London Buses

The system of bus fares is based on zones, like Underground fares. If you travel in the rush hour during the week, you may pay more in some zones. Fares are also higher if you are travelling through two or more zones and one of them is central. London Transport can sell you a One Day Bus Pass (this does not include the central zone), you can buy Bus Passes in advance from newsagents and some bus garages or a Local Area Bus Pass if you live in an outer area. But it may be better to buy a Travel Card, which you can also use on the Underground and on British Rail.

Exercise 2

Study the bus schedule below to answer the questions that follow.

Grossmont Center, to San Diego State University, Mission Valley, Fashion Valley, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach monday through friday schedule

Leave Grossmont Center	Due Lake Murrey Blvd.	Due College Ave.	Due Fashion Valley	Due Mission Blvd.	Arrive Mission Blvd. & Sapphire
6:20	6:27	6:40	6:55	7:07	7:15
7:25	7:32	7:45	8:00	8:12	8:20
8:37	8:44	8:57	9:12	9:24	9:36
9:37	9:44	9:57	10:12	10:24	10:30
10:37	10:44	10:57	11:12	11:24	11:36
11:37	11:44	11:57	12:12	12:24	12:36
12:37	12:44	12:57	1:12	1:24	1:36
1:37	1:44	1:57	2:12	2:24	2:36
2:37	2:44	2:57	3:14	3:26	3:36

1. How long does it take to go from Grossmont Centre to Fashion Valley if you leave Grossmont Center at 7:25 in the morning?

2. How many buses leave Grossmont Center before 12:00 noon?

3. If you have to be at Fashion Valley at 12:00 noon, what’s the latest bus you can take from Grossmont Center?

4. If you leave College Avenue at 10:57, what time will you arrive at Mission Boulevard and Sapphire?

5. If you leave Grossmont Center at 10:37 in the morning to go to Fashion Valley but you miss the bus, how long do you have to wait for the next bus?

Exercise 3

Put each of the following words in the correct space in the passage below.

fare, sliding doors, platform, conductor, crew, cab, double-decker, bus stop, driver, rush hour, tube, destination, inspector, subway, lift, hail, single-decker, taxi-rank, metro, coach, meter, escalator, conductress, check, tip, rack

A taxi, sometimes called a ___ , is the most comfortable way to travel. You simply ___ , the taxi in the street or go to a ___ , where there are several taxis waiting, for example, at a station. At the end of the journey, you can see how much the ___ is by looking at the ___ . You add a ___ to this, and that’s it. Very simple. But expensive!

What about taking a bus? If it has two floors, it’s called a ___ and you can get a good view from the top. If it has only one floor, it’s called a ___ . Most buses have a two-person ___ : the ___ , who drives of course, and the ___ , (or ___ if it’s a woman) who takes your money. Keep your ticket because an ___ might want to ___ it. You catch a bus by waiting at a ___ . You can see where a bus is going to because the ___ is written on the front. But try to avoid the ___ .

Quicker than the bus is the underground (called the ___ in London, the ___ in New York and the ___ in Paris and many other cities). You buy your ticket at the ticket office. Go down to the ___ on the ___ or in the ___ . The train comes. The ___ open. You get on. You look at the map of the underground system. Very simple.

For longer distances take a train or a long distance bus, usually called a ___ , which is slower but cheaper. The train is very fast. Put your luggage on the ___ and sit and wait till you arrive.

 Reading

Read and translate the texts.