The polite phrase car drivers can use to help make public transport better

[If you are unable to view this message correctly, click here]( [stuff header]( Hi {NAME}, “Please let the bus go” is one of those polite British public transport phrases, like the [London Underground’s]( “Mind the Gap” announcements. Spend a bit of time sitting in[buses in Auckland]( trying to rejoin traffic from a bus stop, and you'll see car after car barge or squeeze past, rather than slow for 5-10 seconds. The phrase used to be plastered on the back or right rear corner of British buses, an idea adopted here in the 1950s and 1960s when we followed the leads of the “old country”. With increasing [congestion]( and pressure on bus services due to a [driver shortage]( it seems like the time to try to introduce one of the cheapest - but also potentially most behaviour changing - ideas to improve bus priority. There are potential benefits to politely asking motorists to make a choice in favour of a busload of passengers. Many may respond better to making that choice themselves, and in making that simple choice it might start a thought process about how cars and driving are not the supreme form of transport. And once that idea becomes more widely held, other necessary changes might be easier to make. If asking nicely sounds naive, there is also the legislation approach. However that has been in train for about six years, with the idea being part of the [Accessible Streets]( bundle of reforms, still with the Minister of Transport, and may happen next year at best, if at all. Research conducted for Waka Kotahi in 2017 found a collective 30 hours a week in bus travel time could be saved if all motorists obeyed a “Let the bus go first” law. The Benefit Cost Ratio - yes there is one - was a healthy 4.5, slightly less if the signs on buses were in costlier LED illumination, rather than the time-honoured sticker. Or [Auckland Transport]( could just put the stickers on, do a bit of advertising and media, and see whether Aucklanders choose to get on board, or perhaps more appropriately, get in behind. [user profile pic] Todd Niall Senior Stuff Journalist [See more Auckland news]( [Privacy Info]( [Privacy Info]( [Watch this video now] 400 Auckland residents slapped with big water bill due to meter reading error Hundreds of Aucklanders have been hit with an unusually [high water bill]( after a staffing issue at the company contracted to read [water meters.]( Gulf Harbour resident Derek Marshall​ was surprised to receive a $254 water bill in November, accompanied by a letter to say his family was using too much water. A graph on his bill suggested his average daily usage was over 1800 litres, compared to about 400 litres in the two months prior. [Read More]( [Privacy Info]( More Auckland stories you might have missed [Article Image] Auckland's volcanic hazard areas might be underestimated, research finds [Read more button]( [Article Image] Speed limits drop on 90% of Waiheke roads, but will they be enforced? [Read more button]( [Article Image] Culture Calendar: What's on in Auckland this December [Read more button]( [Article Image] Aotearoa's first Deaf marae celebrates 30 years of empowering Turi Māori [Read more button]( [Support Stuff]( [Discover more Auckland news at Stuf]( You are receiving this email because you are opted in to receive the Your Auckland newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( [Manage your profile]( [Privacy Policy]( Did a friend forward you this email? [Sign up to get Your Auckland in your inbox]( Stuff, 4 Williamson Ave, Ponsonby, Auckland, 1021, New Zealand