Need help riding bus

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Hello! Back in December 2011 I moved out-of-state to attend college. Back where I used to live I sometimes took the bus with very little difficulty, though I never enjoyed it. Since I moved I have been able to avoid using the bus, but that is getting increasingly harder to do. Yes, I do know how to drive and do have a drivers license, but my brother has taken my car for a undetermined amount of time, leaving me with very little in the way of transportation. Thus far I've been able to bum rides off of people, but they are getting a little annoyed with that, so I promised I would start taking the bus more often.

I'm just worried because this is a new, more populated, area, with a new bus system, new streets, and so on. I've managed to find a friend who said she would ride the bus with me for the first time, but after that I'm on my own and I'm nervous. What if somebody tries to talk to me, or blocks me in so I can't move to another seat? What if I miss the bus or miss my stop? Not to mention all the sensory stuff! I've already determined that I will bring my iPod and headphones (which I bring everywhere I go), but beyond that I've got nothing.

Does anybody have any sort of advice to help me? Has anybody ever been in this situation before?

Not sure how much this will help, since I don't know much about the bus system in your area, but .............I've found that it helps to take a copy of the bus schedule book with me, in the event that I miss a bus or it's late/doesn't show up, and need to plan a different travel time. And if you're like me and have problems with being directionally challenged, it really helps to review the route schedules you're going to most often use, and make sure you know if you need to take, for example......the north or southbound route.

Yeah, I had to ride a bus to college, two different ones to go the whole way.

Missing the bus happens, just don't miss it because you were too late to show up to where the bus stops (which is a hard mistake to make if you're worried about missing it.) If the bus breaks down or leaves without you there's not much you can do. It's not your problem so there's no sense worrying about what you can't control. If you can't get there then you can't get there.

I have rode buses with people who sat next to me giving me speeches the whole way. I just nod and say what I think they expect to hear, but most of the time I can't hear much of what they say to me anyway. Most people are still silent around strangers though.

My advice would be to sit up front near the bus driver on the ride home. You can remind them easily where you need to get out. They will also become more aware of you over time and remember that they need to stop so you can get out.

Agree with the others, are you able to get a copy of the bus schedule? Website or a hard copy? Study it and learn it, and you'll be totally in-the-know when you get on the bus. Bring it with you when you're on there and count the stops.

Once you learn the route and the stops off by heart (won't take long, especially after you ride it once or twice!) it can actually become quite nice. Not when it's crowded and seats get stolen... but if it's a relatively quiet day and you have a seat to yourself, and you are confident with the way the bus is going, it feels like a nice accomplishment.

I did the same thing recently when I went overseas and we took the tube in London. Studied that map so hard and kept track of every single stop to make sure it was the right train and everything. And once you finally realise everything's ok and you did it right... You become an expert bus-rider!

Check out the route on Google maps beforehand, if possible. You will be able to see pictures of the streets where you are going.

I do that with most new places I have to go to, sometimes I just want to find out what the building looks like.

Helle

You need to learn the bus system thoroughly, because knowledge is power of fear (that kind of fear anyway). Learn the stops and pay attention until you get more familiar with the route it takes.
You’re lucky your friend will go with you the first time. Make sure to pay a lot of attention when she is there, and notice things along the way, things you can look for later to know how far you’ve come.
Is it very likely that someone will try to talk to you? People mostly mind their own business on public transport. (They mostly do here at any rate.) But you can also try to look unapproachable. I-pod should be helpful there, also avoid smiling at anyone or looking at them, that is a good way to discourage Nts it seems, so it should work on your fellow bus passengers as well. You might also want to bring a book and be *very* preoccupied reading it (or a paper etc). This might not work as well since you’re afraid of not getting off at the wrong stop, at least not until you get used to the way.
If someone blocks you in, just say “excuse me” and make it clear you want to get out of the seat.
If you miss the bus, either have an alternative public transport to get there, or wait for the next one. If there isn’t time, I guess taxi is the only option left. Make your best to get to the stop in time.
If you miss the stop, pay very good attention to the way and get off at the next stop and double back.

Yes, I’ve been in that situation before. Unless my mother can drive me, I usually take public transport. When I have taken new buses or subways (public transport is more used here in Europe) I have been very nervous and been extremely attentive on my surroundings before I got used to the route.

If I have to be somewhere for a specific time, I take a note of the bus times - here they are on the bus company's website. I usually aim to catch the bus before the one that will get me there on time. That's just in case the bus I'd need to get doesn't turn up or is late.

As for getting off at the right stop. Take note of a few landmarks, before the stop you need to get off at, e.g. a store/restaurant with a bright frontage, a church, an apartment block with a distinctive entrance. What's the distance between bus stops? I can't imagine getting off at the next one would cause too much trouble, unless you're worried about getting lost. Our buses have a bell. I ring the bell as soon as the bus is pulling away from the stop before mine. If there are a lot of people standing in the aisle, I try to get to the front, a few stops before I need to get off.

If you're wearing headphones, I don't imagine anyone will speak to you. People don't tend to have deep conversations on buses anyway. Here, the older generation are more likely to want to talk than younger people. If someone looks like they're about to sit beside you, why not get up and let them sit at the window. I always do that, especially if I'm getting off soon, that way I don't have to bother them again.

Good luck

When I need to take the bus, I go to the bus company's website and look up the route and time. I google map where I'm going and use street view to see what it looks like. Google Trip Planner is useful too.

I also always wear headphones - it doesn't stop everyone from talking to me, but it does stop most people.

Thanks guys:) I appreciate the help.

I do have hard copies of several of the routes, so that should help, but I'm somewhat schedule oriented, so if I miss a bus and am late for class or an appointment I know that I will probably be in a bad mood for the rest of the day at least.

I certainly need help riding the bus now that the f*****s who run the company have moved my favourite bus-driver onto other buses

I've found it also helps to sit in the front seats, the ones for elderly and disabled people. The fact that you're physically fine (assuming you are), doesn't mean that sitting there won't actually help with your difficulties.

In a lot of places, if you're worried about missing getting off, you can tell the bus driver when your stop is and they're supposed to take that into account. I've never done so, but if you're comfortable with that you could try that.

I make sure to be at my stop 5 minutes before I expect the bus to get there assuming that the bus will be early, so that I don't miss the bus.

My best advice is to plan ahead.

Except for the already mentioned tips, I suggest the following:

Make sure that you have enough time to miss your intended bus and still make your connections, or take the bus back a stop or two, if you miss the stop the first time around. In the beginning maybe it's better to be 30min early than 5 min late?

Also, take one or a few practice runs. Spend some time on the bus(es) beforehand, so you know aproximately how long it takes, where to get on and off the bus, how to get to and from the bus from your home or destination, where connecting buses stop, how to get there etc.

And, if you are anything like me, scope out a place to get coffee on the way, especially if you end up early. And perhaps a lavatory too.

Forgot to mention that sometimes when I'm going somewhere for the first time, I find out what stop I have to get off at (for example, Main street and Random street) and ask the driver to let me know where that stop is. Most bus drivers are nice and will let you know when it's your stop, if you ask them politely.

In my city this year they started a system that automatically announces and displays what stop is coming up next which is very helpful. If I can't hear the automated announcement, I can look up at the front of the bus and it lights up on a screen.

When I'm going somewhere on the bus for the first time, I usually end up getting there quite a bit early, and then I walk around the neighbourhood for a little while until I can show up at a reasonable time.