Hi everyone, this might sound odd but something strange happened during my visit to Milton Keynes, and I’d like to know if I did something wrong or if it was just a misunderstanding.

I’m here for work (I live in Austria) and I’m new to UK public transport. I wanted to take a bus from the train station to the Cross Keys pub. When I got on, the driver asked where I was going. I assumed it was because of different fares, so I said “to Pattinson Lane please,” since that was the stop shown on Google Maps.

To my surprise, he replied “this is not the bus.” I double-checked and confirmed Pattinson Lane was on the route, so I tried showing him on my phone. He snapped back “don’t show me a cellphone screen!” which felt rude and confusing.

He kept pressing me for my destination. I tried “Cross Keys pub,” but he either didn’t know it or said it wasn’t on the way (I can’t remember exactly). I asked if I needed a code for the stop or if I should say how many stops I needed, and he just said something like “just tell me where you are going, is it in Milton Keynes?” Then another passenger said the pub was in another town—even though my map clearly showed it in Milton Keynes.

By this point I was frustrated. The bus seemed late, and I didn’t want to hold people up. I almost gave up, but then a lady reassured me I was on the right bus. The driver finally sold me a £2.50 ticket. Sure enough, we arrived at Pattinson Lane as my map showed.

So… what happened here? Did I handle it wrong? Do drivers not usually know the stop names? I’ll likely be back for work next year and would really like to avoid this kind of situation.

Thanks a lot!