-There do the bus go from?

-Where do I find a bus stop?

-Where do I find a time schedule?

-How long does it take to go from one place to another?

-How much does it cost?

 

These are common questions to ask when you want to go by public transportation in Europe.

These are questions it is hard to answer in Palestine. It all depends!

 

My first bus ride was from Jerusalem to Ramallah, which takes 20 minutes if everything goes smoothly. I was not alone, and it felt safe to have someone to go with the first time.

Now I do not mind, I just tell where I want to go, and then I am well taken care of until I am at my final destination! 

 

So how does this work?

It is very practical and in some sense also very economical.

·         The buses are small; they take 7-15 persons.

·         They are yellow and easy to notice.

·         There is a bus station in the villages and cities, but it is possible to stop a bus and jump on anywhere. If there are no seats available, the bus does not stop. So there are no bus stops, they stop when people give a sign to get in.

·         The bus leaves the bus station when the bus is full. Usually it takes a few minutes. I have experienced to wait for 20 minutes at the most.

·         If I want to stop on the way before the final destination, I just give a sign to the driver and he will stop where I want to get off.

·         The price from Jerusalem to Tulkarem, which takes at least 1, 5 hours, is about kr. 45! In the Tulkarem areal you can go far for kr. 15.

·         We pay during the ride. Usually we know the price. If I sit in the back, I hand the money over to the person in the front of me, who gives it to the driver. The driver return change the same way.

 

It is impossible to know how long the travel is going to take. It depends on the check points!

Sometimes we do not stop at all, other times we have to wait, in worst case for hours.

If there were no check points, travelling would be quick. There are short distances between the villages and the cities here.

Check points are another story, difficult to explain and hard to believe!

 

Being on the road is probably the most dangerous activity you do here in Palestine. Everybody is driving fast, and car accidents often occur.

Driving ecological is not an issue!

Besides of that; as a foreigner I am well taken care of, and I am sure to reach my destination.

Riding the bus is cheap, easy and usually very fast!