Get on/onto vs Get in/into

[Untaught88]

Hi,

Get on the bus.
Get off the bus.

Get in the car.
Get out of the car.

My questions:
Can't we use "get off" for car, taxi, wagon etc.?
When we use 'get onto' or 'get into'? Do 'get on/onto' and 'get in/into' have the same meaning?

 

[Peedeebee]

I always remember being taught German, and learning that you say "mit dem Bus", which literally means "with the bus".
In English we probably don't say "with the bus". We say "by bus" or " on the the bus".
But that showed me that there is a large number of idioms we use for transport, and I believe that it's hard to know which ones work, except by "just knowing".
That isn't very helpful, but here goes:
YES- by train, in the train, on the train, by plane, on the plane, by bus, on the bus, by car, in the car, on the coach, by coach, by bike, on the bike, get out of the car, on foot, get onto the bus, get on the bus, get on the plane, in the helicopter,

NO- on the car, get off the car, in the plane, with the plane, with the ship, (with the car.... it could mean, " I am taking it instead of leaving it behind"), with the bus, with bus, on train, with the train, by foot, on bike,

Hope that might be helpful!
We don't use "with" very much.
As for into/onto, you would think that might have to do with vehicles which are open air or not, but alas, I think the logical way may not always work.
I'll leave it for American English speakers to comment about their usage.