BUS!

Well...we are still in our temporary housing.  Maybe our stuff has arrived and we might get it next week but maybe not.  The hope is that by next weekend we will be in Stockholm with all of our stuff, getting a good workout. For now we are hanging out, enjoying the cable and trying to have daily adventures (they wear out G and she sleeps like a baby ;)).

One of the positives about starting out our adventure in Nacka-Boo is we really get to experience how well the public transportation system works.  For the most part we journey back and forth to Stockholm, for this journey we take a bus to the Slussen where we can either get on another bus or get onto the subway.  Here are some of my general impressions

1. That a majority of the population needs public transportation

I feel that what makes the system work so well is that they assume that everyone needs to ride the bus. Assuming that, there needs to be a good quantity of buses at a regular frequency and these buses need to have varying routes in order to make it convenient for passengers to use.  At our initial stop there are at least 5 buses that leave every 15-20 minutes and 1 commuter bus that runs during the morning rush and the afternoon drive home.  Each route ends in the same place and have several stops in common but they vary in amount of stops and directness.  The commuter bus for instance stays on the highway until our stop which makes the trip efficient.  

What time does the bus come?

2. Clear communication for the riders

Each stop has a reader board letting passengers know how long until their bus arrives. Another amazing wayfinding is the change of paving at the bus stops. Where the bus stops on the street is marked with white pavers that run the length of the bus next to the curb. Where the door opens the pavers are changed to 2 textured pavers perpendicular to the curb and a black paver that aligns with the white pavers. This clearly marks where the door is going to be which leads us to 3.

Where the bus is going to stop

3. Queueing 

The one thing that can be said about Swedes is they love their queues and getting on the bus is no exception and this can be seen most evident at high traffic times. People line up to get on the bus as soon as more than 3 people are waiting for the bus. 

4. No cash

Buses don't accept cash, you have to have an Access Card that has one of the many passes on it, travel cash or you must buy a single ride ticket at a kiosk in the metro or the gas station. Another method is to go onto the SL website and buy a ticket that is then loaded to your phone. It makes getting on the bus that much quicker not having to wait for someone to look for the last dime.  

Priority Seating

5. Priority Seating

Each bus has priority seating for the handicap and strollers. It is a special area were 3 good size strollers can be parked with a little bit of room for standing. I should mention here that you enter at the front of the bus and pay and in order to exit the bus you use one of the backdoors. WELL, if you are traveling with a stroller, no matter the size you get to enter at the back, getting a free ride so you don't have to leave your kid to pay. This makes it easy to get on and off the bus, plus there is no need to remove the kid from their seat which if you're lucky the baby will be fast asleep like most good Swedish babies, but that is for another post.

G taking a snooze 

These are just 5 reasons that I like the public transportation system here and I haven't even delved into the subway or light rail. But that I believe is for another day.