The Bus Post

Last week we had a couple of cold and rainy days, which made biking to school seem not quite as fun as usual. Spurred on by the colder weather and a drive to school that took me TWENTY MINUTES TO GO ONE MILE (not that I allowed myself to be ruffled by that, of course), we decided it was time to put to the test the stereotype of the wonderful European public transportation system.

Experiment 1: We take the bus home from school. This is easy because first of all, we have no time constraint, so if we miss the bus, that's no problem. Second, we know right where to start, since we pass a bus stop near school every morning. The 43 bus only comes every 15 minutes, so we have to wait a bit. That's actually a good thing, because it takes me some time to fumble the correct change out of my coin purse (no change given at ticket machines) and figure out which buttons to press to buy a 1-hour reduced tariff ticket for each of the kids (I don't need a ticket; since I ride the bus into town for my French class twice a week, I already have a yearly pass). We get on the bus, and I carefully watch the stops. I know what the one near our house looks like, but I don't know the name (plus, it's very possible I wouldn't understand the way the P.A. system on the bus announces it, anyway). As it turns out, our sto, Rochettes, is an "arret sur demande," which means that if we don't press the stop button, the bus doesn't stop. We successfully make it off the bus and walk the quarter-mile home. Mission accomplished!

Experiment 2: We take the bus to school in the morning. This is slightly more complicated, because we have decided to walk to a bus stop that is a bit farther away in order to take the 23 bus, which comes every 6 minutes. We can also take the 22 from the same stop, so between those two buses, we have lots of options. We do, however, want to leave the house by 7:45 so we can catch the 7:57 bus. We're a little late leaving, so we walk/jog most of the way to the stop. As we approach Les Esserts (our stop), I see the 23 pulling away. It's kind of a sinking feeling, but we quickly buy tickets in time for the next bus. This trip takes only about 7 minutes, but the bus is really crowded, mostly with other students going to school. Although the stop where we disembark is closer to the school and the trip on the 23 is quicker, we all agree that we prefer the less crowded 43, even if we have to wave wildly at the driver in the morning to get him to stop for us.

Experiment 3: We take the bus across town for ice cream. Wednesday afternoon is early dismissal, so after a little time for Drew to finish his homework, we board the 2 bus headed to Eaux-Vives, where there is a trendy ice-cream parlor (I need a tempting destination to encourage the kids to join me on this experiement). We ride the bus for about 30 minutes, and end up as the only passengers as we near the "terminus" of the line. The ice cream is as delicious as advertised, although the server is kind of grouchy. Our only hitch comes when we try to find the 2 bus headed back to Onex, and, for about 15 minutes, are completely unable to do so. It turns out that the bus goes back on a different street than it comes on -- important bit of information!

Experiment 4: We hike downtown and plan to catch a bus home, without planning exactly which bus or where to catch it. Armed with bus credit cards for the kids (no more hunting for change) and a week's worth of experience, we spend Saturday morning hiking toward town along the Rhone River (a really lovely  mini-adventure in itself). After a picnic lunch, we start to look for a bus that will take us toward home. We experience an evil omen when we find ourselves in the exact spot where, on our fourth day in Geneva, Eric and I were unable to find a bus to take us home from the bank, where we had been abandoned by our relocation lady (not really her fault; she had another appointment, and we told her we'd be fine). What a difference a month makes, however. It turns out that there was a stop for the 19 bus there the whole time. If we had only known back in August . . . . The lovely walk, combined with the fact that he didn't have to do any driving, made this outing Eric's favorite of our Saturday trips so far.

So, after a week of experimentation, here are our conclusions:

1. Biking is still the fastest and easiest way to travel, but if the weather's bad or you have a lot to carry, the bus is a close second.

2. Riding the bus requires some flexibility. Although the public transportation system is outstanding, we did end up walking a bit to the bus stops and waiting a bit once we got there. Plus, since the buses really do come on time, we had to be more aware of exactly what minute we were leaving the house than we would if biking, driving, or walking.

3. It is time to buy bus passes for the children!

The stop where Eric catches the bus to work every morning.