The longest distance that you could travel entirely on local buses.

[stadler]

I had just stumbled across an article today about someone who did Lands End to John O Groats entirely on local buses. This had me wondering whether any similar challenges are possible in other countries. Or even across multiple countries.

Are there any other countries or multiple countries where you could do something similar to that and travel a very long distance entirely on local buses. So not on Flixbus or Megabus or National Express or any equivalent service like that. Just entirely on local buses.

The issue i have found with a lot of other countries is that local bus networks rarely link up. I find in many countries local buses only exist within cities and towns and rarely run between them. Normally the railway is the only method of getting long distances. I think the UK is quite unique in having local buses everywhere linking up with each other and also competing with railways. So i suspect such a challenge would be a lot harder in any other countries.

 

[Trainguy34]

I was able to make a plan to get from The most Southern - Northern Stagecoach Stop and The most Eastern - Western Stagecoach Stop only using Stagecoach (And ferries to get to an island and a Megabus to get across a section with physically no Stagecoach buses), shows how much you can go.

 

[johnnychips]

This gentleman went from London via Dieppe to Paris in a day, but did struggle with a lack of rural buses during non-peak and non-school start/finish times.

 

[DanielB]

I think the UK is quite unique in having local buses everywhere linking up with each other and also competing with railways.

Not entirely. The linking up of buses with railways in the Netherlands does definitely offer opportunities to change between buses as well.

Just some thinking where I can get from my home town Amersfoort by bus only...
- Amersfoort - 280 - Rhenen - 50 - Wageningen - 352 - Arnhem - 300 - Nijmegen - 83 - Venlo - 66 - Roermond - 67 - Echt (and there it ends, as there are no buses crossing the narrowest part of the Netherlands, only trains)

- Amersfoort - 34 - Utrecht Westraven - 65 - Vianen Lekbrug - 388 - Papendrecht - 491 - Rotterdam Zuidplein - 436 - Oude Tonge - 133 - Middelburg - 50 - Gent (B)

- Amersfoort - 70 - Hilversum - 320 - Amsterdam Amstel - 37 - Amsterdam Noord - 314 - Hoorn - 135 - Den Helder

- Amersfoort - 3 - Amersfoort Vathorst - 101 - Harderwijk - 111 - Nunspeet - 301 - Dedemsvaart - 31 - Hoogeveen - 27 - Emmen - 72 - Winschoten

So that's actually pretty much all four corners of the country.

 

[JonasB]

In Sweden local bus networks usually link up in certain places. In Swedish, but here is a youtuber travelling from Malmö to Stockholm using only local buses:

He has also done Stockholm-Gothenburg and Oslo-Stockholm local buses, and I see no reason why he can't continue. Trelleborg-Karesuando should be possible by local bus, a bit over 1500 km as the crow flies.

 

[johncrossley]

There was a previous thread on this topic

Trivia: Furthest distance that you can travel in other countries using entirely local buses only.

One thing i have noticed when looking at the local bus networks in other countries is that the UK seems quite unique in that we can use local bus services to travel between any two places in the country. In most other countries it appears that the local bus networks rarely link up with each...

www.railforums.co.uk

Belgium is another country which you could ride right across and it would cost very little. De Lijn operate throughout the Flemish region which stretches from the coast to the southern tip of the Netherlands and a 7.50 EUR day ticket is valid on the whole network, other than a small number of exceptions.

 

[nwales58]

First, define 'local bus' more precisely. In many countries the limited stop express versus local is not that clear, practically or statutorily.

E.g. here in Wales you can travel from the north to south coasts using only 2 buses, T2 and T1X, these are local services stopping everywhere apart from the last leg of T1X. But decades ago T1 and T4 were coach services 7xx from (crap) memory.

Similarly in Sweden Norrbotten bus 20 takes you from Umea to Haparanda in 7-8 hours in a double decker but also carries people from one village to the next. But the equivalent in northern Finland run by Eskelisen or Onnibus looks like National Express.

Vehicle type does not help. In Spain, outside cities, most local services are operated by coaches. The same operator and vehicles are used for local services to villages as well as longer distance services to a regional city. Those often are a mixture of stopping in every village and limited stop sections. No idea how Spain complies with PSVAR, don't recall seeing a lift on any high-floored vehicle there.

Ditto Portugal. Exclude Rede-Expressos, but Rodonorte and other regional companies run a mixture of local services, some running long distances, and mixed local/limited stop services.

So I think the local/express distinction is too hard to make unless you can find a regulatory or statutory distinction for each country. Yes, there is an EU definition, but we skirt around it and the tachograph requirement etc by registering a single route in multiple segments so I would guess other countries do too.

France is easy, most regions have really awful rural buses and especially across region boundaries so you won't get far before being frustrated.

 

[stadler]

I was able to make a plan to get from The most Southern - Northern Stagecoach Stop and The most Eastern - Western Stagecoach Stop only using Stagecoach (And ferries to get to an island and a Megabus to get across a section with physically no Stagecoach buses), shows how much you can go.

I worked out that it is possible to get from Dover to Newtown and from Wrexham to John O Groats entirely on Stagecoach buses. So no Megabus or anything like that required. It is a shame about that small gap in Wales between Newtown and Wrexham as otherwise you could travel from Dover to John O Groats entirely on local Stagecoach buses only.

This gentleman went from London via Dieppe to Paris in a day, but did struggle with a lack of rural buses during non-peak and non-school start/finish times.

Thank you for the video link. Interesting to see that Dieppe to Paris on local buses is possible. I doubt it but i wonder if there is any possible routes that you could continue further South from Paris and get as far as the Mediterranean coast.

Not entirely. The linking up of buses with railways in the Netherlands does definitely offer opportunities to change between buses as well.

Just some thinking where I can get from my home town Amersfoort by bus only...
- Amersfoort - 280 - Rhenen - 50 - Wageningen - 352 - Arnhem - 300 - Nijmegen - 83 - Venlo - 66 - Roermond - 67 - Echt (and there it ends, as there are no buses crossing the narrowest part of the Netherlands, only trains)

- Amersfoort - 34 - Utrecht Westraven - 65 - Vianen Lekbrug - 388 - Papendrecht - 491 - Rotterdam Zuidplein - 436 - Oude Tonge - 133 - Middelburg - 50 - Gent (B)

- Amersfoort - 70 - Hilversum - 320 - Amsterdam Amstel - 37 - Amsterdam Noord - 314 - Hoorn - 135 - Den Helder

- Amersfoort - 3 - Amersfoort Vathorst - 101 - Harderwijk - 111 - Nunspeet - 301 - Dedemsvaart - 31 - Hoogeveen - 27 - Emmen - 72 - Winschoten

So that's actually pretty much all four corners of the country.

I think the Netherlands probably has the most similar public transport to what the UK and Ireland has in that they have plenty of frequent turn up and go bus and train services across the country. I am surprised though that there are no local buses across the narrow Southern part to Maastricht or Heerlen but yet you can get by bus to the much more rural and empty Northern parts in the Drenthe and Groningen area. If you can get to Venlo then i presume there are likely buses going further in to Germany in to the Cologne / Dortmund / Dusseldorf / Duisburg area as this area appears to be mostly a continuous urban area so presumably has good buses.

In Sweden local bus networks usually link up in certain places. In Swedish, but here is a youtuber travelling from Malmö to Stockholm using only local buses:

He has also done Stockholm-Gothenburg and Oslo-Stockholm local buses, and I see no reason why he can't continue. Trelleborg-Karesuando should be possible by local bus, a bit over 1500 km as the crow flies.

Unfortunately there are no English subtitles but they certainly look like some interesting challenges. I am surprised how far you can travel on local buses seeing how rural parts of Sweden and Norway are. I wonder whether any connecting buses run to Denmark and Finland to enable a Denmark to Finland by local buses challenge.

There was a previous thread on this topic

Trivia: Furthest distance that you can travel in other countries using entirely local buses only.

One thing i have noticed when looking at the local bus networks in other countries is that the UK seems quite unique in that we can use local bus services to travel between any two places in the country. In most other countries it appears that the local bus networks rarely link up with each...

www.railforums.co.uk

Belgium is another country which you could ride right across and it would cost very little. De Lijn operate throughout the Flemish region which stretches from the coast to the southern tip of the Netherlands and a 7.50 EUR day ticket is valid on the whole network, other than a small number of exceptions.

Thank you for the link to the old thread. Now that you mention the Belgian network this has me wondering if you could connect further to France to enable you to get from a ferry port to the Netherlands entirely on local buses. I wonder if any combination of buses from Dieppe or Calais or Dunkirk to Belgium exists so you could connect to De Lijn services and then connect with Dutch services.

First, define 'local bus' more precisely. In many countries the limited stop express versus local is not that clear, practically or statutorily.

E.g. here in Wales you can travel from the north to south coasts using only 2 buses, T2 and T1X, these are local services stopping everywhere apart from the last leg of T1X. But decades ago T1 and T4 were coach services 7xx from (crap) memory.

Similarly in Sweden Norrbotten bus 20 takes you from Umea to Haparanda in 7-8 hours in a double decker but also carries people from one village to the next. But the equivalent in northern Finland run by Eskelisen or Onnibus looks like National Express.

Vehicle type does not help. In Spain, outside cities, most local services are operated by coaches. The same operator and vehicles are used for local services to villages as well as longer distance services to a regional city. Those often are a mixture of stopping in every village and limited stop sections. No idea how Spain complies with PSVAR, don't recall seeing a lift on any high-floored vehicle there.

Ditto Portugal. Exclude Rede-Expressos, but Rodonorte and other regional companies run a mixture of local services, some running long distances, and mixed local/limited stop services.

So I think the local/express distinction is too hard to make unless you can find a regulatory or statutory distinction for each country. Yes, there is an EU definition, but we skirt around it and the tachograph requirement etc by registering a single route in multiple segments so I would guess other countries do too.

France is easy, most regions have really awful rural buses and especially across region boundaries so you won't get far before being frustrated.

You make a good point. Most other countries do not have such a clear distinction like we do. I think the UK is quite unique in having such a clear distinction between bus services and coach services. In fact i think it is mainly an England and Wales thing as Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland do not really have this distinction as much as we do. But you make a good point about how you define local bus services. I suppose i would say a local bus service is something run as part of the public transport network. So something like Flixbus or Megabus or National Express which runs as a long distance express service and offers pre booking is clearly not a local bus. But in some European countries like you mention it does seem to get a bit blurred with some operators using coaches and running long distance services but still being part of the local public transport network. It is much more complex than i thought once you look at other countries.

 

[DanielB]

I am surprised though that there are no local buses across the narrow Southern part to Maastricht or Heerlen but yet you can get by bus to the much more rural and empty Northern parts in the Drenthe and Groningen area.

Turns out I made a small mistake: there is a bus between Susteren and Sittard going through that narrowest part, but no buses from Echt to Susteren as nothing is in between and Arriva operates both train and bus there nowadays, so there is no fare advantage in a parallel bus anymore.
There used to be a bus Weert - Sittard via Belgium, but that doesn't exist anymore.

If you can get to Venlo then i presume there are likely buses going further in to Germany in to the Cologne / Dortmund / Dusseldorf / Duisburg area as this area appears to be mostly a continuous urban area so presumably has good buses.

Venlo (and actually the entire North Limburg area) has surprisingly little cross border buses. Probably due to the narrow strip of land between Maas and border with some hills, resulting in all villages being along one road with little east-west roadways.
Though there is route 1 to Kaldenkirchen from where you could get further into Germany.

You make a good point. Most other countries do not have such a clear distinction like we do. I think the UK is quite unique in having such a clear distinction between bus services and coach services.

For the Netherlands I just looked at services franchised under the Personenenvervoer 2000 act, which pretty much excludes coach services like Flixbus. Though indeed coaches on some long distance services do exist indeed.

 

[johncrossley]

Thank you for the link to the old thread. Now that you mention the Belgian network this has me wondering if you could connect further to France to enable you to get from a ferry port to the Netherlands entirely on local buses. I wonder if any combination of buses from Dieppe or Calais or Dunkirk to Belgium exists so you could connect to De Lijn services and then connect with Dutch services.

DK'Bus run the local buses in Dunkerque, as well as a bus from Leffrinckoucke (at the edge of Dunkerque) to De Panne in Belgium. DK'Bus services are free of charge, even to Belgium. However there is no bus service to Dunkerque port, and in any case there is no foot passenger service. However, bikes are allowed. There are foot passenger ferries to Calais. Getting from Calais to Dunkerque requires a change of bus in Gravelines. Bus 423 from Calais to Gravelines runs about 8 times a day, fare 1 euro. Gravelines to Dunkerque is part of the DK'Bus network so is free of charge.

Going onwards from De Panne, the 56 bus is only every 2 hours. There is the frequent Kusttram (Coastal Tram) if you allow those, which is also valid on the De Lijn day ticket.

 

[30907]

Czechia and Slovakia have extensive "local" bus networks so it should be possible to do quite long distances. Planning connections would be another matter entirely, as co-ordination isn't a characteristic, so it could be a slow process.

By contrast, it might be difficult in eg Switzerland because public transport is integrated!

 

[JonasB]

Unfortunately there are no English subtitles but they certainly look like some interesting challenges. I am surprised how far you can travel on local buses seeing how rural parts of Sweden and Norway are. I wonder whether any connecting buses run to Denmark and Finland to enable a Denmark to Finland by local buses challenge.

There are local buses to Finland, but no local buses to Denmark due to geography.

You make a good point. Most other countries do not have such a clear distinction like we do. I think the UK is quite unique in having such a clear distinction between bus services and coach services. In fact i think it is mainly an England and Wales thing as Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland do not really have this distinction as much as we do. But you make a good point about how you define local bus services. I suppose i would say a local bus service is something run as part of the public transport network. So something like Flixbus or Megabus or National Express which runs as a long distance express service and offers pre booking is clearly not a local bus. But in some European countries like you mention it does seem to get a bit blurred with some operators using coaches and running long distance services but still being part of the local public transport network. It is much more complex than i thought once you look at other countries.

The definition probably varies between countries as well. In Sweden I'd say that is a clear distinction between buses operated by a regional transport authority and buses(coaches) run on a for profit-basis, such as Flixbus. But the actual vehicles vary a lot, if you have a look through the video I posted he used both double deckers that would not look odd on a Flixbus route, and a small Mercedes Sprinter on a route that ran 6 times daily.

 

[stadler]

After reading a post in the other linked thread i decided to look at the USA and Canada and am very surprised by how far you can get. Normally the USA and Canada are known for awful non existent public transport. But surprisingly some areas do have a lot of local buses that link up.

--------

Surprisingly it appears you can almost get all the way from Squamish in Canada (North of Vancouver) to Tijuana in Mexico (just over the border) entirely by local buses. Unfortunately there is one small gap in the far South of California between Pechanga (South part of Riverside County) and Pala (North part of San Diego County) of about six miles. This would require about a 120 minute walk (or 90 minutes if you are a fast walker) or a taxi ride. But if you allow that short walk then you could do entirely Canada to Mexico by local bus. But even if you do not allow the walk you can still do Squamish to Pechanga which is almost at the Mexico border.

Squamish (Canada) to Tijuana (Mexico):

From: Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
To: Brunswick Beach, British Columbia, Canada
Route: Squamish Connector
Operator: Squamish Connector
Fare: CAD35.00

From: Brunswick Beach, British Columbia, Canada
To: Caulfeild, British Columbia, Canada
Route: 262
Operator: Translink
Fare: CAD3.15

From: Caulfeild, British Columbia, Canada
To: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Route: 253
Operator: Translink
Fare: CAD3.15

From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
To: Marine Drive, British Columbia, Canada
Route: 22
Operator: Translink
Fare: CAD3.15

From: Marine Drive, British Columbia, Canada
To: 22nd Street, British Columbia, Canada
Route: 100
Operator: Translink
Fare: CAD3.15

From: 22nd Street, British Columbia, Canada
To: Scottsdale, British Columbia, Canada
Route: 340
Operator: Translink
Fare: CAD3.15

From: Scottsdale, British Columbia, Canada
To: Newton, British Columbia, Canada
Route: R6 or 301 or 319 or 322
Operator: Translink
Fare: CAD3.15

From: Newton, British Columbia, Canada
To: Surrey Central, British Columbia, Canada
Route: R1 or 321 or 325 or 394
Operator: Translink
Fare: CAD3.15

From: Surrey Central, British Columbia, Canada
To: Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada
Route: 503
Operator: Translink
Fare: CAD3.15

From: Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada
To: Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Route: 21
Operator: BC Transit
Fare: CAD2.25

From: Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
To: Huntingdon, British Columbia, Canada
Route: 3
Operator: BC Transit
Fare: CAD2.25

****3 Minute Walk From Bus Stop To Border****

CANADA TO USA BORDER

****3 Minute Walk From Border To Bus Stop****

From: Sumas, Whatcom County, Washington
To: Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington
Route: 71X
Operator: Whatcom Transit
Fare: USD1.00

From: Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington
To: Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington
Route: 80X
Operator: Skagit Transit or Whatcom Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington
To: Everett, Snohomish County, Washington
Route: 90X
Operator: Skagit Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Everett, Snohomish County, Washington
To: Aurora Village, King County, Washington
Route: Swift Blue Line
Operator: Community Transit
Fare: USD2.50

From: Aurora Village, King County, Washington
To: Seattle, King County, Washington
Route: Rapid Ride E Line
Operator: King County Metro
Fare: USD2.75

From: Seattle, King County, Washington
To: Tukwila, King County, Washington
Route: 124
Operator: King County Metro
Fare: USD2.75

From: Tukwila, King County, Washington
To: Federal Way, King County, Washington
Route: Rapid Ride A Line
Operator: King County Metro
Fare: USD2.75

From: Federal Way, King County, Washington
To: Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington
Route: 500 or 501
Operator: Pierce Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington
To: Lakewood, Pierce County, Washington
Route: 2 or 3 or 48
Operator: Pierce Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Lakewood, Pierce County, Washington
To: Olympia, Thurston County, Washington
Route: 620
Operator: Intercity Transit
Fare: USD0.00

From: Olympia, Thurston County, Washington
To: Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Route: 40
Operator: Grays Harbor Transit
Fare: USD0.00

From: Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County, Washington
To: Raymond, Pacific County, Washington,
Route: 14
Operator: Pacific Transit
Fare: USD1.50

From: Raymond, Pacific County, Washington
To: Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon
Route: 50
Operator: Pacific Transit
Fare: USD1.50

From: Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon
To: Seaside, Clatsop County, Oregon
Route: 101
Operator: Sunset Empire Transportation District
Fare: USD1.00

From: Seaside, Clatsop County, Oregon,
To: Cannon Beach, Clatsop County, Oregon
Route: 20
Operator: Sunset Empire Transportation District
Fare: USD1.00

From: Cannon Beach, Clatsop County, Oregon
To: Tillamook, Tillamook County, Oregon
Route: 3
Operator: Tillamook County Transportation District
Fare: USD1.00

From: Tillamook, Tillamook County, Oregon
To: Lincoln City, Lincoln County, Oregon
Route: 4
Operator: Tillamook County Transportation District
Fare: USD1.00

From: Lincoln City, Lincoln County, Oregon,
To: Newport, Lincoln County, Oregon
Route: North County
Operator: Lincoln County Transit
Fare: USD3.00

From: Newport, Lincoln County, Oregon
To: Yachats, Lincoln County, Oregon
Route: South County
Operator: Lincoln County Transit
Fare: USD3.00

From: Yachats, Lincoln County, Oregon
To: Florence, Lane County, Oregon
Route: Florence Yachats Connector
Operator: Link Lane
Fare: USD2.50

From: Florence, Lane County, Oregon
To: North Bend, Coos County, Oregon
Route: Florence Express
Operator: Coos County Area Transit
Fare: USD8.00

From: North Bend, Coos County, Oregon
To: Smith River, Del Norte County, California
Route: Coastal Express
Operator: Curry County Public Transit
Fare: USD24.00

From: Smith River, Del Norte County, California
To: Eureka, Humboldt County, California
Route: 20
Operator: Redwood Coast Transit
Fare: USD12.00

From: Eureka, Humboldt County, California
To: Ukiah, Mendocino County, California
Route: Redwood Coast Express
Operator: Humboldt Transit Authority
Fare: USD2.00

From: Ukiah, Medocino County
To: Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California
Route: 65
Operator: Mendocino Transit Authority
Fare: USD18.00

From: Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California,
To: San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
Route: 101 or 164 or 172 or 172X
Operator: Golden Gate Transit
Fare: USD14.25

From: San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
To: San Mateo, San Mateo County, California
Route: 292
Operator: Sam Trans
Fare: USD2.25

From: San Mateo, San Mateo County, California
To: Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California
Route: ECR
Operator: Sam Trans
Fare: USD2.25

From: Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California
To: San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
Route: 22 or 522
Operator: VTA
Fare: USD2.50

From: San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
To: Gilroy, Santa Clara County, California
Route: 68
Operator: VTA
Fare: USD2.50

From: Gilroy, Santa Clara County, California
To: Salinas, Monterey County, California
Route: 29
Operator: Monterey Salinas Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Salinas, Monterey County, California
To: King City, Monterey County, California
Route: 23 or 23X
Operator: Monterey Salinas Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: King City, Monterey County, California
To: Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, California
Route: 84
Operator: Monterey Salinas Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, California
To: San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California
Route: 9
Operator: RTA
Fare: USD3.25

From: San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, Calif
To: Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California
Route: 10
Operator: RTA
Fare: USD3.25

From: Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California
To: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California
Route: 223 or 224
Operator: Clean Air Express
Fare: USD7.00

From: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California
To: Ventura, Ventura County, California
Route: 80 or 80X or 81 or 81B or 84 or 84U
Operator: VCTC
Fare: USD4.00

From: Ventura, Ventura County, California
To: Simi Valley, Ventura County, California
Route: 77
Operator: VCTC
Fare: USD1.75

From: Simi Valley, Ventura County, California
To: Chatsworth, Los Angeles County, California
Route: 10
Operator: Simi Valley Transit
Fare: USD1.50

From: Chatsworth, Los Angeles County, California
To: North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
Route: G
Operator: Metro
Fare: USD1.75

From: North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
To: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
Route: 94
Operator: Metro
Fare: USD1.75

From: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
To: Montclair, San Bernardino County, California
Route: 699 or SS
Operator: Foothill Transit
Fare: USD1.75

From: Montclair, San Bernardino County, California
To: Riverside, Riverside County, California
Route: 204
Operator: RTA
Fare: USD1.75

From: Riverside, Riverside County, California
To: Perris, Riverside County, California
Route: 22
Operator: RTA
Fare: USD1.75

From: Perris, Riverside County, California
To: Temecula, Riverside County, California
Route: 61
Operator: RTA
Fare: USD1.75

From: Temecula, Riverside County, California
To: Pechanga Resort, Riverside County, California
Route: 24
Operator: RTA
Fare: USD1.75

××××
BREAK - 6 MILES - NO BUSES
Walk: 2 Hour Walk
Or
Taxi: 15 Minute Drive
BREAK - 6 MILES - NO BUSES
××××

From: Pala, San Diego County, California
To: Escondido, San Diego County, California
Route: 388
Operator: NCTD
Fare: USD2.50

From: Escondido, San Diego County, California
To: San Diego, San Diego County, California
Route: 235 or 280
Operator: MTS
Fare: USD2.50 (235) or USD5.00 (280)

From: San Diego, San Diego County, California
To: Iris Avenue, San Diego County, California
Route: 929
Operator: MTS
Fare: USD2.50

From: Iris Avenue, San Diego County, California
To: San Ysidro, San Diego County, California
Route: 906 or 907
Operator: MTS
Fare: USD2.50

USA TO MEXICO BORDER

****3 Minute Walk From Bus Stop To Border****

CANADA TO USA BORDER

****3 Minute Walk From Border To Bus Stop****

Tijuana, Mexico
(Possibly Local Buses Here)

If anyone knows of any local buses that i have missed covering the Pechanga to Pala gap then do let me know. But i suspect there is nothing.

It is impossible to find out any information online (at least not by searching in the English language) but i wonder if you could continue further South from Tijuana by local buses. Tijana is a huge city so there must be local buses. Possibly you could continue to Rosarito or even as far as Ensenada maybe. But i am not sure as information anout local buses in Tijuana is impossible to find online.

--------

You can also get from North Beverly in Massachusetts (North of Boston) to Spotsylvania in Virginia (South of Washington DC) entirely by local buses. This is the second longest possible route anywhere in the USA i would presume.

North Beverly (Massachusetts) to Spotsylvania (Virginia):

From: North Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts
To: Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
Route: 451
Operator: MBTA
Fare: USD1.70

From: Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
To: Revere, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Route: 450 or 450W
Operator: MBTA
Fare: USD1.70

From: Revere, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
To: Chelsea, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Route: 116 or 117
Operator: MBTA
Fare: USD1.70

From: Chelsea, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
To: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Route: 111
Operator: MBTA
Fare: USD1.70

From: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
To: Fitchburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Route: Boston Shuttle
Operator: MART
Fare: USD12.00

From: Fitchburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts
To: Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Route: Intercity MWCC or Intercity Express
Operator: MART
Fare: USD2.00

From: Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts
To: Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts
Route: Gardner Athol Link
Operator: MART
Fare: USD2.00

From: Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts
To: Orange, Franklin County, Massachusetts
Route: Athol Orange Shuttle
Operator: MART
Fare: USD1.00

From: Orange, Franklin County, Massachusetts
To: Greenfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts
Route: 32
Operator: FRTA
Fare: USD0.00

From: Greenfield, Franlin County, Massachusetts
To: Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Route: 23
Operator: FRTA
Fare: USD0.00

From: Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusett
To: Holyoke, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Route: B48
Operator: PVTA
Fare: USD1.50

From: Holyoke, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
To: Springfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Route: P20 or P21 or P21E
Operator: PVTA
Fare: USD1.50

From: Springfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
To: Enfield, Hartford County, Connecticut
Route: G5
Operator: PVTA
Fare: USD1.50

From: Enfield, Hartford County, Connecticut
To: Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut
Route: 905
Operator: CT Transit
Fare: USD4.10

From: Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut
To: New Haven, New Haven County Connecticut
Route: 950
Operator: CT Transit
Fare: USD6.00

From: New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut
To: CT Post Mall, New Haven County Connecticut
Route: 261 or 261X
Operator: CT Transit
Fare: USD1.75

From: CT Post Mall, New Haven County Connecticut
To: Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Route: Coastal Link
Operator: GBT or MTD or NTD
Fare: USD1.75

From: Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut
To: Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Route: 341
Operator: CT Transit
Fare: USD1.75

From: Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut
To: Port Chester, Westchester County, New York
Route: 311
Operator: CT Transit
Fare: USD1.75

From: Port Chester, Westchester County, New York
To: Fordham, Bronx County, New York
Route: 61
Operator: Bee Line
Fare: USD2.75

From: Fordham, Bronx County, New York
To: Inwood 207 St, New York County, New York
Route: BX12
Operator: MTA
Fare: USD2.90

From: Inwood 207 St, New York County, New York
To: Harlem MLK Blvd, New York County, New York
Route: M100
Operator: MTA
Fare: USD2.90

From: Harlem MLK Blvd, New York County, New York
To: New York City, New York County, New York
Route: M11
Operator: MTA
Fare: USD2.90

From: New York City, New York County, New York
To: Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey
Route: 112
Operator: New Jersey Transit
Fare: USD7.00

From: Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey
To: Woodbridge Mall, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Route: 48
Operator: New Jersey Transit
Fare: USD3.15

From: Woodbridge Mall, Middlesex County, New Jersey
To: New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Route: 810 or 815
Operator: New Jersey Transit
Fare: USD2.55 (810) or USD3.80 (815)

From: New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey
To: Junction 8A, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Route: M1
Operator: Middlesex County Area Transit
Fare: USD1.00

From: Junction 8A, Middlesex County, New Jersey
To: Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey
Route: 130
Operator: Greater Mercer Transportation Management
Fare: USD1.00

From: Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey
To: Oxford Valley Mall, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Route: 127
Operator: SEPTA
Fare: USD2.50

From: Oxford Valley Mall, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
To: Frankford, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Route: 14
Operator: SEPTA
Fare: USD2.50

From: Frankford, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
To: Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Route: 5
Operator: SEPTA
Fare: USD2.50

From: Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
To: 69th Street, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Route: 21
Operator: SEPTA
Fare: USD2.50

From: 69th Street, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
To: Claymont, New Castle County, Delaware
Route: 113
Operator: SEPTA
Fare: USD2.50

From: Claymont, New Castle County, Delaware
To: Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
Route: 13
Operator: DART
Fare: USD2.00

From: Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
To: Newark, New Castle County, Delaware
Route: 6 or 10 or 33 or 42
Operator: DART
Fare: USD2.00

From: Newark, New Castle County, Delaware
To: Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland
Route: 4
Operator: Cecil Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland
To: Perryville, Cecil County, Maryland
Route: 2
Operator: Cecil Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Perryville, Cecil County, Maryland
To: Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland
Route: 5
Operator: Harford Transit
Fare: USD1.00

From: Aberdeen, Cecil County, Maryland
To: Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland
Route: 420
Operator: MTA
Fare: USD6.00

From: Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland
To: Columbia, Howard County, Maryland
Route: 310 or 320
Operator: MTA
Fare: USD5.00

From: Columbia, Howard County, Maryland
To: Washington, District Of Columbia
Route: 305 or 315 or 325
Operator: MTA
Fare: USD6.00

From: Washington, District Of Columbia
To: Garrisonville, Stafford County, Virginia
Route: 541 or 942 or 943
Operator: Omni Ride
Fare: USD9.00

From: Garrisonville, Stafford County, Virginia
To: Stafford, Stafford County, Virgina
Route: D3
Operator: FXBGO
Fare: USD1.25

From: Stafford, Stafford County, Virginia
To: Fredricksburg, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Route: D5
Operator: FXBGO
Fare: USD1.25

From: Fredricksburg, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
To: Lees Hill Corner, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Route: F2 or F3
Operator: FXBGO
Fare: USD1.25

From: Lees Hill Corner, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
To: Spotsylvania, Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Route: S4
Operator: FXBGO
Fare: USD1.25

I am surprised you can not get any further North though. As the Boston area is quite a big urban area so i expected more local buses going beyond North Beverly but i can find nothing.

--------

I also looked in Florida and surprisingly you can get from Key West (the islands in the far South of Florida) all the way to Sebastian (in the far North of Indian River County) entirely by local buses. I also looked to see if you could get further and you can almost get to Lakeland in Polk County if it was not for three short gaps. The three gaps are all ten or twenty minutes drive but a couple hours walk. So if you are willing to walk or take a taxi to cover these three short gaps then Key West to Lakeland is possible but otherwise only Key West to Sebastian is possible.

Key West (Florida) to Sebastian (Florida):

From: Key West, Monroe County, Florida
To: Marathon, Monroe County, Florida
Route: Lower Keys Shuttle
Operator: Key West Transit
Fare: USD4.00

From: Marathon, Monroe County, Florida
To: Florida City, Dade County, Florida
Route: 301
Operator: Miami Dade Transit Metrobus
Fare: USD2.65

From: Florida City, Dade County, Florida
To: Dadeland South, Dade County, Florida
Route: 34 or 38
Operator: Miami Dade Transit Metrobus
Fare: USD2.25

From: Dadeland South, Dade County, Florida
To: Miami, Dade County, Florida
Route: 400
Operator: Miami Dade Transit Metrobus
Fare: USD2.25

From: Miami, Dade County, Florida
To: Aventura Mall, Dade County, Florida
Route: 3 or 9 or 9A or 203
Operator: Miami Dade Transit Metrobus
Fare: USD2.25

From: Aventura Mall, Dade County, Florida
To: Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida
Route: 1
Operator: Broward County Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida
To: Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Florida
Route: 10
Operator: Broward County Transit
Fare: USD2.00

From: Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Florida
To: The Gardens Mall, Palm Beach County, Florida
Route: 1
Operator: Palm Tran
Fare: USD2.00

From: The Gardens Mall, Palm Beach County, Florida
To: Indian River College, Martin County, Florida
Route: 20X
Operator: Marty
Fare: USD2.00

From: Indian River College, Martin County, Florida
To: Treasure Coast Mall, Martin County, Florida
Route: 1
Operator: Marty
Fare: USD1.50

From: Treasure Coast Mall, Martin County, Florida
To: Fort Pierce, Port Saint Lucie County, Florida,
Route: 1
Operator: Saint Lucie County Area Regional Transit
Fare: USD0.00

From: Fort Pierce, Port Saint Lucie County, Florida
To: IG Center, Indian River County, Florida
Route: 7
Operator: Saint Lucie County Area Regional Transit
Fare: USD0.00

From: IG Center, Indian River County, Florida
To: Indian River Mall, Indian River County, Florida
Route: 7
Operator: Go Line
Fare: USD0.00

From: Indian River Mall, Indian River County, Florida
To: North County Hub, Indian River County, Florida
Route: 9
Operator: Go Line
Fare: USD0.00

From: North County Hub, Indian River County, Florida
To: Sebastian River MC, Indian River County, Florida
Route: 5
Operator: Go Line
Fare: USD0.00

××××
BREAK - 14 MILES - NO BUS ROUTES
Walk: 4 Hour Walk
Or
Taxi: 20 Minute Drive
BREAK - 14 MILES - NO BUS ROUTES
××××

From: Malabar Palm Bay Hosp, Brevard County, Florida
To: Hammock Landing, Brevard County, Florida
Route: 22
Operator: 321 Transit
Fare: USD1.50

From: Hammock Landing, Brevard County, Florida
To: Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida
Route: 25
Operator: 321 Transit
Fare: USD1.50

From: Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida
To: Viera, Brevard County, Florida
Route: 29
Operator: 321 Transit
Fare: USD1.50

From: Viera, Brevard County, Florida
To: Titusville, Brevard County, Florida
Route: 1
Operator: 321 Transit
Fare: USD1.50

From: Titusville, Brevard County, Florida,
To: Cape Canaveral Cemetery, Brevard County, Florida
Route: 5
Operator: 321 Transit
Fare: USD1.50

××××
BREAK - 8 MILES - NO BUS ROUTES
Walk: 2 Hour Walk
Or
Taxi: 10 Minute Drive
BREAK - 8 MILES - NO BUS ROUTES
××××

From: Oak Hill, Volusia County, Florida
To: New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida
Route: 41
Operator: Vo Tran
Fare: USD1.75

From: New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida
To: Port Orange, Volusia County, Florida
Route: 40
Operator: Vo Tran
Fare: USD1.75

From: Port Orange, Volusia County, Florida
To: Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida
Route: 4 or 7 or 12 or 17B
Operator: Vo Tran
Fare: USD1.75

From: Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida
To: Deland, Volusia County, Florida
Route: 60
Operator: Vo Tran
Fare: USD1.75

From: Deland, Volusia County, Florida
To: Debary, Volusia County, Florida
Route: 31
Operator: Vo Tran
Fare: USD1.75

××××
BREAK - 4 MILES - NO BUSES
Walk: 1 Hour Walk
or
Taxi: 5 Minute Drive
BREAK - 4 MILES - NO BUSES
××××

From: Saint Josephs, Seminole County, Florida
To: Sanford Station, Seminole County, Florida
Route: 46W
Operator: Lynx
Fare: USD2.00

From: Sanford Station, Seminole County, Florida
To: Seminole Center, Seminole County, Florida
Route: 34
Operator: Lynx
Fare: USD2.00

From: Seminole Centre, Seminole County, Florida
To: Fern Park, Seminole County, Florida
Route: 103
Operator: Lynx
Fare: USD2.00

From: Fern Park, Seminole County, Florida
To: Orlando, Orange County, Florida
Route: 102
Operator: Lynx
Fare: USD2.00

From: Orlando, Orange County, Florida
To: Kissimmee, Osceola County, Florida
Route: 18 or 441
Operator: Lynx
Fare: USD2.00

From: Kissimmee, Osceola County, Florida
To: Poinciana, Osceola County, Florida
Route: 26
Operator: Lynx
Fare: USD2.00

From: Poinciana, Osceola County, Florida
To: Haines City, Polk County, Florida
Route: 16X
Operator: Citrus Connection
Fare: USD1.50

From: Haines City, Polk County, Florida
To: Winter Haven, Polk County, Florida
Route: 15
Operator: Citrus Connection
Fare: USD1.50

From: Winter Haven, Polk County, Florida
To: Lakeland, Polk County, Florida
Route: 12
Operator: Citrus Connection
Fare: USD1.50

Unfortunately getting to Tampa or Jacksonville seems to be impossible with huge gaps that could definitely not be covered by walking and would take a much longer drive. Surprisingly nothing exists from Lakeland to Tampa but i suppose this is somewhere where everyone has cars.

--------

Not quite as impressive but i was surprised to see that you can get from Happy Valley (North of Phoenix) to Green Valley (South Of Tucson) entirely by local buses. This is quite a far distance especially in a state with very little public transport.

Happy Valley (Arizona) to Green Valley (Arizona):

From: Happy Valley, Maricopa County, Arizona
To: Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
Route: 19 or 35
Operator: Valley Metro
Fare: USD2.00

From: Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
To: Desert Sky Mall, Maricopa County, Arizona
Route: 29
Operator: Valley Metro
Fare: USD2.00

From: Desert Sky Mall, Maricopa County, Arizona
To: Ajo, Pima County, Arizona
Route: 685
Operator: Valley Metro
Fare: USD4.00

From: Ajo, Pima County, Arizona
To: Tucson, Pima County, Arizona
Route: 486
Operator: Sun Tran
Fare: USD0.00

From: Tucson, Pima County, Arizona
To: Green Valley, Pima County, Arizona
Route: 421X
Operator: Sun Tran
Fare: USD0.00

It is a very indirect route. In terms of mileage it goes a very long way round and probably covers double the amount of miles than if you were to drive.

--------

Looking in to this has made my grateful at how good our publicity is in the UK. In the USA there are no sites like bustimes so you have to search for each individual operators websites. But the terrible thing is reading the timetables. They are written so poorly. So many of them have extremely vague descriptions of stops like "Walmart" without even telling you what town or location it is in and you have to work it out yourself. Then where multiple operators serve the same stop they will often use completely different names. Some of the maps provided are extremely vague too. Then you have the fact that everything is written in the 12hr clock instead of the 24hr clock making it easy to look at the wrong times. The publicity and timetables are awful in the USA.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

Venlo (and actually the entire North Limburg area) has surprisingly little cross border buses. Probably due to the narrow strip of land between Maas and border with some hills, resulting in all villages being along one road with little east-west roadways.
Though there is route 1 to Kaldenkirchen from where you could get further into Germany.

There's also the 29 to Neukirchen-Vluyn, Vluyner Südring. It used to be a through service with the 929 to Duisburg which now starts at Vluyner Südring, but it's been split in 2017. I don't really know what's the point of this strange route now connecting Venlo with Neukirchen-Vluyn

 

[nwales58]

There's also the 29 to Neukirchen-Vluyn, Vluyner Südring. ... I don't really know what's the point of this strange route now connecting Venlo with Neukirchen-Vluyn

Shopping maybe? 3 times per day but times not suitable for work.

This started to intrigue me about buses in Germany and similar countries where networks are structured as feeders. Intermodal ticketing means there is no practical reason for not using feeder bus and regional trains (unlike here where sticking to buses can be very cheap or free over 60).

For Germany you seem to need either inter-town routes where there is no railway so the bus service is frequent and fast-ish, or paralleling a railway in built-up areas where buses exist but are slower. Otherwise there are frustrating gaps.

Starting at the most northerly point on the Danish border, N of Klanxbühl the simplest route I could find quickly needed several dog-legs: Niebühl Flensburg Schleswig Eckernförde Rendsburg Hohenwestedt Itzehoe Elmshorn Pinneberg Altona (somewhere S of the Elbe tunnel) Harburg ...

So you probably can get all the way to Oberstdorf or Mittenwald but it would take over a week as against a very long day on RE trains.

 

[stadler]

Turns out I made a small mistake: there is a bus between Susteren and Sittard going through that narrowest part, but no buses from Echt to Susteren as nothing is in between and Arriva operates both train and bus there nowadays, so there is no fare advantage in a parallel bus anymore.
There used to be a bus Weert - Sittard via Belgium, but that doesn't exist anymore.


Venlo (and actually the entire North Limburg area) has surprisingly little cross border buses. Probably due to the narrow strip of land between Maas and border with some hills, resulting in all villages being along one road with little east-west roadways.
Though there is route 1 to Kaldenkirchen from where you could get further into Germany.

For the Netherlands I just looked at services franchised under the Personenenvervoer 2000 act, which pretty much excludes coach services like Flixbus. Though indeed coaches on some long distance services do exist indeed.

Do you know of any websites where you can download network maps for the Netherlands bus networks? Are there any PDF maps available? I have found some for Belgium on the De Lijn site but can not seem to find any for the Netherlands once you cross the border. I am trying to plan from Calais to as far as you can get and have found routes to Oostburg so far but am struggling to work out the routes going further.

DK'Bus run the local buses in Dunkerque, as well as a bus from Leffrinckoucke (at the edge of Dunkerque) to De Panne in Belgium. DK'Bus services are free of charge, even to Belgium. However there is no bus service to Dunkerque port, and in any case there is no foot passenger service. However, bikes are allowed. There are foot passenger ferries to Calais. Getting from Calais to Dunkerque requires a change of bus in Gravelines. Bus 423 from Calais to Gravelines runs about 8 times a day, fare 1 euro. Gravelines to Dunkerque is part of the DK'Bus network so is free of charge.

Going onwards from De Panne, the 56 bus is only every 2 hours. There is the frequent Kusttram (Coastal Tram) if you allow those, which is also valid on the De Lijn day ticket.

Thank you for the information. I am surprised DK Bus is entirely free. I thought that Luxembourg was the only place in Europe with free public transport. But it seems not.

It looks like there is a short fifteen or twenty minute walk in Belgium between Adinkerke and De Panne required to get from the 20 bus to the 56 bus. There seems to be no buses covering this gap. But i still count this as the gap is very small. You can easily walk it very quickly.

Czechia and Slovakia have extensive "local" bus networks so it should be possible to do quite long distances. Planning connections would be another matter entirely, as co-ordination isn't a characteristic, so it could be a slow process.

By contrast, it might be difficult in eg Switzerland because public transport is integrated!

Interestingly i have just had a quick look at local bus routes there and found that the Czech Republic has some six digit route numbers! Those are the longest route numbers i have seen! I am trying to work it out but if Czech Republic and Slovakia have extensive local bus networks then maybe it is possible to get all the way from Calais to the far East of Slovakia by local buses. If it is possible then that may be the record for the longest distance you can travel by local buses.

There are local buses to Finland, but no local buses to Denmark due to geography.



The definition probably varies between countries as well. In Sweden I'd say that is a clear distinction between buses operated by a regional transport authority and buses(coaches) run on a for profit-basis, such as Flixbus. But the actual vehicles vary a lot, if you have a look through the video I posted he used both double deckers that would not look odd on a Flixbus route, and a small Mercedes Sprinter on a route that ran 6 times daily.

I must say i am very surprised at the lack of Denmark to Sweden local buses. The two large urban areas of Copenhagen and Malmo are directly opposite each other and even have suburban trains running multiple times an hour. I would have thought they would have local buses across the bridge and tunnel.

Sweden seems to be similar to Ireland and Northern Ireland in that coaches are very often used on local bus routes. I seem to recall that Bus Eireann and Translink do this a lot. I suppose it is good for passenger comfort but it is not so good for the elderly and disabled.

There's also the 29 to Neukirchen-Vluyn, Vluyner Südring. It used to be a through service with the 929 to Duisburg which now starts at Vluyner Südring, but it's been split in 2017. I don't really know what's the point of this strange route now connecting Venlo with Neukirchen-Vluyn

That is good to know you can reach Venlo to Duisburg in two buses. I am just trying to work out onward routes from the Netherlands and see how far in to Germany i can get. Can i also ask if you know of any websites to download bus maps for Germany for local buses? In particular the NRW area would be helpful?

Shopping maybe? 3 times per day but times not suitable for work.

This started to intrigue me about buses in Germany and similar countries where networks are structured as feeders. Intermodal ticketing means there is no practical reason for not using feeder bus and regional trains (unlike here where sticking to buses can be very cheap or free over 60).

For Germany you seem to need either inter-town routes where there is no railway so the bus service is frequent and fast-ish, or paralleling a railway in built-up areas where buses exist but are slower. Otherwise there are frustrating gaps.

Starting at the most northerly point on the Danish border, N of Klanxbühl the simplest route I could find quickly needed several dog-legs: Niebühl Flensburg Schleswig Eckernförde Rendsburg Hohenwestedt Itzehoe Elmshorn Pinneberg Altona (somewhere S of the Elbe tunnel) Harburg ...

So you probably can get all the way to Oberstdorf or Mittenwald but it would take over a week as against a very long day on RE trains.

That seems to be the case in large parts of Germany and Austria and Switzerland and some other European countries. Buses seem to be used to get you between the railway stations and somewhere without a railway rather than being used to compete with the railway. I suppose it makes sense as trains are quicker. But it does seem like it could be inconvenient for some as a direct bus route running parallel with a railway line can serve far more places along a railway line between stations.

 

[philg999]

Do you know of any websites where you can download network maps for the Netherlands bus networks? Are there any PDF maps available? I have found some for Belgium on the De Lijn site but can not seem to find any for the Netherlands once you cross the border.

There’s probably a better approach but I usually go to https://busposities.nl, open the ‘livekaart’, zoom in then out again so I can see which buses are operating in that region… then search for ‘lijnennetkaart’ on that operator’s website. Most of them have maps available.

 

[johncrossley]

Do you know of any websites where you can download network maps for the Netherlands bus networks? Are there any PDF maps available? I have found some for Belgium on the De Lijn site but can not seem to find any for the Netherlands once you cross the border. I am trying to plan from Calais to as far as you can get and have found routes to Oostburg so far but am struggling to work out the routes going further.

You can normally find maps on the website of each bus company or by searching for "lijnennetkaart" and then the province name. For example, the main bus operator in Zeeland (where Oostburg is) is Connexxion, and you can find all of their maps here.

Line network maps and line folders

www.connexxion.nl

If you are going east from there, the next province is Noord-Brabant, where the main operator is Arriva, using the Bravo branding, and their maps are here

Stads- en streekbussen | Bravo

www.bravo.info

The next province is Limburg, so searching for "limburg lijnennetkaart" gives you

https://www.arriva.nl/media/dsmlvnfi/web-arriva_midden-noord-limburg_495-x-678-mm_23-24_lowres.pdf for the north of the province
https://arriva-reisinfo.fis.nl/data/pdfs/Lijnennetkaart Arriva Regio Zuid-Limburg.pdf for the south

(note there is also a Limbug province in Belgium, so be careful!)

You can plan a route in the Netherlands using the 9292.nl website, removing all transport options other than bus.

When you are out there it is a good idea to use the OV-info app for real time departures.

If you are planning to travel across the Netherlands by bus only then it would be a good idea to know about the day tickets available. Generally there is a day ticket for each province which sometimes allows you to cross into the next province. Day tickets can usually be bought from the driver using bank cards only as cash is not accepted. You can touch in and touch out using a bank card but that will usually be more expensive for longer distances.

https://www.rover.nl/reistips/dagkaartenoverzicht has an overview of the day tickets available in each province (in Dutch, so use Google Translate or similar)

Thank you for the information. I am surprised DK Bus is entirely free. I thought that Luxembourg was the only place in Europe with free public transport. But it seems not.

Plenty of towns in France have free travel, some are free just for residents but most are free for everyone. Buses in Calais are also free for everybody. Tallin in Estonia has free travel for residents. There is a list of towns with free travel here, which looks incomplete for France at least

Free public transport - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It looks like there is a short fifteen or twenty minute walk in Belgium between Adinkerke and De Panne required to get from the 20 bus to the 56 bus. There seems to be no buses covering this gap. But i still count this as the gap is very small. You can easily walk it very quickly.

The Kusttram stops at De Panne railway station ("Adinkerke gare" in the French bus timetable) so you can get the frequent tram from there to De Panne town centre for the 56, and you are allowed to change from one to the other for free on a single ticket or by contactless (as long as it is within an hour).

 

[DanielB]

You can normally find maps on the website of each bus company or by searching for "lijnennetkaart" and then the province name. For example, the main bus operator in Zeeland (where Oostburg is) is Connexxion, and you can find all of their maps here.

Alternative option, which I used for the earlier suggestions, is to visit the OV in Nederland wiki which has route information for any bus in the Netherlands. For Zeeland, see an overview of routes here: https://wiki.ovinnederland.nl/wiki/Concessie_Zeeland_(2015-2026)

On the route pages bus stations are a link which leads to an overview of other routes on that bus station. Not as easy as maps, but also gives an idea of how frequent a bus runs.
For the maps themselves, the previous posters already gave good suggestions.

If you are planning to travel across the Netherlands by bus only then it would be a good idea to know about the day tickets available. Generally there is a day ticket for each province which sometimes allows you to cross into the next province. Day tickets can usually be bought from the driver using bank cards only as cash is not accepted. You can touch in and touch out using a bank card but that will usually be more expensive for longer distances.

Be aware many regions will stop selling paper tickets on buses later this year. Day tickets may however still be available as chipcard product or from ticket and service desks.

 

[Taunton]

It is impossible to find out any information online (at least not by searching in the English language) but i wonder if you could continue further South from Tijuana by local buses. Tijana is a huge city so there must be local buses. Possibly you could continue to Rosarito or even as far as Ensenada maybe. But i am not sure as information anout local buses in Tijuana is impossible to find online.



Looking in to this has made my grateful at how good our publicity is in the UK. In the USA there are no sites like bustimes so you have to search for each individual operators websites. But the terrible thing is reading the timetables. They are written so poorly. So many of them have extremely vague descriptions of stops like "Walmart" without even telling you what town or location it is in and you have to work it out yourself. Then where multiple operators serve the same stop they will often use completely different names. Some of the maps provided are extremely vague too. Then you have the fact that everything is written in the 12hr clock instead of the 24hr clock making it easy to look at the wrong times. The publicity and timetables are awful in the USA.

I've not been to Tijuana and south thereof for some time, but there certainly was then a very substantial bus system in Mexico, far more than in the USA. Very independent, bitty and unpublicised, but is there, both for long distance and local area. The concept of timetables is somewhat lost, they are more of the 'leave when full' approach. I've certainly gone down to Ensenada and back this way. The number of through long distance buses at least claiming to be going to Mexico City, about a 3 day drive, was also extraordinary.

City buses in Tijuana were likewise independent operators, with (also typical of Mexico) secondhand USA vehicles, some still with their former owners' branding and including former school buses, although over time as in other third world countries there are an increasing proportion of freelance stop-anywhere minibuses, which the USA has always called Jitneys from when they challenged city streetcars in the 1930s, but in Mexico are termed Taxis. The same term is used for proper taxis.

There were at least two mainstream bus stations in Tijuana, and maybe more I never found. Large open areas with heavy maintenance and junked vehicles across the way, plus a few decidedly concerning accident wrecks fully on view.