The Edinburgh Omnibus

[Hibee]

The first omnibus was introduced to Edinburgh in 1833. Here are some "rules" for its use, as suggested by The Scotsman newspaper.

Being seated, keep your knees together. If you don't, you thereby occupy the space of two people.
Besides, it is a very unpicturesque attitude, and displays a sesquepedality of paunch to great disadvantage.

Never stare the women out of countenance. If you must stare, stare at a man.

Don't intrude your talk upon those who don't want it.

Don't bring brown paper parcels with you into an omnibus, nor bundles of any sort. An omnibus is not a van.

Never turn up your nose at your fellow passengers, but whenever you feel your gorge rising at their humble condition, recollect that they pay the same fare as you do.

Don't spit upon the straw - and take care never to blow your nose with such energy as to startle your fellow travellers.

When you are about to alight, have your money ready in the exact coin; the conductor is not a banker, that he should give you change.

Hibee

[Currie]

Great story Hibee,

When I was a kid we didn’t have the luxury of straw on the floor of our omnibuses.

If you’re not allowed to spit upon the straw what’s the point of having it, unless it’s a reserve of fuel in case the horses got hungry.

Do you get the impression that they are instructions for a man? I wonder what they were for a lady, or maybe one of those wasn’t allowed on board.

I looked up ‘sesquepedality’ and it seems it’s something to do with using long words.

All the best,
Alan

[AndrewP]

There was no straw on the floor by the time I was first travelling on Ediburgh buses (40+ years back). There was one piece of terminology that I recall that was commonly used which harked back to an earlier type of bus (or trram). On getting on the bus, would we go "inside" or "upstairs"? I presume that dates back to an earlier time when upstairs was outside (open-topped bus or tram). Of course, my brother and I, as young lads, always want what we regarded as the best seats on the bus - front seats upstairs.

All the best,

AndrewP

[nelmit]

There was no straw on the floor by the time I was first travelling on Ediburgh buses (40+ years back). There was one piece of terminology that I recall that was commonly used which harked back to an earlier type of bus (or trram). On getting on the bus, would we go "inside" or "upstairs"? I presume that dates back to an earlier time when upstairs was outside (open-topped bus or tram). Of course, my brother and I, as young lads, always want what we regarded as the best seats on the bus - front seats upstairs.

All the best,

AndrewP

Didn't we all

Regards,
Annette

[Russell]

Edinburgh trams were best. \if you managed to bag the front seats you could slide over the door to the main part of the tram and be king of your own kingdom
Russell