Finding the study spot that is “just right” is like searching for the Holy Grail. There’s always a few problems with each of them.
Even so, some spots are local favourites: polytechnic libraries, Changi Airport, and select cafes across the country.
TikTok user “@keerigiri” needed a study spot for his multiple unfinished projects that the Ngee Ann Poly library wasn’t cutting it for.
His choice was obvious. On the bus with the longest route in Singapore, of course.
Alright, not my first pick, but the OP said he needed a “change of scenery” to stop procrastinating, and what better than a place where the scenery outside the window is always changing?
Bus Route Has a Total Distance of 73.4 km
In the viral TikTok video, he chose Bus 858, which runs from Woodlands to Changi Airport before looping back to Woodlands once more.
The route covers 75 bus stops and a total distance of 73.4 km, substantially greater than the entire length of Singapore.
At 12:50 pm, he boarded the articulated bus, perhaps more known as the long bendy bus that used to be more common.
Finding a seat near the back, he used the other seat for his belongings and filming. A recipe for running into an angry passenger uncle, you might say, but he picked the right time to film it.
The bus stayed mostly empty, and when it got crowded it was only for short stretches at a time
And so with a laptop running on his phone’s hotspot, he got into the grind.
Bus Study Session Lasted 3 Hours
The OP got a surprise when Bus 858 reached Changi Airport just an hour into the trip, having expected a much longer commute. He attributed this to the better traffic of the Monday afternoon.
After working on the project for some more, the bus returned to Woodlands Interchange, ending his mobile study session at 3:45 pm, just under three hours later.
The review? He got “some work done” and cleared out some of his phone’s storage, which was progress.
Unsurprisingly, studying on a bus came with its own host of problems.
“I will say I had to use a lot of data for the internet hotspot through my phone.”
The OP also had trouble steadying the laptop with the bus’ shaking as it drove, alongside another issue.
“My butt was feeling a bit numb, but whatever.”
He luckily avoided needing to pay a bus fare of what I assume to be a million dollars via his student concession card, which capped his fare out at 70 cents.
If he ever needed another study spot though, the Internet had him covered. Commenters held up suggestions of other long Singapore bus routes.
One brought up Bus 67’s whopping 84 bus stops in its route from Choa Chu Kang to Tampines (or the other way round), despite its shorter total distance of 33.3 km.
Someone said they boarded at 5:45 pm and reached Bedok only at 9:30 pm, nearly 4 hours later, which “wasn’t even the final stop”. Singapore’s classic peak hour traffic likely contributed.
Bus 51 was another popular pick, having the highest number of stops in Singapore at 98 and a total distance covered of 37.6 km.
“It will take 3.5 to 4 hours no joke.” A commenter claimed.
If you intend to try this out for yourself, do take note of one more problem a netizen pointed out.
“Suddenly urgent need go toilet how?”