London bus drivers' secret button that lets them shut doors as they get off

Bus drivers can't use the normal buttons they do during the day to get out
-Credit: (Image: ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Images)


Have you ever wondered how London bus drivers close the doors behind them when they get off after their shift? Well now we know the answer and no it's not pressing the normal button and hoping you don't get sandwiched in between the closing doors.

A short TikTok has dispelled the mystery in just 14 seconds revealing that there is a secret hidden button that weary drivers can press before they lock up and head home. This button is cleverly designed to have a delay before the doors shut, giving the drivers more than ample time to get out of the way of the doors and not get trapped.

The TikTok was posed by Jayziino, a small page with just over a thousand followers. But this video is by far his most popular, racking up nearly 57,000 views and over 1,000 likes.

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A voice-over on the video says: "Ever wonder how the driver closes the door after getting out? We press the button and after a few seconds it automatically closes."

This plays over a video of someone pressing the secret button which is located on the top of the door frame - a round black button that almost looks like a bolt or part of the structure. The person recording waits outside the bus, looking at the doors which duly close in a couple of seconds as the voice over said they would. The caption aptly reads: "No more wondering, now you know!"

One commenter amusingly asked: "Then how do you open it?" One joked in reply: "Climb to the top and then jump in through a hatch in the roof."

Routemaster bus headed to Marylebone and Marble Arch drive in Westminster
TikTok users cracked wise in the comment section -Credit:Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Another reported that some buses do not have this secret button and actually they do have to leg it just before the doors close when using the button normally used throughout the day. They said: "Arriva North East Pulsar 2 (usually the 59 plates) don't. The drivers have to smack the button and leg it out before the doors catch them lol."

Creator Jayziino replied: "Heard they’re getting upgrades soon," with cry laughing emojis. Another reported that Volvo buses also have a different system. They commented: "On the Volvos [the system] is you push the outside button it opens/ closes," to which Jayziino replied: "Volvos are crazyyyy with it."

One commenter warned 'someone out here will do this while the bus is driving,' but Jayziino reassured them that was 'not gonna work'.

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