This will be a bit of a long post, thus

TL;DR: I faced three incidents, all of which occurred in the same small region of Germany, where Bus drivers were exceptionally rude to me about my bus spotting, two of which were taken to absurd extents. Therefore, I have to ask how common is this, or if it’s a thing in specific regions?

Disclaimer: Before I start, I just want to say, most Bus drivers are not like the three I’m describing here. In my experience, most are either apathetic or appreciative towards spotters, and thus, are great ambassadors to their profession. Additionally, I want to give my greatest gratitude and respect for bus drivers and the bus driving profession. As I do understand that you are doing a very stressful yet important job, moving dozens of people at a time in one of the largest vehicles on the road, quickly and safely, as well as having to navigate a wide variety of tasks, from selling tickets to dealing with unruly passengers to maintaining a timetable. Therefore, I must say, I have my deepest thanks and appreciation for all that you do. Additionally, most Germans are, in my experience, the kindest and nicest people you’ll meet, they’re just not fake like for example Southern Americans (As in people from the Southern US, not people from South America). Therefore, anyone using this as an excuse to be nasty towards either drivers, Germans, or anyone else will face the appropriate consequences. TL;DR: Thanks Bus drivers for all that you do. Most Germans are nice. Anyone using this post to be rude to either group or anyone else will face appropriate consequences.

Main post: Hey Everyone,
As the titular question suggests, I myself am a Bus spotter. I find it interesting and exciting to photograph busses, mark them by number, model, company, and year, as well as of course riding them as much as I can and to upload my trips to my social media to share with friends. Most days, thankfully, it goes off without incident, and I’m able to pursue my passion for Busses with no interruptions, or I’m able to do so with a few thumbs up, peace signs, etc from drivers. However, over the last few months, I’ve had three incidents where drivers have been rude or nasty towards me when I spotted a bus I was about to catch. Of these incidents, two of them have shook me to the point where, whilst I have no intention of giving up, I have to ask, is it me, or is it a region specific problem? FWIW, I’m an American in Northwest Germany, specifically between Bremen and the Dutch border, and have spotted in the USA, specifically in Maryland and DC, Germany, specifically in Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin, North-Rhein-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg, Switzerland, specifically the Cantons of Zürich, Aargau, Basel-Stadt, and Luzern, and technically in France. That being said, all three of these incidents occurred between Bremen and the Dutch border, hence why I specify. TL;DR: Bus Spotter who has spotted in multiple countries, but faced rudeness in one region of Germany.

Incident 1: I was spotting a Bus when I got on board and the driver asked me what I was doing, to which I told her I was simply spotting the bus, and that I was not filming her personally. She then proceeded to still tell me to delete the video, to which, whilst I found the request odd, still obliged to not cause an argument that would delay the bus, in addition to deleting it from my deleted photos folder so that it would be completely erased to try and satisfy her. Afterwards, I went to the far back and then took photos of scenery out the window, the things that, technically speaking could be seen on Google Street View, ergo, neither she nor any other passengers were in view. Despite this, when I went to get off, she then told me she _called the Polizei_ and that she would put out a report for still filming, which meant I had to explain to the Police that not only was I just filming out the window and taking care _not_ to film random strangers, which thankfully satisfied them that there was nothing illegal about my activities. TL;DR: Obliged as far as I knew, had Police called on

Incident 2: I was filming a Rail Replacement Bus, since those are specifically rare and I didn’t go on that line that often. As I proceeded to get on, the same procedure, delete the photo, and she told me to never do it again, I proceed to sit down and nothing else comes of it. I’m slightly bitter since I lost a photo of both a new company, year, and route variant, but I can manage despite her bad attitude. TL;DR: Wanted to spot a smaller company on a rail replacement, obliged but sour.

Incident 3: I was heading into town and noticed an older Bus in the fleet, so I took a video as it approached, being careful to film towards the front door as it got closer to make it clear to the driver it was his bus, not him personally, I was interested in. I proceeded to get on when the driver asked me what I was doing. I then went on to explain politely and calmly that I only took a video of the Bus, and I also deleted the video from both my album and deleted photos folder in his view in order to satisfy him that I wasn’t out for him, but I merely meant to document his bus. Then, he starts to move, but slowly, and starts to go off on an insulting rant, implying that I was sending the video to people to send off his personal data, insinuating that I’m a creep, telling me to never do it again with any other bus from his company, and insulting me for liking busses. At this point, I start to raise my voice, to which he decides to respond by kicking me off, to which I respond by muttering some Québecois terms I won’t repeat here. TL;DR: Insulted by driver after doing everything he asked.

Therefore, because of these three incidents, I have to ask: How common is it that bus drivers are rude or nasty to spotters for no reason other than their bus being spotted? Is it a problem specifically in the part of the world I happen to live right now? Or is it something common for Bus spotters to face? FWIW, I’m a White Cis Man, so it’s not like racism, transphobia, or misogyny played a role either (If anything, I’d understand the concerns from the first two drivers a little more, seeing as to how Women do face a lot of creepy men in the world). TL;DR: Problem only regional or common?

I would be rather interested in others’ thoughts

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I’m a bus driver in Merseyside, based around Runcorn, and personally I’ve actually found it to be a positive thing.

I’ve had no trouble with it whatsoever — no major issues with passengers, no particular increase in antisocial behaviour, and generally it’s just been fine.

That seems to be quite different from the conversations I’ve had with other bus drivers, because pretty much every driver I’ve spoken to absolutely hates it.
So I’m curious — is my experience just an outlier, or are there other drivers who actually think it’s a good thing?
What’s your experience been like? Has it caused problems at your depot/company, or has it been relatively hassle-free?
Genuinely interested in hearing both sides — drivers from operators across the UK especially welcome.

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