# "In the bus" vs "on the bus"? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444 "2023-07-01T16:36:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YoshiMoshi3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8dc957/32.png) [@YoshiMoshi3](https://community.cartalk.com/u/YoshiMoshi3)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/1 "2023-07-01T16:36:08Z")
If you take a bus somewhere, do you say “I’m on the bus” or “I’m in the bus”? Which is more proper? While you drive a car, most people say they are “in the car” and not “on the car”, but when it’s a bus some say “on the bus”. “On the car” some people would think your like sitting on top of it. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/2 "2023-07-01T17:37:48Z")
I would say on the bus, I don’t live on whatever Street, I live next to it! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/3 "2023-07-01T18:30:34Z")
You are not on top of the bus usually, so you would be in the bus. My English teacher wife would say putting gas on the car because her whole family said that on the farm. It took a while telling her not to put gas on my fresh wax, but then quit putting gas in at all and I have to do it. I just say I’m going to get gas which usually is try depending on what I ate, or et as my grandmother would say. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/4 "2023-07-01T20:23:18Z")
I have always said and heard in the car and on the ship, train or bus. A ship, train or bus, you board, a car, you get in. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 10:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/5 "2023-07-01T22:46:48Z")
> [@oldtimer-11](#): > > I have always said and heard in the car and on the ship, train or bus. That’s what I’ve always used as well. “On the bus, in the car”. No logical rhyme or reason, just what I’m used to . I had a co-worker friend, immigrant from Taiwan, he’d ask me these sorts of questions. He pointed out never-ending examples of illogical word usage in common English. The best I could say in the way of an explanation usually was: “common idiomatic usage”. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/6 "2023-07-01T23:06:47Z")
I go back to the twilight zone where there was a guy on the plane not in it. But heh, as usual here just pick the answer you want. There is no right or wrong. Everyone gets 100%. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/7 "2023-07-02T01:20:43Z")
I found this… 🤷‍♂️ _Generally, if you are telling someone you are going somewhere by bus, then you are “on” the bus , that’s the correct usage. There are some cases where you might say in the bus, inside as opposed to outside, but generally you would say you are riding on the bus. It’s a nuance of the English language._ and ``` There is someone IN my bed. There is a book ON my bed. ``` _EXCEPTIONS Now let’s turn to the exceptions…_ _Although we use in with cars, use on for larger vehicles, like planes, trains, and buses (“They have wifi ON the plane”)._ [When to use "in" and "on" | Britannica Dictionary](https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/When-to-use-prepositions-in-and-on#:~:text=Although%20we%20use%20in%20with,wifi%20ON%20the%20plane%E2%80%9D)). ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/8 "2023-07-02T01:27:22Z")
We made you look anyway. Ran across the cartoon today with the husband telling the wife she has been correcting him for 30 years. The wife said 31. Wife didn’t think it was funny. Now that I I think about it, one of my supervisors had an employee that argued a lot. When he talked to him about how much he argued, he said no I don’t. Banging head against wall. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/9 "2023-07-02T14:04:49Z")
Depends on where you live. It could be both at the same time- ![istockphoto-1157505652-612x612](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/f/d/fd5143bd1604944d12e6c896e7943e7cd7c02952.jpeg) 😆 ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 2:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/10 "2023-07-02T14:07:44Z")
> [@bing](#): > > When he talked to him about how much he argued, he said no I don’t. Your story reminded me of this one: ![Capture](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/8/c/8ceacff7b87723577e0e019259be4f70445816ed.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/in-the-bus-vs-on-the-bus/191444/11 "2023-07-02T15:52:47Z")
That bus is a hybrid. They have an alternate energy source if they need it.