If the lane is frequent enough, a 2-3 minutes delay is fine. In many European cities the schedule is not specific times but frequencies per time of the day.
Like "from 7AM to 11AM, one bus every 8 minutes". Then you have the bus app if you want to optimize further (and if you're me, miss it because of being too tight)
I meant when you're already on the vehicle mid-journey, and you just have to sit at a random stop for a while so you don't catch up to the one in front.
I get why, it just feels like your time is being wasted.
Of course, the trade-off is that next time you'll have a shorter wait to catch a bus or train because some other passengers had to sit and twiddle their thumbs for a bit
Like "from 7AM to 11AM, one bus every 8 minutes". Then you have the bus app if you want to optimize further (and if you're me, miss it because of being too tight)