Tips

Riding Buses Abroad: Timetables, Last Buses and Fares

A wooden bus shelter with timetables and a bus stop sign, framed by autumn creeper leaves. — Bus stop in Nuthurst, West Sussex, England · Photo: Acabashi / CC BY-SA 4.0

Route numbers and loop directions, first and last buses, weekend timetables, exact change, and paying on or off the bus, with examples from city guides.

Published Oct 13, 2026

Every city runs its buses differently

On city and regional buses abroad, almost everything differs from place to place: how stop timetables read, what the route numbers mean, when the last bus leaves, and when you pay. This post gathers examples from this app's city guides by topic. It is not a complete list.

Fares and times are copied as this app's city guides show them. They can change, so check official information before you go.

Which transit card to buy and how fare caps work are covered in the transit cards post, and buses from the airport and late-night arrivals in the airport posts. This post focuses on riding buses around town: routes and directions, timetables, weekday and weekend service, paying cash, and what to do when you get on and off.

Reading route numbers: loops, opposite directions and branches

Buses on the same road can run in opposite directions under different numbers, and a branch route with '-1' after the number may turn back partway. Before you board, check the direction of travel and the end of the line on the stop sign.

Sightseeing loop buses take a set time per loop, which makes planning easy. Some fill up, though, and you may have to wait for the next one.

Gyeongju: Bus 10 runs from the terminal via Cheomseongdae, Bunhwangsa and Bomun Lake Resort to Bulguksa, and bus 11 runs the same loop the other way. Bus 10-1 turns back at Gyeongju World and does not reach Bulguksa.
Hangzhou: Buses 51 and 52 circle West Lake clockwise and anticlockwise, handy for hopping on and off. Routes 7 and 87 run through the West Lake and Lingyin areas.
Sokcho: For Seoraksan, take bus 7 or 7-1. It starts at the Intercity Bus Terminal, and the Seoraksan car park is the end of the line.
Sendai: The sightseeing loop bus leaves the Sendai Station West Exit bus terminal and circles the main sights; a full loop takes about 70 minutes.
Niigata: The sightseeing loop bus leaves platform 18 of the Niigata Station bus terminal and loops the city centre in about an hour. It holds 35 people, so when full you may have to wait for the next bus.
Yonago: The city loop bus costs JPY 150 for adults; on its History Course, get off at the Yonagojo-mae stop for the Yonago Castle ruins.

Timetables, frequency, and first and last buses

On a stop timetable, look first for the first and last bus and how often they run. City routes may come often, but routes out to suburbs or sights can have a fixed number of runs a day or long gaps.

Outbound and return buses can keep different hours. Before heading out to a sight, check the last bus back and plan around it.

Gyeongju: Buses 10 and 11 run from 06:00 (first bus) to 21:40 (last, from the terminal), about every 20 minutes.
Kunming: For the Western Hills, buses 6 and Fu-6 leave Minshan depot 6:30-22:00 about every 8 minutes; bus 51 leaves Juhuacun depot 7:00-19:30 about every 30 minutes.
Kunming: Stone Forest tourist buses leave Kunming East Bus Station 7:20-16:30 every 30-40 minutes (CNY 30 one way); return buses run 8:30-18:00.
Sanya: 132 routes run 06:00-23:00, with distance-based fares mostly about 2-12 CNY.
Yeosu: Buses 111 and 111-1 to Hyangiram each have a fixed number of runs a day, so check departure times first.
Taichung: Sun Moon Lake buses get busy on weekends; check the timetable and the last bus back.
Tainan: There is no MRT and many bus routes run infrequently. Check timetables in a map app and mix in taxis when needed.
Maui (Hawaii): Public buses are infrequent and don't reach Haleakalā's summit or Hāna, so treat them as a backup.
Zhangjiajie: Buses to Wulingyuan are frequent, but check first and last bus times locally.
Beppu & Yufuin: The regular route bus (No. 36) between Beppu Station and Yufuin takes about 50 min. Check official timetables.

Weekend, holiday and seasonal changes

The same route can serve different stops, run different hours or cover a shorter stretch depending on the day or season. Check whether the stop timetable has separate columns for weekdays and for weekends and holidays.

Weather or events can also stop or change service. Checking official notices again on the day saves a wasted trip.

Shizuoka: For Miho no Matsubara, take the bus from Shimizu Station for about 25 minutes to Miho Matsubara Iriguchi, then walk about 15 minutes. From the Sekai Isan Miho Matsubara stop, served on weekends and holidays only, it is about 5 minutes.
Suwon: A free bus loops around Hwaseong Wednesday–Sunday at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 and does not run on Monday and Tuesday. Booking is only through a dedicated app.
Aomori: In winter part of the road to Hakkoda is closed, so buses only run between Aomori and Sukayu Onsen, and the timetable changes with the season.
Gangneung: The coastal city bus runs daily from 08:00 every 40 minutes, but service can change during events, so check notices on the bus information system.
Warsaw: According to the Warsaw Tourism Office, the metro runs until midnight on weekdays and until 3 a.m. at weekends, and night buses are marked 'N'.
Ishigaki: Route buses stop running when a storm warning is issued for the Yaeyama area.

Paying cash: have coins and small notes ready

Even buses that take cash may give no change or refuse to change large notes. Keep coins and small notes separate and easy to reach.

In some places you can buy a ticket from the driver or a conductor on board. These can be single tickets for that ride only, which cannot be bought in advance, so check the conditions.

Coins and banknotes from several countries spread out together on a table. — Coins and banknotes from many countries · Photo: Caleidoscopic / CC BY-SA 4.0

Miyazaki: No change is given, so use the coin changer at the front while the bus is stopped. New 500-yen coins and 5,000/10,000-yen notes cannot be changed.
Niigata: City buses cannot change JPY 2,000, 5,000 or 10,000 notes on board. Have JPY 1,000 notes and coins or a transit IC card ready.
Yonago: On local buses, only JPY 1,000 notes can be changed. Carry plenty of coins.
Beppu & Yufuin: Beppu's buses accept cash, national IC cards and contactless credit cards, but large notes can't be changed on board.
Sanya: Pay with the Sanya bus code in a mobile payment app or in cash; if paying cash, have exact change.
Aomori: The central shuttle route bus costs JPY 300 per ride for adults, paid in cash to the driver. Tickets are also sold on board.
Samarkand: According to the tourism site's general information for Uzbekistan, a city bus ride costs UZS 1,700 and tickets can be bought from the conductor on board.
Frankfurt: You can also buy tickets from the bus driver. Single tickets are for immediate travel only: they cannot be bought in advance and are not valid for return trips or breaks in the journey.

Pay when boarding or getting off? Doors, cards and validation

Whether you pay when you board or when you get off, and which door you use, also varies. Where you board at the middle door and pay when you get off, as in Miyazaki, cash passengers take a numbered ticket when they board.

If you pay by card, check whether you also tap when you get off. In some places you lose the transfer benefit if you don't. In cities that use paper tickets, validating as soon as you board is the rule.

Fukuoka: Many buses are boarded at the rear and paid at the front when you get off.
Taichung: Find routes in a map app and tap your card when boarding and getting off.
Vancouver: Bus trips are always a 1-Zone fare, and you only tap in when boarding.
Gangneung: With a transit card you get up to 2 free transfers within 1 hour of getting off (not onto the same route number). Tap your card when you get off.
Tongyeong: The regular fare is KRW 1,650 by transit card or KRW 1,700 cash (fares from 1 September 2025). With a card you get one free transfer to a different route number within 30 minutes of getting off (60 minutes in outlying towns); cash rides don't count.
Rome: Validate paper tickets on boarding and watch for pickpockets on crowded buses.
Budapest: A single ticket is good for one trip without transfer, and paper tickets must be validated right after boarding on buses and other vehicles.
Warsaw: Validate paper tickets as soon as you board; riding without a valid ticket risks a PLN 266 fine, and ticket machines on buses and trams take cards only.

Before your first ride: a checklist

When you reach the stop, run through these checks. Each city's guide has more detail on routes and fares.

Check the route number, direction of travel and end of the line on the stop sign
On a loop bus, check which direction that number runs
Check the first and last bus and the frequency, especially the last bus back
Check whether the timetable splits weekdays from weekends and holidays
If paying cash, have coins and small notes ready
Check whether you pay when boarding or getting off, and whether you tap your card when you get off too
Validate paper tickets as soon as you board

FAQ

What does '-1' after a route number mean?

It is a branch of the same route, so the path or the end of the line can differ. In Gyeongju, bus 10-1 turns back at Gyeongju World and does not reach Bulguksa.

I'm worried about missing the last bus. What should I do?

Check the last bus back before you head out to a sight. Where buses are infrequent, as in Tainan, you can mix in taxis when needed.

What if I don't have change?

Some buses, as in Miyazaki, have a coin changer on board, but only certain notes can be changed. In Yonago only JPY 1,000 notes can be changed, so carry plenty of coins.

Do timetables change at weekends?

In some places, yes. Shizuoka has a stop served on weekends and holidays only, and Suwon's free Hwaseong loop bus does not run on Monday and Tuesday. Check the days shown on the stop timetable.