I'm not so certain that he wasn't trying to swindle a few bucks out of you. I've never tipped for a bus. If that were a thing, they would make bank.
But whether or not he was, you should always keep a few bucks on you in the US. It's actually the law in some places. They can arrest your for vagrancy. Because we hate the homeless.
Yeah he was unfortunately and we didn't appreciate the comments we got having only just landed in the country.
Coming from Australia/England we have never been expected to give tips so obviously, this being our first time in America, we were pretty shocked at how people reacted if you simply don't give a tip.
In our eyes tips are out of generosity and you shouldn't be forced to give out money especially if you personally feel like the person didn't do anything to deserve it :)
That law is one I definitely don't agree with. Yes being homeless would suck but simply giving tips isn't going to change homelessness much.
LOL! Well, having money in your pocket has nothing to do with giving tips. It's a law in some places to give cops an excuse to arrest the homeless.
Well, I'm glad I live in Australia then! We don't have these ridiculous laws.