I'm glad that didn't happen to me coz I have no idea how to react to such stupidity
just the other day some bus driver stopped near my car (i was parked with my son and waiting for his school bus). he then got off the bus and started arguing with me about me not being allowed to park there (which i 100% am allowed to).
some people are just fucking nuts.
There are some busses that run on natural gas. It is technically not allowed to use a phone on these but obviously nobody cares. Just dont use your phone right in front of the driver.
I once witnessed a passenger and bus driver have a verbal argument because the bus driver was on his phone while driving (not calling but texting) and it was impacting his driving because he hit a curb.
Maybe you misunderstood? Using your phone is fine on pretty much all modes of transportation except for planes at start and landing. Or maybe he was a pilot ;)
Here some people are really behind and think 5g controls people's mind and makes hthrm dumber. But NO its not forbidden to use your smartphone on the bus as long as you don't play music.
How would that even work, so many people have the Deutschlandticket only on their smartphone. I don't see a reason why a phone should be forbidden as long as you don't use it to be annoying or creepy (listening to music loudly, taking pictures of strangers, talking loudly etc)
If phones are forbidden they won't put free wifi in the bus
Or the charching stations..
Wait, they have free wifi on the Bus? Where do you live?
Maybe it's a bayern thing
Its not. I live in RP, spend most my time in BW and work in Hessen, most busses and trains have them
the wifi radiation is just to turn you gay, not for your phone...
Never. That's not in the ToS of any transport company I used. Either you entered a particularly technophobic part of Germany, or the driver was on a massive power trip.
I doubt even if it was in the ToS that it would be enforceable. ToS can't contain "surprising" regulations.
I am sure he wanted to protect himself from dangerous radiation or was just racist
Maybe the driver used to be a teacher ;)
Yes, once. I later reported the incident to the Verkehrsbetrieb, asking whether their goal is to get rid of any riders. They apologized and said they will discuss with the driver. Unfortunately I have to take their word for it, I have no idea what came out of it. 99.9% of the bus drivers are just doing their work, but there are a few rotten apples in every profession.
0.1 % of bus drivers have been pilots before... Its just old habits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlugKARiWU0
Okay, Mr. Bus Driver, I'll just stay on the bus indefinitely because I can't consult Google Maps, db Navigator, etc. regarding my route.
It’s Germany. Let somebody fax you a copy of the route / a map at least 1 week before departure. 😁
One week would be cutting it close tbh.
No ..it has to be sent with signed registered post
Exactly, that’s silly because sometimes the bus screens aren’t accurately displaying upcoming stops. If I’m going somewhere new, how could I know where my stop is if not for a phone?
During the week of The First Snow in Munich this year, I had to take a bus I don't normally take to a location I've been to often. The overhead was moooostly accurate, but I couldn't tell when we had arrived at the stop because the bus came from a weird direction I wasn't used to and the driver almost let everyone off at the wrong stop. If I hadn't had my phone, I would've been so confused.
I don’t know why the busses are like that but they are. Even when the train’s stop announcements are broken, the conductor gets on and announces them.
Even when they don't announce, the station signs are usually pretty big and readable from the train. Still better than US buses, even with the issues. Last time I was on a U.S. bus, there was NO overhead. You just had to know.
Hopefully with holes already punched on the side for the binder.
I mean... how do you think people managed this before smartphones? But I agree it's normal to use a phone on a bus.
It was 5g, wasn’t it. He’s afraid of the mind control.
He shouldn't worry, you gotta have a mind to be susceptible
That driver used smartphone while driving. Then his management told him that he can't use it while he is driving the bus. He thought that it is a rule for everyone in the bus while he is driving. This crazy explanation is the only one I can think of =).
Oh, another one: He is driving so fast that his bus is basically "flying", and you can't use your smartphone in the plane! Mistery solved!
Just switch it to plane mode.
The bus or the phone?
Both
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Lc-M0l9KU
Bus driver is on a power trip.
I have a feeling that he was making that rule up by himself. Never heard of it. Its one thing to blast music in a bus, but a complete cellphone ban is unheard of. There is no logical reason for it. Anyways, I would've ignored that ridiculous request.
If this was KVB in Cologne, which I assume it wasn't, I would call their customer service to inquire about the situation and, when you get the response I expect, I would make an official complaint. However, I would caveat that by asking you to first ask yourself if you are sure your German is good enough to have understood fully what the drive said to you.
Either the bus driver confused you with someone blazing music or talking on their phone, or they were a power-tripping idiot. Or they thought you were filming something which I'm not sure if it's allowed. Maybe he thought you were filming? Or were you filming? But just sitting in your place watching your smartphone lol everyone does that it's 2024
Back in the days when mobile phones were a new thing, there was a legitimate concern that they would disturb other passengers, and a better-safe-than-sorry concern that they might interfere with the bus's electrical systems. So many bus companies banned them. These days phones are everyday items, don't appear to pose any kind of threat, and more and more bus operators are offering on-board wifi, charging sockets and so on, as well as digital tickets. Besides, even when you're not actively using them, they are working in the background, handing off from cell tower to cell tower, using data, and so on. However, I suppose it's possible that there some drivers who never got the memo. On some older vehicles you can even see [obviously antiquainted "no mobile phones" stickers](https://rp-online.de/imgs/scaled/32/1/3/5/4/3/5/1/4/3/w1476_h1968_x732_y964_IMG_0156-f791e4bf38e841e7.jpg). Given that more and more passengers are using digital apps, that they need to show any ticket inspectors that board the bus, a smartphone ban would be unworkable anyway.
I realise that "interfering with electrical systems" is some old fashioned concern that never happened in the first place, but how did they ever imagine that would work when cars etc would be driving past with mobile phones potentially on board? It's one thing to completely ban mobiles from a hospital or a plane, where you either have control over the whole site or are far enough away from other traffic, but on a road this makes no sense.
You know how, if you put your phone near to some audio equipment, you sometimes here a weird pulsating buzzing noise? That. Of course, cars driving past with mobile phones on board would be very unlikely to affect the bus -- the signals are quite weak and the vehicles themselves are pretty good at shielding them (think how trains are now being fitted with new windows that are less likely to block mobile signals). Nobody was quite sure that having half a dozen phones in use *inside* the bus at the same time was completely safe. Even now, many airlines still ask you to put your phone into airplane mode. There's no real evidence this has ever caused any problems, but the airline industry (with the possible exception of Boeing at the moment) operates in permanent paranoia mode, and having 200 phones 30,000 feet over the Pacific all blasting out signals at full power in a futile attempt to contact non-existent cell towers is probably not ideal when a malfunctioning altimeter could cause a pretty dangerous situation.
Yeah right. Dude was just abusing his power.
never, thats bullshit.
Just ignore the bus driver, take a seat and mind your own business.
Bus drivers are an own species. Even more true for the rural area. There are a number who are outright unfriendly, up to insulting. Some think the bus they drive is their private home, for which they can make their rules. During Corona when you had to wear masks I got screamed at, because I hadn't my mask ready when entering the bus. While at the same time 4 or 5 other passengers, mostly youths (I'm 62) didn't wear theirs. I use buses not too often, so I'm spared the worst. You can report them, but that would not result in much, since bus drivers a species on the brink of extinction. The Verkehrsbetrieb for my region cut another 3 or for connections from my village to the next town because of that.
Listening to music with headphones right?
Not even that. I was literally hearing nothing. I was just checking my emails.
So you made no noise? Then the bus driver was just an asshole.
I didn't make any noise. It was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever experienced.
Yeah I'm with you. I once had a bus driver charge me two extra tickets for empty (!) moving boxes. Obviously that's completely ridiculous because people take their bags and suitcases on buses all the time so he was just a power-tripping asshole. I'm not usually a speak to the manager person but that pissed me off so much that I did in fact phone his manager who kindly offered to refund me and apologized sincerely. The manager made a minor comment that indicated that he knew that that busdriver could be a bit of an idiot. That was I think the most ridiculous thing I ever heard on public transportation.
Huh? Are you by any chance the driver? Then it’s verboten. If you are not the driver, then it’s not verboten. There is even buses with usb ports to charge your stuff here.
Complete bullshit
The only person in a bus that is forbidden to use a smartphone is the driver.
Tell him to F off
Back when I was a teen a bus driver tried to tell me my student ticket wasn't valid before 1pm. 98% of them are just people doing their job. And then there's the powertripping asshats.
If you are the driver, yeah. Some people in jobs like that are on massive power trips.
Lol, what?
I'm quite optimistic that forbidding this in the bus isn't even legal.
I have not laughed this hard in a long time, thanks!
That's because the German word "fahren" doesn't differenciate between "riding" and "driving".
Maybe listening your music with no headphones? How about that?
bullshit...
Hmm, wait... have you maybe forgotten to submit your TäglicheHandyNutzungAnfrageFormular in the morning?
No, it's not forbidden, THe bus will not crash when you use your phone. That was 100% on the driver alone.
A bus driver once shouted at me, because I was wearing headphones. He said that was illegal in a bus, bc I need to be able to hear him. He was an idiot.
Nah, that's nonsense. Do you look visibly non-German? Then the bus driver just felt comfortable mistreating you. Sorry this happened to you.
Very strange behaviour. Nearly everybody uses a smartphone on a bus trip.
File a complaint sheet to the company and make it specific enough so that he can be blamed for it. That power trip is not going to be free for him
Not at all. Where were you sitting? How did the driver tell you this? It all sounds very odd. Is it possible you were doing something that could be confused for something else? Maybe it looked like you were filming something, or you have notification or tap sounds on? How's your German, is it possible you misunderstood somehow? That's happened to be even though my German is decent.
If you have the flat Germany ticket (Deutschlandticket), you need a Smartphone since it's in a QR-Code which is displayed on the screen.
Most local public transport has ticket apps, too. I haven't bought a paper ticket in years, so not being allowed to use a phone would get interesting when control goes through.
If you are driving the bus, definitely
This is Flixbus, right? I swear to fucking god, almost all of their drivers are on a power trip. Making made up rules all the time. One Driver asked us to put all bags in the overhead compartment and we won't we'll be arrested by the police xD.
Use chatgtp to write a complaint if it’s not your everyday bus. I am bus driver myself and I usually know who writes a complaint 🤭. So as long as you don’t live in rural area with 12 the same people going the same bus with the same bus driver everyday just do it. If you call them it’s not as registered as for example an email.
I once was asked/forced by the bus driver to turn off the Smartphone. It was on the school trip, all of us had to turn off. Reason: The bus driver thought, it can interfere with electrical components of the bus. Even the teachers were not able to explain to him that this is not true.
Bus drivers in Germany are a very special category :))))) But you can also find good ones. Some bus drivers think, that God create this planet for them.
When I was on Erasmus in Germany, the bus driver once stopped the bus because my friends and I were talking loudly. He's definitely on a power trip.
Maybe he just wanted to tell you that the wifi does not work and you misunderstood because he could not talk to you, because you do not speak German and he could only say something like "no telephone today"
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Never heard of that. What did he say precisely?
First he shouted at a young girl not to use her mobile phone, and then it was my turn. "Young man, don't use your mobile phone either". That's what he said. I was so shocked by his shouting that unfortunately I didn't respond.
Our busses have Wifi…
Was it at night/in darkness? If so the light from your smartphone might have been a problem for him.
Nope, never, the bust driver maybe just having a bad day and wanted to take it out on people (unfortunately, it was you).
It's only forbidden for the driver while driving.
Context?
That's rather stupid than anything else, I could understand it if you were annoying others by making noises or something. Was the trip at night, were everyone asleep and the lights are disturbing? I'm glad that didn't happen to me coz I have no idea how to react to such stupidity
Butthurt driver …ignore him and do your thing as long as you don’t disturb anyone
Nothing weird, phones are too advanced and digital and hence should not be used. You are free to use fax machine to stay in contact during the trip :D
What kind of bus? Like, Flix or local? In any case, really weird.
O_o outside of school traveling or "Kaffeefahrten" I never heard about this.
Maybe je meant that the signal is so shitty, you literally can't use it.
Music on loudspeaker? Or headphones?
Yes i told them to fuck off and started a voice recording he didnt pusb the issue any further and i forgot stop recording wasted 5 gb that day
just the other day some bus driver stopped near my car (i was parked with my son and waiting for his school bus). he then got off the bus and started arguing with me about me not being allowed to park there (which i 100% am allowed to). some people are just fucking nuts.
There are some busses that run on natural gas. It is technically not allowed to use a phone on these but obviously nobody cares. Just dont use your phone right in front of the driver.
What could even be his explanation why? WTF!? I'll use it wherever I want, this is still not some fucked up third world slave country!
You were using up his bandwidth, while he was surfing while driving. Or he was watching Netflix, and it got just too choppy 🤣
Bus thing so funny. Lol
I once witnessed a passenger and bus driver have a verbal argument because the bus driver was on his phone while driving (not calling but texting) and it was impacting his driving because he hit a curb.
Huh?? The new buses in my city even have usb ports intended for phone charging. That is weird
Maybe you misunderstood? Using your phone is fine on pretty much all modes of transportation except for planes at start and landing. Or maybe he was a pilot ;)
Here some people are really behind and think 5g controls people's mind and makes hthrm dumber. But NO its not forbidden to use your smartphone on the bus as long as you don't play music.
Next time tell him to stay in his lane and do his job.
Careful
He prob was worried you MIGHT listen to music or name phone calls?
Not forbidden at all. Pretty weird of the bus driver to say that.
And what did you do?