I was riding a car.

[Arctica1982]

I was riding a bus.

Can we say the same about cars ( I was on the passenger seat) ? I was riding a car.

 

[Rover_KE]

I wouldn't say 'I was riding a bus'.

I'd say 'I was riding in a bus/in a car'.

 

[Arctica1982]

If we use it in the past simple,then it should be:
I rode a bus (without any preposition) / I rode in a car ?

 

[Grumpy]

I seem to recall that North Americans do tend to talk about "riding" buses. I don't think one can become a fully-fledged Blues Singer until one has ridden a Greyhound Bus somewhere...

PS: They also ride trains. Must be the Cowboy in them.

 

[Barb_D]

We do ride buses and trains.
We also take buses and trains.
And we have no problem with riding in them, too.

However, "riding a car" sound like you're standing on the roof riding it like a surfboard.

(If you surf, do you "ride the wave" in the UK?)

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

Since 'to ride' means to sit on and control something, a surfer does ride a wave, just as one would ride a bike.

Also, I suppose you could 'ride a car' if it's a railway carriage.

 

[Barb_D]

It doesn't mean 'and control something' here.
Do you "ride the rollercoaster"?

 

[emsr2d2]

We rarely use "ride" for anything except bicycles, motorbikes and horses.

I go on a rollercoaster.

 

[Barb_D]

We'd say "Have you ridden Millennium at Cedar Point?" for roller coasters.

 

[emsr2d2]

And we'd say "Have you ever been on Nemesis at Alton Towers?"

I really want to go on Nemesis.
Shall we go on Nemesis?
I wanted to go on Nemesis but the queue was too long.
We went on The Twister and then we went on Nemesis.
Hurrah! I've finally been on Nemesis!

I have no idea why we don't say "I've finally gone on Nemesis". It's the only tense where we suddenly use "to be", not "to go". Hmmmmm.

 

[Tdol]

Can we say the same about cars ( I was on the passenger seat) ? I was riding a car.

I wouldn't.

BTW I would say in the passenger seat.

 

[SoothingDave]

I seem to recall that North Americans do tend to talk about "riding" buses. I don't think one can become a fully-fledged Blues Singer until one has ridden a Greyhound Bus somewhere...

Or born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus rolling down Highway 41.