(01 Sep 2021, 8:51 am)MurdnunoC wrote I somewhat agree. Safety has never really been a concern of mine whilst waiting at a bus station late at night. But I am conscious of the fact that I am getting older and it may be of great importance to me in 10 or 15 years time.
Like you I have never felt unsafe in a bus station, however I have felt unsafe on a bus before and have documented the experience here.
To add a little bit more to the story, it got tense for me because I was sitting at the back of the bus, a row or so in front of them, and didn't know how things would pan out. Despite there being CCTV onboard and the driver having a radio to alert the police if anything happened, I was fully aware that I was outnumbered in an enclosed environment with little choice other than to take a battering or to fight back (and probably still take a battering). As the journey progressed I became more anxious and paranoid that something would kick-off and I had to mentally prepare myself for that outcome. Luckily, nothing happened, and perhaps, in hindsight, my anxiety and paranoia got the better of me but it doesn't take away from the fact that, as a passenger, it was a really unpleasant experience - albeit not one which would put me off from travelling on public transport - but for some it might. Now, if that scenario happened in a bus station then I'd at least have the option of fight or flight (I'm still nimble and fit enough to run-away). On the bus, I felt the option of flight was taken from me.
Maybe it's because of the fact that I'm not 'normal' but I actually love it when there's drama on the bus!
The best one was when I was on the X46 during the Arriva strikes and someone tried to get on using someone else's concessionary pass, despite it being free travel. When asked to hand over the pass by the inspector on the bus (the driver was from Arriva Yorkshire so was being route trained) he ended up getting punched in the face. The passenger then fled to the back of the bus and tried to get out the emergency door, but was blocked by the inspector. I was sat just a bit further forward and was nearly jumped on!