"Get out (of)" Vs "get off" the train / taxi / bus

Question

Imagine a foreigner or someone who's not familiar with the urban transportation routes is taking a path and gonna ask you about a particular station. (There is no any map around and he /she has gotten confused.) They ask:

• How many stations are left to the (e.g.) XXX Park station?

You say:

• Do not worry, I’ll tell you where to............

a) get off

b) get out

Which choice is more correct?

For me, the choice 'b' is the one I should pick up. If not, then please explain me why?

Meanwhile I would be thankful if you could let me about a train and a taxi too. Does the type of the vehicle make any difference in this choice?

Answer 1

While "get off" is certainly the more common answer, "get out" is not necessarily wrong. I've used it many times to describe exiting a train:

Please excuse me, I get out at the next stop/station.

The use of "get out" can contain some nuance, however. You can "get out" of any enclosed space, so using this for something like a plane emphasizes that it is, essentially, a flying metal tube with you stuck inside. So there can a feeling of urgency due to claustrophobia or motion sickness.

If in doubt, use "get off" for trains, planes, boats, buses, and metro/subway cars. "Get out" is for an automobile, taxi, or truck.

Answer 2

It is a little tricky to learn the correct use of verbs for transport situations. Thankfully, they come in pairs and can normally be worked out by the preposition we use to describe when you are in/on a particular method of transport.

You get in / get out of a car/taxi - so to describe where you are: "I'm in the car"

You get on / get off a plane/train/boat/bus/ferry/horse/motorbike - so to describe where you are: "I'm on the plane"

So in answer to your specific question, 'a' is the right option, and 'b' would definitely sound wrong to me.

Answer 3

I am not a native speaker.

my English is very weak.

i was browsing the question and i saw the answers and i thought for a while. i analyzed the answers.

this is just what i think: (use as a trick to remember)

(after all there should be a reason why they sometimes use "get on/off" and sometime "get in/out (of)") (think yourself as a passenger)

If the vehicle is large and big you will use "get on/get off". now the confusion is what i mean by large vehicle. well it means a vehicle that contains many passengers and have many seats. (not helpful right?) :P but i have just started it.

If you can walk inside the vehicle (to get to your seat) you will use "get on/get off".

it is simple if you can walk inside the vehicle (to get to your seat) then obviously it is large.

to make more sense if you can walk inside the vehicle (to get to your seat) then there is enough surface inside the vehicle. (it takes steps to get to your seat inside the vehicles and you are walking to your seat actually)

and what do we use for the surface? "on" ( get on the surface) so plane/train/boat/bus/ are treated like a surface. (because there is enough surface to walk to get to the seats)

if you walk to your seat from the Entrance (the door) of the vehicle then you " get on/off". (it takes time to get to your seat)

while in the case of texi/car the seats are close to the door (so you can get to the seats in just one step and i have never seen anyone walking inside a texi/car to get to the seats) so such small vehicles are just like a tent. so we use " get in/out (of)"

so if you get to the seat without any walking (inside the vehicle) then you just use " get in/out (of)".

horse, motorbike (obviously you can't say "get in the horse" or "get in the bike") so just use "get on/off" for animals motorbikes etc.

This is just my theory :P like i already said there must be a reason.