10 Tips for Riding London Buses
Posted by Cottontimer on 24 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: London
UK bus operator Stagecoach has created a very basic bus manual for passengers that includes tips, such as “first of all decide on what bus you need” and “signal for the driver to stop.” I’ve been riding buses in London since January 2006 so I think I’m qualified to give tips as well. Here’s what you should keep in mind when braving the London bus system.
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If you’re able-bodied, always sit in the back of the bus or on the second level of a double decker. Otherwise, you risk the wrath of senior citizens who will not hesitate to call you selfish and inconsiderate.
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If you are pushing a stroller, be sure to put the brakes on or your child may get the ride of his life!
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Buy an Oyster card to save money. It’s especially wonderful when the card reader is broken. You won’t be charged a pence but those using cash will still have to pay!
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Flag down the bus even when you shouldn’t have to at stops that are not marked “request stop.” I cannot count the number of times buses have whizzed by me when it should have been a mandatory stop on the route.
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Many double decker buses are much warmer on the second level so if you overheat easily, sit on the bottom, not on top.
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Do not count on the bus driver to tell you where to get off. Even if you’ve asked them for help, they may forget or simply not care. It’s easier to check your map to see when you’ve passed the streets in the vicinity of your destination.
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Allow yourself at least an extra 15-30 minutes when journeying on public transportation subject to traffic conditions and other situations that crop up. Like the time when we got 3/4 of the way home and our bus stalled at the stop so we had to get out and wait for the next one.
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Always bring reading/listening material.
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This is a tip from my friend Lisa – pop pain reliever before getting on to ward off any stress-induced headaches.
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If at all possible, WALK. (On the other hand, mathematicians have calculated that if both bus and walking are equally attractive, it’s better to wait for the bus.)
Got any other bus tips to share?
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My additional advice:
– avoid sitting upstairs if there’s no-one else up there when taking the night bus
- if a fight breaks out on the top deck, assume the crash position they show you on planes. this way when the people fighting fall on top of you, you suffer minimal damage.
- if you get the opportunity, especially on regularly travelled bus routes, smile and say thank you to the bus driver as you get off the bus. They deal with the crappiest people abusing them day in day out, my personal goal is to train them to be nice to me.
Oh yeah. I hate it when people get rowdy upstairs. Usually happens when school lets out. Scares the little kiddies too. Grrr.
lol @ “train them to be nice to me”
he he. sounds a like like Manila (Philippines). though I dare not walk in Manila because of the congestion and air pollution.
except for the double-decker bus. we don’t have those.
(i just asked my mother, there were double-decker buses in Manila in the 60’s!)
if I were in London, I will walk! I bit the sights are a lot better than Manila.
Gloria, I definitely recommend walking in London whenever possible!
When descending from the upper deck, hold the hand rail and watch your step ALL THE WAY DOWN.
I missed the very last of those teeny tiny corkscrew-like steps and landed with my back on the stairs even though my hand was still on the rail. Ow.
Sheila, Ouch!! The same goes with all the stairs in many of the houses in England.
[...] Ahí van los consejos de Cottontimer: [...]
Regarding #10, this is especially important if you’re with small children. We frequently take the bus from downtown Webster Groves (oh, by the way, we moved to just outside St. Louis in October) to our house, which is .7 miles. (This is usually when we’ve gotten off another bus that leaves us in downtown WG, so we’re tired from whatever activity we’ve been doing.) For me, this is about a 10-12 min. walk, so if I’m alone, I wouldn’t dream of taking the bus. But when Paul is walking and I have Marc in the stroller, it takes us a full TWENTY-FIVE minutes. Ugh.
Hi Aimee!! So nice to see you here. Stephen has classmates who are used to walking 20-30 minutes at a stretch. They put us to shame. Ah well. I’d rather have a peaceful journey on the bus with him than have him carrying on about having to walk.
Paul can walk 20-30 minutes at a stretch. It’s just that he only covers about a half-mile in that time. Yesterday he rode his bike to school, which is almost entirely downhill from our house. It took us *forever* to get home last night! It usually takes me about 15 minutes when I push them both in the bike trailer/stroller, and it took us almost 40 minutes!