what to ask for on the bus?

genuinely unsure if i have somehow missed a very crucial memo, but i’ve always asked for a “single ticket” on a bus with no issues until the past few months.

today i asked for a single ticket and the driver asked me to clarify what i meant. i specified a one way ticket into town and he said he hadn’t heard anyone ask for that before (?) and where exactly in town i was going before selecting a ticket type (which says “adult single” on it, so they do exist!!) for a whole £2.80! extortionate. the entire time he looked incredibly confused and, as a gen z girl who hates social interaction, i felt bad for making his job a little harder than it needed to be and for holding up the queue.

i’ve tried to do tap on tap off before but the driver has asked me what ticket type i want and when i said the new tap on tap off, he just printed me a single ticket anyway. other times, they say they don’t do tickets at all and it’s only tap on tap off. i am extraordinarily confused lol