Using Local Public Transport- is it a Good Idea?
Taking the public transport as any local person would do is the best way to truly understand and immerse yourself in a culture. This could be anything from sitting in the back of a truck with some animals, getting a sleeper train, or getting an overnight ‘death bus’ (named for good reason).
I have taken local transport as much as possible when I’m away for this exact reason. At times it was definitely tricky. I have listed a few of the most memorable below:
Cycle Rickshaws
This mode of public transport is quite personal because a local person cycles you to your destination whilst you sit in a chair on wheels at the back. They usually take the main roads alongside the rest of the traffic which can be super noisy but it is one of the cheaper ways to get around and doesn’t take much longer due to the amount of traffic that is on the roads anyway. Below is a video of one of out journeys on a cycle rickshaw.
The Train in Delhi
One of the most difficult times taking public transport abroad was trying to catch a train in India. We were initially in a tuktuk but the driver stopped and told us there is too much traffic. He did not want to take us to our destination, therefore said we should get the train and dropped us at the station. Trains in India are famous for being overcrowded with people hanging out the sides and sitting on the roof so we were a little wary.
Nobody at the station spoke English and the names of the stations did not resemble the name of the place in anyway. For example in London if you wanted to go to Trafalgar Square you would take the train to Trafalgar Square station. In Delhi if you want to go to a certain place you have to know a random name that is completely unrelated to the place you are visiting, and the name is in Hindi. No chance.
Find this printable map of the Delhi metro network here.
Getting a Ticket
After standing in a ‘queue’ (a mass bundle of people in front of the ticket booth) for around 30 minutes, and pushing our way to the front, we tried to point at a map to say where we wanted to go. The man looked baffled and clearly could not read a map. He told us a price and said a random word at us and gave us a token in exchange for the money.
We took this token but there was nowhere to insert said token to get through the barrier to the train platform. We watched the locals carefully and figured that the token was to be scanned and then placed in a bucket. There was security there but people were sharing tokens and they didn’t seem to mind. They also did not speak any English.
Getting to the Correct Destination
There were no railway maps to indicate where we should go or which train we should get and we felt pretty overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people pushing past. Prime pick-pocket time! Clinging onto our now front-packs, we walked up to random people pointing at our map, hoping that someone would be able to help. Finally, a man who could speak some broken English showed us onto the right train and said he would tell us when to get off. Hurray! In this moment we put all our trust into this random stranger and hoped he didn’t expect anything in return for his generosity. We did make it but I’d say that was one of the most stressful train journeys I have had to navigate in my life.
The Sleeper Train
The sleeper train is an overnight train, popular in many Asian countries, that takes you between destinations while you sleep (if you manage to). Some of them convert from chairs into 2 tiered beds e.g. in Thailand, whereas others are permanently in 2-3 tiered beds. If you are on the bottom bed, you will likely be sharing that bed as a seat with random people until it’s deemed time to go to sleep. If you are on the top bunk you had better be fairly mobile and strong to get yourself and your bag up there because it’s a long way up!
In the photo below we are on a sleeper train in Vietnam and paid an extra £20 to upgrade. We had our own room, the beds were slightly more padded, and there was a side table and lamp (with the lovely addition of flowers). This felt like luxury compared to the previous sleeper trains we had been on!
You’d also be more suited to these beds if you have a bit of extra padding- they are so uncomfortable! I ended up emptying some of the contents of my backpack to lay on to provide some extra padding for my hip bones. If you are tall, be prepared for an uncomfortable journey as I only just fit on the bed and I’m only 5 ft 4!
There is an option of paying for different classes of travel. Some people just choose a chair which they also sleep in, some choose a bed for a hopefully more restful night. I would always chose the bed option because they at least had SOME padding and the journeys can be very long.
Top Tip
Find out the estimated time that you will be getting off as there are no announcements made. If it’s the middle of the night you need to set an alarm and be awake and ready to get off. They don’t hang around at the station for much longer than a few minutes!
The Night “Death Bus”
A cheap way to travel in Vietnam is an overnight bus. You get on at 10pm, sleep (saving a night paying for accommodation) then get off in a new destination the next morning feeling refreshed…right?
When we first got on it looked comfortable with long chairs and neon lighting everywhere. It wasn’t until we were actually on the bus talking to another passenger, that we found out it is known as the death bus due to the high speeds that it travels around extremely tight corners at the top of clifftops with sheer drops. This was not a great time to realise that my seatbelt was broken.
We had no idea what to expect. It turns out some buses have in fact rolled off the side of the road down cliffs or been involved in collisions with trucks or drunk drivers which has caused many fatalities. It is safe to say I wouldn’t choose to take this mode of transport again having experienced a terrifying 12-hour journey with no sleep! You can find out more about it by looking it up in any search engine, but check out the Trip Advisor forum for an eye opener.
The Metro Train in Beijing and Shanghai, China
Not all of my public transport experiences have been bad. The train in Beijing and Shanghai, China, was awesome and operates just like the London Underground. Easy to buy a ticket, self-explanatory, and there was a Chinese and English translation for all the stops with easy-to-read maps.
Local Buses in Sri Lanka
This was the cheapest way for us to travel. We travelled 82km for a total of £1.56 on 5 different buses with our huge backpacks. The bus was so full, there was loud music, disco lights and people hanging out of the doors. Again it was going around the corners very quickly with a sharp drop down a cliff just a meter away, and we nearly crashed into an oncoming vehicle! When a local wanted to get on or off the bus, rather than stopping, it would just slow down so they could jump on by running and grabbing a hand rail or off and hope they don’t land awkwardly. It wasn’t the most comfortable experience but it was definitely authentic! Check out this video I captured when we were on the bus:
Top Tip
Make sure you carry ear plugs with you if you intend to sleep on any mode of transport, or at least sound cancelling earphones. In some cultures e.g. China it is normal for people to raise their voices during conversation and some times there are large groups of people talking at once. There can also be a lot of extra noise e.g. squeaky doors, creaking carriages, horns from other traffic.
See the post Types of Transport Around the World for other modes of local public transport.
What has your experience been like on public transport in different countries? Was it anything like mine has been? Let me know in the comments below!