Compared to China and India, Croatian public transportation is clean, modern, comfortable, friendly and efficient. This ain’t no third world country, thank you very much!
While only few schedules are posted at stops, local buses seem to run fairly often and the roads are smooth and well marked. No one eats or smokes on the buses and I haven’t seen a chicken or any animals yet. Even taking the tickets is done in a polite and efficient manner. You can either buy a round trip ticket at the countless news stands at a discount or buy the one way ticket on the bus. People never push to get on the bus and wait patiently while change is given and received and tickets are punched at the machine. Some people have bus passes and there are random checks of tickets and passes by inspectors who jump on the bus. The inspectors and the bus drivers are polite and chat with the riders but the drivers don’t hesitate to tell young people to turn off their music. People speak quietly even on the ubiquitous cell phones. There is space for people to chat as the local buses often have two seats facing each other but there is a standing room only holding pen near the back doors (exit only) of the buses. The price is usually about a $1.20.
Long distance buses are slick, Mercedes Benz ones with padded seats, lights and ventilation that work, and even televisions which thankfully remain off. Musical choices vary by drivers but I’ve heard a lot of Bob Marley and Croatian folk songs sprinkled in with American country music, American music from the 50s, and opera. The volume is reasonable unlike the blaring pop music in China and India. All the same, I’ve been glad I brought my Ipod Nano sometimes. Fellow riders do engage in conversations with strangers and the drivers or their assistants which is often punctuated by laughter. So far, I haven’t been lucky enough to sit with anyone who speaks any English and nearby passengers only speak English in response to a direct question. In contrast to long distance bus rides in China and India where talking with the foreign traveler for as long as he or she wants to is a given, Croatian bus riders and people on the street show little interest in engaging with a traveler. As a result, I feel surprisingly isolated although I’m in the most westernized country in Eastern Europe and one that relies on tourism.
Long distance buses stop about every two hours for about 10 minutes or longer if they are ahead of schedule. Passengers pour out of the bus to smoke, grab an espresso or sandwich from a local restaurant and to find a WC somewhere. People seem to be pretty careful of their belongings during the stops but most pay a small fee to store their bigger bags in the locked area under the bus. Interestingly, Croatia doesn’t seem to have express buses per say. The buses pick up kids on their way to school, drop off passengers in the middle of an isolated coastline, and stop at any town that has more than 100 residents. Of the three long distance buses I’ve taken so far, only one was crowded. The drivers remain unfailingly polite and these buses run spot on time. I’ve been afraid to stray too far from the bus during any stop because my Dubai bought watch (my American one busted before I even left the Frankfurt airport) hasn’t quite regained my trust and I don’t want to get stranded with my backpack hours away from me. I’ve already misplaced one part of a two part ticket but the checker just ignored me as he didn’t speak any English so I lucked out on not paying any fine.
Figuring out which is the right bus is easy as each bus has a sign in front with the originating and destination city. The station toilets are fairly clean and sometimes free. Like many public toilets, the upper ring to sit on is missing but at least there is always toilet paper. Not that I still don’t pick up any random napkin along my way and stuff it in my pocket anyway, too many years traveling of in places where the drip dry method reigns supreme.
In short, those long distance rides in India’s dilapidated, filthy buses which are always late if you even know the schedule are going to be a big let down. At least, the drivers will be even friendlier!
