What’s Victoria Coach station like? Can a reasonably savvy 14 year old manage a coach change there without getting overwhelmed/lost/abducted by aliens?

[TheBramley]

I’ve never been there so I don’t know what it’s like, but how difficult can it be to get off one coach and onto another? She’s a bright kid but nervous about ‘getting something wrong’ and hasn’t really had to navigate anything other than local buses thus far. I could do the first half if she insists, but it seems a bit daft.

If she’s savvy she will be fine. I did the London tubes by myself at that age (as a non Londoner) but appreciate this was over 15 years ago

As a gullible 16 year old in Victoria coach station I gave my one precious ten pound note that my mum gave me for emergencies (this one a long time ago) to a handsome French boy who said he needed £2 and would be right back with the change....🤣

At least I can laugh about it now. I was travelling to Spain by coach so it wasn't a great start 🤣

If it was my daughter, I'd go with her or ask someone I knew in London to meet her. Heck I'll do it for you if I'm not a work!!

It's not as if it's like West Croydon station at 10pm, is it?

I'm one of the brutal London mothers who shock everyone on here as my DC were able to navigate the tube alone in year 5/6, mainline stations alone to get to school in Year 7 etc but no way would I have let them loose at Victoria Coach Station at 14 (despite their being in and out of the mainline all the time at a younger age). It is really not a nice area - OK as a PP says there will be PCSOs etc but they are there for a reason. I do agree with your decision to accompany her. There is some useful advice here regarding the requirements for the unaccompanied leg of the journey. https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/help/safety/child-safety

Agreed

I really do not see an issue. I mean if she comes from a nice middle class area there might be an issue. But I see drunks outside the local pub when I go to the co-op!
There are boards there telling you what bus to get. And contrary to posters here it is not like the wild west. It is a very busy coach station. The main risk is pick pockets targeting tourists.
I mean I would not send her to get a night bus or even very late evening bus, but this thread is a ridiculous over reaction.
OP you will accompany her through a busy coach station and wonder what all the fuss was about in these comments.

Yes I have. A nimble 14 year old should have zero problems using a bus toilet.

A savvy 14 yr old will be fine. And she’ll develop confidence by doing it by herself. It’s not particularly rough. As others have said, have a quick look at some YouTube videos for orientation.

It's fine, easier than an airport. They need to be able to read the departure board and find the bus they are transferring to taking into account it might be displaying a later destination to theirs if they aren't getting off at the end of the route. All coaches have a number which helps with this. Popular destinations will have lots of coaches eg there was 4 buses passing through Bristol when I last travelled and I had to decipher which was mine (Swansea bus)

I used to use it for MegaBus and National Express around that age. Make sure they have loads of time to plan and ask, worst is a long wait but at least they'll know there way around for next time.

Have a look at it on instant street view that will give you an idea of what the area is like/how busy it is

And people saying about PCSO presence, they are also present at the main railway stations. Part of their job is to look for runaways.
Their presence does not mean there are any issues there for passengers.

Even I manage to get the right coach. You can see the listings. It tells you the time and which stop. There are loos and drink and food places too. However I do find it a pain as on my own so don't get to use the loo as I would rather keep my seat!

Hi everyone - thanks for all the different perspectives. The fact that a few people think it will be nerve wracking for her makes me think she needs some help. I’ve never been there and so I pictured a big bus depot. If there are multiple locations to navigate and that would mean she could end up feeling - and worse, looking - lost, then I’d rather be there. She needs to get from East Kent to Southampton- there were multiple changes on the train journey for that so I thought the coach might be better. She’s happy changing buses to get around the local area but is almost completely unused to London. She’s not at all used to antisocial behaviour - it’s all a bit leafy and naice around here - if there really are lots of pickpockets etc she might end up feeling like Kevin Mcallister in Central Park.

@TheBramley There are pickpockets in every major city where there are crowds and especially tourists. That includes places like Bath.
Its easy to navigate if you know to make sure that where you carry your phone/card is somewhere safe.

I was drunk there once 😂

Left my hometown after my leaving do and travelled there to change coach to airport for my first solo flight (2nd ever time of flying).
I was 19 and glad my dad did the first leg with me as I think I could easily have got lost - but that may have been the alcohol 😂

I think that it would be fine for a sensible 14 year old with you giving her a good prep talk beforehand about being careful with her possessions. There are definitely pickpockets operating there.

I’d probably go on the train with her to London and see her off from there onto a direct train to Southampton (Waterloo or Victoria).

It would be more expensive than the coach but could you take her to a railway station that goes into Waterloo East? Its then a very easy interchange at Waterloo to get the train to Southampton? Might take up less of your time to drive her to a non local station and it would give her the confidence boost that she'd navigated that change. So long as she had open tickets rather than specific train tickets then even if she missed one connection she could get a coffee at the station and take the next train?

I used to do it at 14, that was 40 years ago,things in general are a lot busier these days so I wouldn't be so sure.

i think at 14 and changing bus depots in london is too much to ask
might even be better on the train in this instance,
but if you can go to the departures with her sounds sensible.

40 years ago you had way less information, only printed posters stuck up of bus times and platforms. It was way harder to find your way than it is now.

i bet 40 years ago there were less buses though

She needs to get from East Kent to Southampton - there were multiple changes on the train journey for that

Where in East Kent? If it's somewhere with a Charing X service, she will only need to transfer from Waterloo East to Waterloo Mainline via the walkway. When using a journey planner, exclude St Pancras from the search to see options.

I can think of other possibilities, depending on where you are, which would require changing en route to London, but quite straightforward at small stations.

Yes probably. But I find it way easier to find the right platform these days than it used to be.