Who are the unfriendliest workers in the country?

Chances are it was the latter - bus and train drivers have just been named the unfriendliest workers in the country.

But if you’ve borne the brunt of a less than jovial journey on public transport, why not stop off for a drink to cheer yourself up – pub landlords are apparently among the cheeriest workers out there, beaten only by postmen in the poll by Guinness.

The 2,000 people questioned were also asked about the unfriendliest celebrities, with acid-tongued Simon Cowell and Lord Sugar topping the list, while Dancing on Ice and This Morning presenting duo Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield were named as the friendliest.

But are bus and train drivers getting a bad press?

Vanessa Knowling, a Yellow Buses driver who won the company’s You’re a Star award last month for the way she treats her customers, certainly thinks so.

“I will sit there with my doors open welcoming people on and you can hear people whisper ‘it’s the friendly bus driver’,” she said.

“I always say ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ or ‘good evening’ and I think that’s a start. And I always say ‘goodbye’ and ‘thank you’.”

Vanessa spent 15 years working in the hotel industry and has brought her customer service experience with her to Yellow Buses.

“It also goes back to when I was in training school,” she added.

“We were told if an elderly person goes out in the day, you might be the only person that they speak to. But what you see with me is what you get - I couldn’t sit there and just not say anything,” she explained.

When it comes to the friendliest professions, Sophie Chiles, landlady of the Pig and Whistle pub in Westbourne, said she wasn’t surprised that pub landlords were one of those topping the poll.

But she insisted it was the customers too, who made for a welcoming atmosphere.

“Our pub has got such a friendly vibe, mainly because it’s a local pub so there’s a lot of regulars that come in here.

“You make a lot of friends while you’re working behind the bar.

“It’s more than just a job, you get to see people socially as well. It’s the combination of everything coming together.

“I think if you were behind the bar and you were being rude to people that wouldn’t help.

“People come in sometimes on their own, so it’s by chance that the others are there when they come in, so you’re their first point of contact.”

But there is good news for all the Victor Meldrews out there.

Being miserable is apparently the key to a longer life, according to psychologists.

A 20-year study called the Longevity Project, carried out by American professors, found happier souls took more risks with their health such as eating a poor diet and smoking, with the most cheerful participants living shorter lives.