Questions about the intercity bus routes: the net brings varied answers. We're going to Erimi on Wednesday. Will the bus stop, most conveniently, at the first roundabout going into Limassol, known to all as the McDonald's stop, as the bus map implies with a little zig there, or will it insist on going to the official stop at the next roundabout? The girl at the tourist office says no to the McDonald's stop, but is likely to be basing this on the partially illegible photocopied schedule rather than personal knowledge as few Cypriots use public transportation - it's perceived as mainly for servants and other foreign workers or tourists too cheap to hire cars. Theory and practice on schedules in Cyprus are often only vaguely related. A bus driver once told us that it wasn't his fault if the company didn't update the schedule to match the current reality. Thus the best course for accurate information would be to ask a driver on the relevant route, but if the stop is an unofficial one it might depend in the event on which driver was on or even what mood the driver was in.
Not only do online schedules purporting to be official vary, but we know from experience that, on the urban lines at least, there are drivers who are quite happy to finish a route early, presumably allowing for an extended coffee break at the end of the line. This doesn't appear to be a mortal sin but a cultural quirk. We consider what threat would be sufficient to change the practice. "If you do that again you will be fired. We will give your job to a Romanian and you will have to go home and tell your wife you are unemployed." Wouldn't happen. Nor is there much chance of the drivers/company putting themselves in the position of the would-be passenger who has arrived at the stop ten minutes early, happily unaware that the bus has passed by five minutes before - and Cypriot buses often cover the route only once every hour or two. But it doesn't matter - only Philippino maids or tourists or students take the bus and they're not in a hurry.
Trouble with us is that we've been in The UK too recently and it's distorted our expectations.
| Note on official bus page: "You can register the route you want and we willinform you via email or sms for hours and routechanges" As opposed to posting the changes on the site and telling everyone? | |