Although the feature has been a part of the game for quite some time, many seasoned and new players are unfamiliar with how to thank the bus driver in Fortnite. While it does not provide any special buff or bonus to you while you are playing your match, it is still a nice gesture to thank the mysterious figure that takes you on all your journeys each match!
When you are looking for your perfect spot to drop in Fortnite, you might have noticed the brigade of chat messages listing off all the people in the lobby who are thanking the bus driver. While obviously not a requirement, in every match, several people are always thanking the bus driver. While there is no specific cause, it’s a nice gesture to thank the faceless figure who takes you to your battles. If you have never done this before, you may be curious about how it’s done. Well, here is a quick rundown of the bus driver and how to thank them!
Believe it or not, thanking the bus driver has not been around for the entirety of Fortnite’s life. Thanking the bus driver was added to the game in Season 5, along with many features like the addition of Paradise Palms, Lazy Links, and the Viking Village. Several weapons and other features were introduced at this time too, like the Heavy Sniper, Double Barrel Shotgun, and Golf Carts. While all these additions to the map were nice, only one has stood the test of time: thanking the bus driver. Unfortunately, all the other features (besides the occasional un-vaulting of certain weapons) were left once the original Fortnite map was replaced in Chapter 2. Perhaps they will return with another Fortnite OG event in the future.
While the identity of the bus driver is unknown, there are generally some clues as to who it could be. Dialogues with NPCs reveal that the bus driver may be older with the one rare quest given by Farmer Steel in Chapter 2: Season 6, where he says, “Respect yer elders, whippersnapper.” Then, after you thank the bus driver, going back to him, he will respond, “See? Was that so hard?”.
Besides being a polite thing to do, there is some benefit to thanking the bus driver when you are given the chance before you hop out of the Battle Bus. Specifically, there are quests that require you to thank the bus driver a number of times, depending on what kind of quest it is. If it is a daily or weekly quest, you may only need to do it once or a few times to get your reward. However, there are instances where there are milestones that will require you to thank the bus driver a larger number of times to receive your prize. Either way, it is an easy way to get some free XP, so make sure you keep an eye out for any quests that may require you to thank the bus driver!
Now, for the moment you have all been waiting for, what is the secret to thanking the bus driver? Well, it’s a lot simpler than you might think! Depending on what platform you are playing the game on, simply pressing your keybind, which would normally pull up your emote wheel, while you are still on the Battle Bus will cause you to thank the bus driver. On keyboard and mouse, the default binding is the B key; however, depending on what you use to play the game, it may be different. Make sure you go into your settings menu to check what you have as your “Emote” key or controller bind.
While it is not a requirement to play the game, thanking the bus driver is a nice little feature that was added to the game a while ago that players still seem to enjoy doing. It’s a fun little feature that can give you a positive boost before your match. Whether it is for a quest or just something you happen to feel like doing before you hop out of the Battle Bus, you now know how to show your appreciation.
