Hey travellers!
The joys of public transport. If your country is like South Africa, you know that public transport is rarely used as the main means of transport for a large portion of the population. Due to its safety and accessibility it is not worthwhile, but in many global countries, it is! For someone who first had no idea how to approach prioritising the use of public transport, it made sense to create a post for those in the same boat. No pun intended.
Now, I cannot speak for all countries in this article so I will focus on Europe, mainly Portugal and Spain, and hopefully your next trip will not be such a hassle! Europe is extremely well connected by metro and bus systems. The EU has allowed access to all countries under its authorization to be connected and crossed without border control unless you enter the Shengan zone from outside the EU area. Thankfully most of the countries in Europe function in this manner, but if you are unsure, just do some research online regarding your country destination and its governance.
To start off, I would like to bless your travel worries with an app I have been using from the start when I was completely unsure and nervous regarding transportation systems. Rome2Rio is a great free app you can download where you can search your current destination to your intended destination including date of travel. The app will provide you with all your options on how to get there including links to tickets as well as the transport numbers, travel times and tariffs. The tariffs are generally accurate but confirm online to get the exact charge because they can change. Another thing to note is strikes. Europe, like most countries, experience occasional strikes but these are scheduled and sometimes do not affect all the routes, so do an online search to keep note of what is available to avoid running into ticket issues and plan according to this.
Firstly I will touch on metro and train systems. Most large cities are connected with speed trains. These are often pricey but time effective, whereas cheaper options run slower but may be more affordable. I recommend checking the local metro providor and going on their website to check tariffs and connecting destinations. Countries such as Portugal are very well connected with trains provided by the company called Comboios de Portugal, with trains running regionally and nationally. The train system in Portugal is very affordable, but note the country is also much smaller than its neighbouring country, Spain, and this has an affect on pricing.
Regional train, Catalanya, Spain
Spain functions using Renfe, its national train providor. It has speed trains connectiong main cities but these are very pricey, although they run regularly and the tariffs change from day-to-day, to time of day so keep track of them and I suggest not booking any ticket too late. One thing to note with trains is that depending on the country, there are unfortunately smaller, uncommon tourist areas which are not as easily connected and harder to get to, but there are other options to consider, so do not avoid these unique and uncrowded places because of that!
Next we have buses. FlixBus is an international coach service that runs across borders providing comfortable transportation options for long distances. Their prices depend solely on the distance between locations but are generally worth the price they charge. Flix buses often include Wi-Fi and a toilet stall if the bus travels to far destinations. They are very comfortable and clean making them a reliable ride. Scheduled buses normally start from the local bus station unlike local public bus stops. FlixBus has a downloadable app making it convenient and easy to book and keep track of upcoming bookings.
As for local buses, European cities are well connected with regular bus routes. They function predominantly on predetermined routes distinguished by numbered or lettered lines meaning that there are flat rates for specific routes traveling back and forth only on that line and you can exit at any stop, and get on from any stop on that line for the same price. These types of systems are very affordable as they are used by local commuters. When you enter a country you intend on visiting for a while, I suggest querying about their cards, which can be topped up and recharged which you swipe on entry of the bus. These are super easy to use and you often get discounts when using one of these which goes a long way. If you are not looking to stay long, the trips can be paid for on entry with cash or card, but prioritize cash in case card systems are not available. Another approach is querying about any month passes or extended time passes where you pay a larger fee but have access to various routes for a set time period without extra charge. These are often used by commuters who travel regularly.
Carpooling. Yes, the controversial carpooling approach. Now, I feel I should highlight my immense tension before attemping carpooling. This is a concept I knew very little about and did not trust much until I spoke to a few fellow travelers who used an app called BlaBlacar. Blablacar gives the option to input a start and end destination and scroll through driver options traveling that route on your prefered day. What's great about the app is that you can choose the driver who would start and stop nearest to your prefered locations to minimize walking distances. This is indicated in graphs on the app. The rates are calculated by BlaBlacar and your rate does not increase if the car is not fully booked with other passengers, so rest assured, the price you paid will not increase. If the driver cancels, or you do within the granted period of free cancelation, your money will be returned to you in full. You can communicate with the driver over the apps messaging system to discuss any specific travel details. Some drivers will also be kind enough to pick up or drop you off directly at your prefered locations, although you should not depend on this.
I hope this guide was useful and that transport will be less daunting than it needs to be from here on out.
Happy traveling,
Taz xx
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