Oh, dear Cyprus bus system... I want to be your parent and teach you how to do better... but regardless I adore you. ha!
キプロスのバス交通機関は慣れない観光客には結構なチャレンジです。
Many things to say about their buses and how they work... or sometimes not tourists friendly. :D
But once you "get it" they are nice and drivers are very helpful (& happy, often funny)
運転手さんたちはみんな親切でした。（英語です）
Right after I arrived, I asked Airport information that where to get the bus to downtown, it suppose to be short trip (10 minutes to where I wanted to go). The guy was very nice and handed me timetable and told me "any of these buses will take you there"
空港から市内に出るバスもいろいろあるのですが、バスらしくないワゴン車タイプの大型車に番号がついてるものが多く、途中色々と停まるので、まっすぐではないし、地元の人たちも乗ってきたりします。
And there, comes #418
It was a van. Not exactly Airport to town bus, it was passing by local bus.
What happened was, at one stop, high school students (as many as possible) got in... I was in the back, with my suitcase, stared at, and had absolutely no idea where to get off, but too far from driver to ask or listen what he was saying...
"Is my stop soon? or passed or...where the hell am I now???"
車内電光掲示板などがあるわけではないので、地理感覚がないと今どこで、どこで降りたらいいのか、バス停の名前は何なのか全く見当がつかないです。運転手さんが声をかけてくれるのを聞き逃さないか、自分から聞くしかないです…。ので、英語必須。ドキドキ感満載です。
It was an exciting way to start my trip! Thankfully, there was another tourist couple and we could manage to ask driver and got off at our stop... which wasn't really my stop!!
The thing was/is they frequently move main bus stop to other block due to their events on the main street.
イベント等で大通りを閉鎖することが頻繁にあり、それに伴ってバス停も移動されるのですが、結構遠く（徒歩５分）のブロックになります。しかも、そのお知らせがバス停に小さくしかありません。移動先の臨時バス停には小さいバスマークがあるかないかで、バスが停まっていない限りわかりません。「わかりにく過ぎる!」とご立腹のロシア人たちを結構見かけました。（苦笑）
There is small notification about that on the main street real bus stop (photo),
HOWEVER not at the occasional stop. No sign, no map, no directing post...! I was dropped at "a street" (well, now I know it's "Police station place") and had to ask around where I was and where the real bus stop was (to know the way to my hotel from there).
空港からの初日、何もないこの臨時バス停（ただの道）に下ろされて、どこにいるかもわからず、周りに聞きながら本バス停にどうにかたどり着きました。繰り返しますが、英語必須です。
Next day I happened to find two angry Russian ladies lost and looking for that moved bus stop, saying "so bad, tourists unfriendly! Terrible!" So show them the way.
Btw, the reason why they closed the main street that day was for this big triathlon event.
SO many people having so much fun!
Day 2, Saturday, I was planning to visit a famous pretty Lefkara village http://www.heartcyprus.com/business/lefkara by buses (needed to switch).
I looked it up beforehand of course, yet couldn't understand the details, and I was told there was Tourist information close to the bus stop. So I went, and there it is...CLOSED for weekends!!!
土曜日に有名なラフカラ村に行く予定だったのですが、週末で観光案内所はお休み…バスの本数も半減で、結局たどり着けず・・・。日本じゃないと実感。土日要注意です。
Sadly, by the time I figured it out myself, the bus was gone and next one wouldn't come next 2.5 hours (since it was weekend, less buses!), which means I cannot switch to right bus on time and even if I could get the village, I would have no bus to come back... So, I had to give up the plan. It was good lesson to remember... "I am NOT in Japan!" lol
Between big cities, we use these green buses.
Buy tickets from the driver on the spot.
(oh gosh! some nationalities had no shame to cut in the line!!!Argh!)
大きい街同士はこの緑のバスで行き来できます。チケットは運転手さんから直接購入。
Attention!
They call one way ticket "single" and round trip "one way"
片道＝シングル、か、往復＝ワンウェイを聞かれます。
Unless your stop is the absolutely last one, it's quite hard to know where to get off, no announcement or sign inside the bus, not all bus stop names are on tourist map. Also some bus stop has sign only in Greek.
So, many tourists (me included) constantly asking the driver (as well as each other), "Is next one ****?" or "Are we close to ****?". It's not relaxing but its adventurous feeling is not bad. haha. Thankfully, all drivers I had were patiently answering everyone over and over again.
And some long distance bus drivers, randomly put his music on to whole bus stereo!
Interesting selections as well. lol
終点や、大きいバス停は記載があっても、停まるバス停全てが記載されているもの（観光用地図・バス地図）がないので、どこにいるのか本当にわかりにくいです。車内放送もないし、運転手さんが「ここで降りる人～」と声をかけるたびに、かなりの人がいろいろ質問します。私もしました。プラス面は運転手さんたちがみんな嫌がる様子もなく、繰り返される「ここどこ?」「このバス停はあとどれくらい?」といった質問に答え続けてくれることです。
City tour bus- I didn't ride this but lots of people seemed having good time :)
ラルナカ市内観光用バス
