'My butt felt numb': Student takes 3-hour bus ride just to catch up on studying

It's certainly no Starbucks or a nice, quiet library, but this bus ride has just become the choice location to study for this student.

Neo Jia Yu, a Mass Communications student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, opted for a change of pace when he decided to take a bus ride from Woodlands Interchange to Changi and back in order to catch up on his studies, he shared in a TikTok video on Monday (July 8).

The bus in question is 858, which covers 75 stops over 73.4km, taking about three to four hours, according to the 18-year-old.

This bus route has also been dubbed the "lengthiest bus route" in Singapore by the Land Transport Authority where one can travel on four expressways in one trip: the SLE, TPE, PIE and ECP - en route to Changi Airport.

"I have a lot of projects and work to do that I've been procrastinating about ever since school reopened and I really can't study in the library any more," the student said in his video, adding a photograph of himself falling soundly asleep in the library.

"So I decided on a change of scenery - or more accurately, a scenery that keeps changing," he quipped.

Tapping in at 12.50pm, he settled in for the long haul and began doing work after clearing a daily Wordle.

"I had reached Sembawang before I actually started being productive," he admitted, managing to work for about an hour before he reached Changi Airport.

By the time his bus left Changi Airport, it was already 2.30pm.

"I'm pretty sure I know like eight of my friends who have a commute longer than that, which is why I was so surprised to be basically halfway done already," he said.

Worth it?

Neo managed to focus up on his work for another hour on the loop back to Woodlands, reaching Yishun at 3.35pm and reaching the end of his journey 10 minutes later.

He said: "By the time we looped back to Woodlands, my butt was feeling a bit numb - but whatever, why am I complaining about sitting down on a bus?"

Throughout the trip, traffic was light and the bus cabins were mostly empty except during certain stops - but the crowds thinned out quickly, Neo said.

The experience wasn't ideal either, as he also noted that he consumed a lot of data and it was difficult to keep his laptop steady on the bus.

"So all in all, it basically took three hours and I got some work done and cleared out some storage," he said. "I'll take it!"

Much easier to just study at home, Neo says

Speaking to AsiaOne, Neo said that the idea seemed good for his TikTok content - and he also needed to study.

"I looked up what the longest bus ride [is], and 858 was the first one that showed up," he said.

Neo also explained his preparations before boarding the bus - he made sure his laptop was fully charged and phone had enough data.

He also shared with local media that this was his second attempt at taking the bus ride as he gave up halfway 10 days earlier because he didn't like how the trip had turned out.

Once aboard, he looked for a good seat and was prepared for the rocking and shaking of the bus.

"Hold your bladder as you'd have to get off the bus with all your stuff to find a toilet," he said. "Be fine with placing your laptop on your lap as there's no table.

"I was able to do all of these just fine, but I can see why other people wouldn't do it. It's a hundred million times easier to just either study at home or in the library."

When on board the bus, he didn't encounter any resistance from other passengers either and "was left alone for the whole ride", he said, surprised.

Phone went from 80% to 2%

Although his laptop maintained battery well through his trip, his phone was the one that left him concerned.

He used it to both supply his laptop with data and record footage of his trip, so by the time he disembarked his phone was at two per cent, down from 80 per cent.

"I didn't need to go to the toilet during the three hours; but if I needed to, 858 has a number of stops where toilets are a few hundred metres away, so I wouldn't have much problem." 

He also commented: "I genuinely think that studying in a unique or quirky place is good if you find yourself struggling to concentrate."

The bus ride prevented him from wandering around, and also denied him usage of his phone because then he would just be wasting his time and data. 

"But obviously don't study in places where it just doesn't make sense and you're a nuisance," he added. "I chose a bus ride to study because I've seen other people do it and I feel like it's socially acceptable."

As for future plans, Neo says he might study in more quirkier place if it makes him more productive and makes for good content. 

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khooyihang@asiaone.com