Public Transportation in Poland

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Jun 5, 10, 21:55 #1

In Dublin the average waiting time for a bus is 25 minutes. And they are usually very late. Also, if you don't have a travel card or some other form of subscription and you have to switch buses, you will have to pay yet another ticket when you enter the next bus. In NL you buy a ticket or a pre-bought ticket and show it to the driver when you switch bus. In Dubs the fares are based on routes, in NL on time you get when purchasing a ticket. Also in NL public transportation is on time. Maybe a few minutes late or early, but never much too late and if they're early, they wait until the time when they should leave the stop. In Dubs if they come early, you're screwed.

How is this in Poland? Are buses on time, generally? How is the fare calculated? Do you have to pay every time when you have to switch buses on the same trip?

Also, since I have to be in Warschau soon for a day, I would like to know how much the taxi fares would be from the Airport to the City Centre? Or the taxi-fares in general in Warschau? I haven't got the details of where exactly I have to be yet, that's why I ask for the City Centre. Thanks!

>^..^<

M-G (tiens)

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Edited by: Bartolome Jun 5, 10, 22:23 #2

MareGaea:

Also, since I have to be in Warschau soon for a day, I would like to know how much the taxi fares would be from the Airport to the City Centre? Or the taxi-fares in general in Warschau? I haven't got the details of where exactly I have to be yet, that's why I ask for the City Centre. Thanks!

I've got mixed feelings about taxi. I had to pay over 50 ZLP for a taxi (it was supposed to be an 'acquainted' driver :/ I guess I trust taxi driver less than the Polish government) from Ochota (close to the centre) to the Airport. I guess if you won't be in a hurry, bus No. 175 will be a reasonable alternative. Remember to buy a normal (i.e. not a discounted one -that's for students, veterans and OAPs) ticket at a 'kiosk' (it's close to the entrance to the Airport).
PS. If you decide to take a bus, check on the timetable that it goes past the Dworzec Centralny. That's my advice to ensure that you take the right one :)

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Edited by: SzwedwPolsce Jun 5, 10, 22:24 #3

In Warsaw (and most other cities):

A normal ticket last from you get on the first bus until you get off it the first time. You can't change bus on this ticket. It costs about 2,50 zl.

Then there are also tickets 20-minutes, 30-minutes etc. Where you can make as many changes as you want during this time. The price is usually also around 2-4 zl depending on how long it lasts.

To the city from airport take bus 175 outside airport. It takes about half an hour to the central station. You can buy a "normal" ticket (2,5 zl). Taxi is about 30 zl on taxameter. But taxidrivers inside the airport try to charge you like 60 zl.

skysoulmateThreads: 41 Posts: 3,039 Joined: Jan 10, 10 ♂	Edited by: skysoulmate Jun 5, 10, 22:52 #4
MareGaea: ...Warschau... Where is that? Close to Dooblin? Hmm, so you're posting from Ireland on a Polish forum writing in English yet using the German name for the Polish capital?? Maith thú

TheOtherThreads: 5 Posts: 1,584 Joined: Jul 13, 09 ♂	Jun 5, 10, 22:56 #5
skysoulmate: using the German name for the Polish capital He's using the Dutch name for the Polish capital...

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Edited by: SeanBM Jun 5, 10, 22:57 #6

MareGaea:

In Dubs if they come early, you're screwed.

You forgot to mention that Dublin you can only exit the bus via the entry door, the other door (at the middle) is closed and I have yet to find a reasonable explanation for it. The newer ones only have one door because of this.

MareGaea:

How is this in Poland? Are buses on time, generally? How is the fare calculated? Do you have to pay every time when you have to switch buses on the same trip?

They are on time (4 minutes late would be "very late", there are different payment methods, hourly tickets, student tickets, etc ... a normal ticket is is to the end of the line.
It also works on the honour system, whereby you buy your ticket in a kiosk, from the driver or the modern ones you can buy from an onboard machine and you cancel it yourself, like in the Netherlands.

MareGaea:

Also, since I have to be in Warschau soon for a day, I would like to know how much the taxi fares would be from the Airport to the City Centre? Or the taxi-fares in general in Warschau? I haven't got the details of where exactly I have to be yet, that's why I ask for the City Centre. Thanks!

Unlike Ireland a taxi is cheaper if you ring it here in Poland, than if you pick it up off the road.
If you see a cab ring the number, I'm serious.

And my advice is, try to get change to pay for your bus journey, you'll be up a creek without one, if you try to pay the driver with a hundred.

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Edited by: MareGaea Jun 5, 10, 23:05 #7

skysoulmate:

using the German name for the Polish capital

Here's your answer:

TheOther:

He's using the Dutch name for the Polish capital...

Indeed. Sorry for any misunderstanding there, I generally use the names of cities that I'm most used to, which is in Dutch.

SeanBM:

SeanBM

Thank you for the information, my friend.

SeanBM:

a normal ticket is is to the end of the line.

Does this mean that if I switch buses, I have to buy a new ticket in the other bus?

SeanBM:

You forgot to mention that Dublin you can only exit the bus via the entry door, the other door (at the middle) is closed and I have yet to find a reasonable explanation for it. The newer ones only have one door because of this.

Indeed, yet another big mystery of Dublin bus...:)

>^..^<

M-G (grateful)

SeanBMThreads: 41 Posts: 8,727 Joined: Mar 10, 08 ♂	Edited by: SeanBM Jun 5, 10, 23:06 #8
MareGaea: Does this mean that if I switch buses, I have to buy a new ticket in the other bus? Yes, that's why they have hourly tickets.

MareGaeaThreads: 45 Posts: 5,527 Joined: Feb 6, 08 ♂	Edited by: MareGaea Jun 5, 10, 23:08 #9
Ah, ok. Good to know. Will get some of them hourly tickets then...:) >^..^< M-G (krisskross:) )

SeanBMThreads: 41 Posts: 8,727 Joined: Mar 10, 08 ♂	Edited by: SeanBM Jun 5, 10, 23:10 #10
yes!, that's it :)

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Jun 5, 10, 23:12 #11

MareGaea:

Does this mean that if I switch buses, I have to buy a new ticket in the other bus?

SzwedwPolsce:

A normal ticket last from you get on the first bus until you get off it the first time. You can't change bus on this ticket. It costs about 2,50 zl.

Then there are also tickets 20-minutes, 30-minutes etc. Where you can make as many changes as you want during this time. The price is usually also around 2-4 zl depending on how long it lasts.

MareGaeaThreads: 45 Posts: 5,527 Joined: Feb 6, 08 ♂	Edited by: MareGaea Jun 5, 10, 23:14 #12
Ah sorry, must've overlooked that. Thank you, my friend for this useful information :) Thank you all for the information, friends! >^..^< M-G (darn! everything is going so fast :S => embarrassed)

SeanBMThreads: 41 Posts: 8,727 Joined: Mar 10, 08 ♂	Edited by: SeanBM Jun 5, 10, 23:20 #13
Jeden bilet normalny = For a normal ticket (valid until the end of the line) Jeden bilet godzinny = An hourly ticket. (valid for the hour from cancellation) For pronunciation change it to Polish and type them in to here.

MareGaeaThreads: 45 Posts: 5,527 Joined: Feb 6, 08 ♂	Jun 5, 10, 23:30 #14
Will do. Thanks guys! >^..^< M-G (is a bit embarrassed he overlooked the first two posts)

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Jun 6, 10, 02:34 #15

MareGaea:

In NL[quote=MareGaea] In NL you buy a ticket or a pre-bought ticket and show it to the driver when you switch bus.

just one click would have given you this info:

Rambler 1 Day Adult €6.00

Valid for unlimited travel for 1 day
Valid on Dublin Bus scheduled services including Airlink and Xpresso (excluding Nitelink, Tours, Special Events and Private Contract services)
No CIE photo ID required
Buy Now

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Fares--Tickets/Tickets/2-Journey-Daily-Week ly/

Less moaning and maybe a bit of research would tell you that life doesnt need to be that difficult :D

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Edited by: MareGaea Jun 6, 10, 03:08 #16

Amathyst:

Rambler 1 Day Adult €6.00

Valid for unlimited travel for 1 day
Valid on Dublin Bus scheduled services including Airlink and Xpresso (excluding Nitelink, Tours, Special Events and Private Contract services)
No CIE photo ID required
Buy Now

I wasn't curious about the fares of Dublin Bus, sweetie. I am well aware of them (after all, I live now for 6 years in Ireland's capital): I have a Travel90 ticket, for 18 Euros it gives me 10 trips of 90 mins, which covers the trip to work back and forth and saves me 4 Euros each week. One of these tickets is enough to cover the entire working week. I was curious about the public transport in Poland as I don't know anything about that (well, now I do, with the help of the good ppl here on this thread). And I drew the comparison with Dublin Bus as imo their time table isn't really good.

>^..^<

M-G (was just typically Dutch complaining about Dublin Bus)

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Jun 6, 10, 09:00 #17

These days here in Warsaw the pondlife called illegal taxis seems to have somewhat disappeared in the airport. There are 3 official taxi corporations in the airport. All of them are reliable.
http://www.lotnisko-chopina.pl/content/arrival/en/access.php
MPT is owned by the city and you cannot do wring with them.

Check also this link
http://www.warsawtour.pl/en/warsaw-essentials/getting-around/taxis-172 8.html
The unlicensed sharks can still be found around the old town very frequently.

As for public transport, I find it reliable, cheap and especially in the rush hour trams and metro bing you everywhere way faster than a car.
Ticket-selling machines are to be found almost on every corner now, and sometimes in the new buses and trams as well.

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Jun 6, 10, 09:35 #18

MareGaea:

How is this in Poland? Are buses on time, generally? How is the fare calculated? Do you have to pay every time when you have to switch buses on the same trip?

In Poznan (which you called provincial town....agrhhh) we have time tickets. You can buy a ticket for 15/30/60 minutes and 48h ticket. Every ticket is valid in buses and trams and you can change the transport. Simple :)
Tickets are available only in kiosks and in ...eeee... ticket machines (?) so trams and buses are very punctual because the drivers don't have to sell tickets inside.
End of report ;)

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Jun 6, 10, 09:35 #19

MareGaea:

Warschau?

first, you may want to drop referring to the capital in this germanic manner.. you will definitely overpay the taxi fairs if you keep saying that..

MareGaea:

I would like to know how much the taxi fares would be from the Airport to the City Centre?

in another thread someone said 35zl.. but that's for taxi and not taki or something else that is not a "legal" taxi service

MareGaea:

Or the taxi-fares in general

use the busses... most run every 10-15minutes plus you normally have multiple busses that will take you to the same location just via a different route..

skysoulmate:

German name for the Polish capital??

dutch

SeanBM:

And my advice is, try to get change to pay for your bus journey, you'll be up a creek without one, if you try to pay the driver with a hundred.

yeah, great advice.. drivers never have change so you'll have to overpay..

MareGaea:

I have to buy a new ticket in the other bus?

yup.. that's why you should just buy 10 or whatever.. i don't know if they have small booklets of tickets like that..

MareGaea:

Ah, ok. Good to know. Will get some of them hourly tickets then...:)

unless you're traveling across the city..

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Jun 6, 10, 12:27 #20

MareGaea:

Indeed. Sorry for any misunderstanding there, I generally use the names of cities that I'm most used to, which is in Dutch.

Fair enough. But please be aware that we may be a little insulted by the use of Germanic names such as Warschau, Breslau and Posen, for obvious reasons. We don't insult you Dutch by saying that you're "just like the Germans really", so please be careful with your choice of words on this Polish forum, thanks. ;)

SzwedwPolsceThreads: 13 Posts: 1,915 Joined: Feb 21, 09 ♂	Edited by: SzwedwPolsce Jun 6, 10, 13:22 #21
SouthMancPolak: Warschau, Breslau Some Poles consider this very offensive. For historical reasons, not because they necessarily dislike Germans in general.

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Jun 6, 10, 13:38 #22

Yes, i agree! i hate when people use german names to call polish cities. And i dont have anything against germans.

You better take bus no 175 and it will take u to the city centre. You can always ask someone on the bus where to get off if u know the destination. You will get faster where u want to be and u wont overpay (taxi drivers can charge u even 50 PLN or more for the drive! it's almost 25 times more expensive than a bus and not necessarily faster). A ticket(s) you can buy in the ticket machine just outside of the airport exit (straight out of the exit and then on right, u need to pass the taxi stops). You can chose English as display language in those machines as well, i think...

SzwedwPolsceThreads: 13 Posts: 1,915 Joined: Feb 21, 09 ♂	Edited by: SzwedwPolsce Jun 6, 10, 13:46 #23
Bus 175 stops at the Central Station. And then it drives toward the Old Town (via very fashionable streets like Nowy Świat and Krakowskie Przedmieście).

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Edited by: SouthMancPolak Jun 6, 10, 13:48 #24

SzwedwPolsce:

Some Poles consider this very offensive. For historical reasons, not because they necessarily dislike Germans in general.

shush:

Yes, i agree! i hate when people use german names to call polish cities. And i dont have anything against germans.

^^^^
This.

I don't dislike Germans (or the Dutch, btw ;) ) but having been brought up in a Polish family, anything "German" automatically switches on some kind of "warning bell" in my mind, unfortunately.

SzwedwPolsce:

Bus 175 stops at the Central Station. And then it drives toward the Old Town (via very fashionable streets like Nowy Świat and Krakowskie Przedmieście).

I've not been there for over a year, but I bet it still says "trasa czasowo zmieniona" on the route map, like it always did every time I was there, lol.

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Edited by: Moderator Jun 6, 10, 14:00 #25

Hm, I didn't know it was such a big issue. I mean with Wroclaw I can imagine as Breslau is a complete different name, but Warschau/Warsaw/Warzava is not such a big difference. I myself am not really offended when a German calls Arnhem Arnheim or Nijmegen Nimwegen or Nimègue and I won't even be talking about 's Gravenhage, aka Den Haag, aka The Hague, aka La Haye etc :) Pls do remember that these "renamings" only come forth from being unable to pronounce the native name. But I didn't really mean to offend anybody. It's actually strange, when you think of it. The Polish alphabet doesn't use a W as far as I know, yet their capital city is written with a doubleyou...

Anyway, thanks for all the information guys! I know now what to buy when I will be heading there :) Thanks again!

>^..^<

M-G (grateful)

Public Transportation in Poland

ZedThreads: - Posts: 304 Joined: May 25, 10 ♂	Jun 6, 10, 16:13 #26
On the contrary, we use "W" all the time!!! It is the "V" which is hardly used. :-)

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07 ♂	Jun 7, 10, 07:19 #27
MareGaea: Hm, I didn't know it was such a big issue. using english names for some of these places (or even latin) will not be as offensive as germanic ones.. i'm thinking you can see why after all the comments above, yes? Zed: On the contrary, we use "W" all the time!!! It is the "V" which is hardly used. :-) yup

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Jun 7, 10, 08:03 #28

Muffin, Take a taxi. As you come out into the airport ignore men asking you if you need a taxi, because they will take you downtown via Belgium. Walk outside and take the taxi that lines up outside. Your fare will be about 30 zl.

In your case, the best bet is a daily ticket which works for metro, tram, and bus (about 10 zl). Write this down and show the nice lady at any news stand (Bilet dzienny).

PM me and I'll give a little tour around the city or even pick you up at the airport, you being my favorite poster and all. The offer is genuine.

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