Cope With Being Alone on a Bus Ride
Nervous about sitting alone on the bus? Although thousands of people commute to school or work by bus on a daily basis without fear, there are some who need coping strategies to be alone during a bus ride. If you are one such person, don't be nervous, just read this article for help.
Contents
Steps
- Find a companion for the bus journey. Even if you don't have any friends on the bus with you, you might find that there will be someone else on their own who would like some company.
- If someone is sitting alone, ask politely if you may sit beside them.
- Strike up a conversation with someone standing alone at the bus stop, waiting with you for the same bus. Ask if you may sit beside them on the bus as the bus pulls in.
- Listen to some music. If you are allowed and feel safe doing so, bring a device which plays music. Listen to your music with earphones or headphones, at a low volume.
- Alternatively, listen to an audiobook.
- Watch the world go by. If you managed to grab a seat beside the window, take a look outside at the people and places that you are travelling past. Even a familiar place will have different people doing different things every time you pass through.
- Make a tally of the types of vehicles that pass by. It could be interesting to track the different types of number plates in the different parts of the area that you pass through.
- Watch someone on the street, or in a car passing by, intently and take in as many details as you can. Using their mannerisms, style of dress and the activity they were engaged in, spin yourself a tale about what sort of person they are and where they are going.
- Chat to a friend. Make use of your phone and text a friend. Use your free time to catch up with someone you would love to keep in touch with but are often too busy to text or call. Arrange to have a coffee together soon!
- Catch up on your emails and correspondence. If you have internet access, use your phone or laptop to catch up on your emails.
- If you don't have internet access, compose longer, more important emails in a Word document or similar.
- Catch up on paperwork, reading or notes for work or college so you can relax and enjoy a little extra free time after your commute.
- Take a nap. Long bus journeys can be tiring so power nap so you can wake up refreshed and ready to take on the world when you arrive at your stop. Set an alarm on your phone to wake you ten or fifteen minutes before you are due to arrive. Let the driver or a passenger near you know what stop you will be getting off at and ask them to give you a nudge if you sleep through your alarm.
- Strike up conversation with a stranger sitting next to you. Keep the chat light and on safe topics, like the weather and the bus journey.
- Don't worry if you don't feel like having a conversation or if the stranger doesn't seem interested in holding a conversation. Make the other person feel comfortable by saying hello and smiling but don't feel under pressure to be as entertaining and chatty as a presenter of a chat show!
- Don't feel self-conscious about travelling alone. There is nothing unusual or wrong with travelling alone, provided you make sure that you keep yourself safe throughout the journey.
Tips
- Do something non-disruptive so you won't be bored.
- If you own a phone, call or text a friend, its always good to talk to someone.
- Make sure you get off at the right stop!
- Read a new book, or one you just haven't finished! It helps the time go by fast and the characters make you feel less alone.
Warnings
- Be aware of the dangers. Traveling alone by bus can be dangerous, especially for women in countries like India.
- Watch out for shopping bags people put at their feet so you don't fall over them.
