go wellington.
We walk a lot in this household. We walk so much that not only does owning a car seem like a luxury, so does taking the bus. Usually this works quite well for us, but when I decided to sign up for a hula hooping class downtown we knew we would have to break down and finally figure out the bus system here in Wellington.
The system here in Wellington isn't too bad, there are two ways to pay, cold hard cash or Snapper. If you are paying in cash you do not have to have exact change, the driver has a small register that allows him to take money. The Snapper card is available for purchase at local shops and dairies for just $10. You can also put money on the card at these establishments. Despite the small upfront cost, the Snapper is certainly the more attractive option. Not only does it eliminate the stress of fumbling with change, it also provides a discount! Bus rides are $3.63 when we swipe our Snapper instead of $5.
When you get on the bus, you hold your card in front of the Snapper reader to tag on and you do the same as you disembark to tag off. If you forget to tag off, you will be charged the highest fare on that route. Simple, right?
The night before my class we planned it all out. Seth would leave 15 minutes early from work so we could be at the bus stop in time to catch the #18 bus downtown, there were other buses coming shortly after, but we wanted extra time in case something went wrong. We walked to the stop to ensure we both knew where to meet. We purchased our Snapper cards and poured over the bus schedule. We even watched an educational video covering how to tag on and off of the bus.
We both made it to the bus stop on time and the bus came right on time. As we got on the bus, Seth didn't immediately see the Snapper reader, he attempted to ask the operator for help, but the driver mistakenly thought that he wanted to add my fare to his Snapper card. This trip was not off to a good start. Tagged on with both fares on one card, we took our seat. The bus drove along it's merry way through Miramar, Seth and I were so preoccupied with the newness of the experience that we didn't even notice when we were the only people left on the bus until the driver asked where we were going.
Turns out we were on the bus going in the wrong direction. The driver dropped us off at his last stop where, thankfully, the #2 bus was waiting to begin its route. We tagged off from the #18 bus, and boarded the #2, explaining our predicament to the driver, Chris. Chris was incredibly helpful, throughout the drive he told us about hidden gems to check out near our destination, Cuba Street, and he pointed out when we should disembark.
On the way home, we found the correct stop with no issue. Downtown stops make it a bit easier, as they have electronic screens that show what buses will be arriving shortly, along with the estimated time of arrival. However, when the #2 bus arrived, instead of Miramar, it read Kilbirnie. Right before I tagged on, the driver hollered out, "This bus is only going as far as Kilbirnie." Dumbly, I replied, "You're not going to Miramar…?" "No, Kilbirnie", was the reply. Defeated, we stepped back off the bus. The funny bit is, there is no mention in the schedule of any #2 buses going only to Kilbirnie. We have only seen one of these "Kilbirnie Only" buses since and can't figure out how one is supposed to know when they are running.
Luckily, if you miss your bus there is never long to wait for the next one. Buses between Wellington City and Miramar run every 20 minutes. As long as you know where your stops are, there is little need to consult a schedule.
Since our initial journey our bus rides have been significantly less eventful. In fact, our second bus ride was seamless... that is until I checked our Snapper balance. For some strange reason our return journey that night was marked "Failure to Tag Off"… on the Cable Car. Which is in the opposite direction from Miramar and decidedly not a bus. Thankfully, as it only has three stops we were charged even less for the full Cable Car journey that we didn't take, then we would have been charged on our 3 zone journey home.
The third journey would have been perfect, if only we had made a better choice of seating. On buses in Pittsburgh there are regular forward facing seats and towards the front there are seats that face inward. I have ridden in the inward facing seats on many occasions. Wellington buses do not have inward facing seats, rather they have four seats that face backwards. I do not recommend sitting in these seats. Within minutes I was car sick. The bus is powered by an electric cable so it is a fairly jerky ride, you hardly notice this when you are facing forward, but backward it's like riding an old wooden coaster. Even if you like wooden coasters, I still do not recommend sitting in the backwards facing seats. Just don't do it!
The system here in Wellington isn't too bad, there are two ways to pay, cold hard cash or Snapper. If you are paying in cash you do not have to have exact change, the driver has a small register that allows him to take money. The Snapper card is available for purchase at local shops and dairies for just $10. You can also put money on the card at these establishments. Despite the small upfront cost, the Snapper is certainly the more attractive option. Not only does it eliminate the stress of fumbling with change, it also provides a discount! Bus rides are $3.63 when we swipe our Snapper instead of $5.
When you get on the bus, you hold your card in front of the Snapper reader to tag on and you do the same as you disembark to tag off. If you forget to tag off, you will be charged the highest fare on that route. Simple, right?
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| Snapper: A girl's best friend. |
The night before my class we planned it all out. Seth would leave 15 minutes early from work so we could be at the bus stop in time to catch the #18 bus downtown, there were other buses coming shortly after, but we wanted extra time in case something went wrong. We walked to the stop to ensure we both knew where to meet. We purchased our Snapper cards and poured over the bus schedule. We even watched an educational video covering how to tag on and off of the bus.
We both made it to the bus stop on time and the bus came right on time. As we got on the bus, Seth didn't immediately see the Snapper reader, he attempted to ask the operator for help, but the driver mistakenly thought that he wanted to add my fare to his Snapper card. This trip was not off to a good start. Tagged on with both fares on one card, we took our seat. The bus drove along it's merry way through Miramar, Seth and I were so preoccupied with the newness of the experience that we didn't even notice when we were the only people left on the bus until the driver asked where we were going.
Turns out we were on the bus going in the wrong direction. The driver dropped us off at his last stop where, thankfully, the #2 bus was waiting to begin its route. We tagged off from the #18 bus, and boarded the #2, explaining our predicament to the driver, Chris. Chris was incredibly helpful, throughout the drive he told us about hidden gems to check out near our destination, Cuba Street, and he pointed out when we should disembark.
On the way home, we found the correct stop with no issue. Downtown stops make it a bit easier, as they have electronic screens that show what buses will be arriving shortly, along with the estimated time of arrival. However, when the #2 bus arrived, instead of Miramar, it read Kilbirnie. Right before I tagged on, the driver hollered out, "This bus is only going as far as Kilbirnie." Dumbly, I replied, "You're not going to Miramar…?" "No, Kilbirnie", was the reply. Defeated, we stepped back off the bus. The funny bit is, there is no mention in the schedule of any #2 buses going only to Kilbirnie. We have only seen one of these "Kilbirnie Only" buses since and can't figure out how one is supposed to know when they are running.
Luckily, if you miss your bus there is never long to wait for the next one. Buses between Wellington City and Miramar run every 20 minutes. As long as you know where your stops are, there is little need to consult a schedule.
Since our initial journey our bus rides have been significantly less eventful. In fact, our second bus ride was seamless... that is until I checked our Snapper balance. For some strange reason our return journey that night was marked "Failure to Tag Off"… on the Cable Car. Which is in the opposite direction from Miramar and decidedly not a bus. Thankfully, as it only has three stops we were charged even less for the full Cable Car journey that we didn't take, then we would have been charged on our 3 zone journey home.
The third journey would have been perfect, if only we had made a better choice of seating. On buses in Pittsburgh there are regular forward facing seats and towards the front there are seats that face inward. I have ridden in the inward facing seats on many occasions. Wellington buses do not have inward facing seats, rather they have four seats that face backwards. I do not recommend sitting in these seats. Within minutes I was car sick. The bus is powered by an electric cable so it is a fairly jerky ride, you hardly notice this when you are facing forward, but backward it's like riding an old wooden coaster. Even if you like wooden coasters, I still do not recommend sitting in the backwards facing seats. Just don't do it!
Now we have been on the bus at least five times and I think it's safe to say we have the hang of it. Over the past few rides I have noticed two distinctly Kiwi habits. The first, no one talks on the bus. Even if the bus is full, standing room only, you could hear a pin drop. On occasion there have been riders on their phones, but you can't hear their conversations, just a slight mumble. I could be wrong, but I don't anticipate hearing the scandalous details of someone's latest sexual conquest, nor do I think I will hear my fellow riders dropping the f-bomb anytime in the near future. It's amazing!
The other phenomenon I have witnessed is passengers exclaiming, "Thanks, Driver" as they depart the bus. This isn't too odd, I often thanked drivers when getting off of PAT buses in Pittsburgh, but usually I was the only one and I never would have thought to add "Driver." That simple addition makes me giggle, who else would you be addressing?
Though, I suppose, if one was accustomed to riding a bus in the States, upon departing a Wellington bus it would be appropriate to thank the entire bus for such a pleasant experience!
