In a few days, I will be traveling alone from London Heathrow to King's Cross station at about 1am via night bus. I have read a lot of conflicting information on the safety of night buses, and I have begun to alarm myself.
Is lugging a rather large suit case across most of London at 1 in the morning going to be a safety concern (i.e. is it worth shelling out a rather large sum of money for a taxi?), or should I be fine?
Is there anything I should know or avoid doing?
When I lived in London, the joke was that no night bus was ever boring. There might be partiers, revellers, half-comatose drunkards, couples, drunkards being ill, fights, arguments, tears - but never boredom.
Saying that, I never once felt unsafe. I too travelled to various airports including Heathrow on night buses, with a big backpack.
You could also take a taxi for around 80-90 quid (from memory) if you really felt unsafe, but do remember - there are (at least there used to be when I was there) seven cameras on every double decker bus. You're under constant surveillance, and personally I felt that helped.
If in doubt, sit up close to the front near the driver, just to have someone you can trust nearby. It's also close to a door - not that you'll need to get out fast, but it's nice not to feel trapped which you might if you were down the back or upstairs.
