Surviving Interstate Bus Rides in India

I’ve been on countless bus rides during my travels. I spent countless of hours in the bus, admiring the landscapes across Turkey. I slept through a breezy 5-hour bus ride from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. I peered out of the window, watching the torrential rains as the Orlean Express bus brought me back from Quebec to Montreal. I also survived a 12-hour journey on windy, mountainous roads from the border of Thailand and Vietnam to Luang Prabang. All these rides were child’s play compared to the journey from Delhi to Chandigarh I took recently.

Volvo or local buses

Volvo buses hands down. These buses are most comfortable among the lot. They are fully air-conditioned with cushy, fully reclinable 2×2 seats. The seats were fitted with seatbelts too. I wore them throughout the journey.

The bus station isn’t really a bus station

At least the Public Transport Centre near the Delhi Airport wasn’t. There was a tiny waiting room for passengers, but you have to personally keep your eyes peeled for the buses you’re going to take before they zoomed past. This was where it got tricky.

Book your bus tickets in advance

I did a silly thing not booking my tickets in advance, despite a friend sending me a link to do like he did. I thought I could just head over to the bus station and purchase the tickets, just like all other bus stations I’ve encountered. But like I’ve mentioned above, the Delhi PTC, which was the nearest bus pick up point from Delhi Airport didn’t exactly have counters to purchase last minute tickets.

I happened to chance upon a young gentleman, Agrim, who asked to sit at the spot next to me while waiting for the bus. Turns out, he was heading to Chandigarh too! He too did not book his ticket in advance, so we were two people ‘winging’ it. I had expected to take the bus at 2330, but at 2230, a Volvo heading to Chandigarh arrived. We decided to stick together, as he went to the bus conductor and asked if there were seats available. Looking at the almost full bus, our chances were pretty slim. Plus, there were four other gentlemen waiting for a seat too.

Long story short, two people who made the online booking was a no-show, so we managed to get on. We were a priority because I was a lady, and he was somewhat travelling with me. For the first time in the history of ever, I am grateful this ‘Ladies first’ thing worked to my advantage. To the four others who hadn’t managed to get on: Sorry, gentlemen. Hope you catch the next bus.

My Guardian Angel, Agrim and I throughout the journey from Delhi to Chandigarh

Choose your seats wisely

This obviously applies to prior booking. Pick the seats as far from the front as possible. My new friend Agrim and I were right at the front of the bus behind the driver’s seat. It was a nightmare. The blinding headlights from the oncoming traffic made it impossible to sleep, coupled with the bus weaving dangerously between large trucks, tooting the horn every few seconds. Thankfully, there was a screen that could be pulled down to minimise the glare – and my anxiety – so that we could get a little bit of shut eye.

Have a sweater (and a snack) handy

While it’s hot as a desert outside, it gets pretty chilly in the bus, even when the vents are closed. Luckily the outer shirt I was wearing had long sleeves, so I wasn’t shivering my butt off much during the 5-hour journey.

The bus stops at the Interstate Bus Terminal about 30 minutes away from the PTC for a quick break and pick up of additional passengers (mostly ticketed ones) before going on the road for the next 3 hours. I’d recommend getting a pack or two of potato chips and a bottle of water to keep yourself hydrated, and/or give you something else to be busy with while handling your anxiety.

Seatbelts, Everyone!

Like Miss Frizzle says on The Magic Schoolbus. I usually turn a deaf ear to Mum nagging at me to put on my seatbelts in cars, but in this case… PUT THEM ON. While I may be overreacting, I really did not want to take any chances in case the worst happens. It also prevents you from sliding off your seats when the bus makes sudden breaks too. So, wear them.

Things to help you sleep

On a noisy bus ride like this one, it’s really tough for someone who needs peace and quiet to fall asleep to get some. I had noise cancelling headphones which was rather helpful in tuning out most noise except for the very frequent bus horns. Initially I had thought that our bus driver enjoyed pounding incessantly on his horns because that was the only noise my headphones couldn’t cancel. Apparently not. I took off my headphones for five seconds to hear noises coming from left, right and centre.. I had to put them on once again.

The ZZZquil sleep aids I always have handy in my purse were my best friends on this trip. One pill could easily knock me out for a good 4 hours. But even with it, I couldn’t fall asleep because of the horns. The 5-hour ride felt like 15.

By the time we got into Chandigarh at 0400 hours, I was happy to hop off and head straight to bed. Doubt I was going to get a good night’s sleep. I had to be up in just 4 hours.

Hope you find these tips useful for your interstate bus travels in India! Stay safe and happy travels!