Bus Drivers Banned from Using ‘Babe’

Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company has warned its drivers about calling passengers “babe” in a move to prevent lawsuits from women offended by the term. The company has also warned drivers they face being fired if they call passengers “darling” or “love”.

Signs have been posted about the matter in the company’s head offices following one complaint from a woman who said she felt insulted when she was called “babe” while boarding a bus. The signs read, “Please can drivers be aware that some of our customers may take offence at having terms such as “love”, “darling” and “babe” directed towards them. This can be seen by some as being a sexist comment, as a recent complaint has highlighted.”

One bus driver wishing to remain anonymous told reporters that this is the height of political correctness. Drivers are best at judging how to talk to customers. Brighton people don’t want robots for bus drivers, and the company is just trying to cover its own back. What’s the world coming to when workers can’t have a little friendly banter with customers? However, some people will always want to complain about everything.

Brighton & Hove buses managing director Roger French says that a woman complained to them that she considered the language used by the driver was demeaning. They take a lot of feedback from customers, so they thought they would pass this issue on to the drivers, who will understand and take it with good spirit. A spokesman also recognised that complaints like this are rare.

However, there have been moves by several councils and hospitals in the last ten years to stop their employees from using familiar terms like these. Newcastle City Council managers instructed staff in 2006 to think carefully before using terms like “hinny” and “pet when talking to women. They feared that the terms could be considered sexist. However, critics say such terms are part of the linguistic heritage of the region and that workers were simply using traditional Geordie terms of endearment.

Social anthropologist and Watching the English author Kate Fox suggests that offences are better dealt with as soon as they happen and with humour if possible. The English aren’t very good at complaining, as they talk about it with others and get themselves all worked up. Then, when a complaint is made, it’s portrayed worse than they mean. This could be what happened in this situation. She thinks the best way to deal with being called “babe” or something they don’t like is saying something humorous back to convey the message – like calling the person a “stud muffin”.

Dictionary of Contemporary Slang editor Tony Thorne says that workers are being affectionate, rather than patronising, when they use words like “flower”, “darling”, or “luvvie”. Urban sophisticates and “language hygienists” are the only people who choose to see these terms as distasteful, and they are usually under the age of 40. A momentary affection between strangers is folksy and part of a tradition in the UK. He knows people who say how much they like to hear the affectionate terms after returning to Britain following a move. However, he recognises that a woman has a right to complain if she doesn’t like terms that are directed toward her.