Don’t want to rent a car or pay for a taxi? No problem! You can get around many Spanish cities by taking a bus. In fact, you may prefer riding a bus compared to the more expensive transportation alternatives available to you.
To make getting around by bus a little easier, check out the following useful Spanish phrases:
¿Hay paraderos de buses? (ahy pah-rah-deh-rohs deh bvoo-sehs) (Is there a bus stop?)
¿Hay buses para ir al centro? (ahy bvoo-sehs pah-rah eer ahl sehn-troh) (Are there buses for downtown?)
¿Se compran los boletos antes? (seh kohm-prahn lohs bvoh-leh-tohs ahn-tehs) (Do I buy the tickets beforehand?)
If you want to get an idea of how a conversation about taking a bus might go in real life, consider the example of Juanita, a woman who is tired from her flight, can’t find a taxi, and suddenly spots a bus outside the airport. Is the bus going where she needs to go? Will she have to walk far with her luggage? Here’s how she finds out:
Juanita:
¿Este bus va al centro?
ehs-teh bvoos bvah ahl sehn-troh
Is this bus going downtown?
Bus driver:
¿A qué calle va?
ah keh kah-yeh bvah
What street are you going to?
Juanita:
Avenida Pilcomayo.
ah-bveh-nee-dah peel-koh-mah-yoh
Pilcomayo Avenue.
Bus driver:
Sí le dejo cerca. Suba.
see, leh deh-Hoh sehr-kah. soo-bvah
Yes, I’ll leave you close. Come on up.