At the Bus Station: English for Tickets, Routes, and Schedules

Learn English for buying a bus ticket, finding the right bus, and asking about departure times. This free A1 lesson for adult beginners continues the unit on getting around the city. Its 15 interactive slides include a grammar warm-up, discussion questions, two conversation videos, listening practice, vocabulary audio, a bus schedule, a dialogue-ordering activity, and a short writing task.

What you will learn

• Use common bus station words such as ticket, platform, departure, arrival, and schedule.
• Ask present simple questions about bus schedules and destinations.
• Choose do or does and use the correct question form.
• Read a simple bus schedule.
• Have a short conversation at a bus station.

Talking about bus travel

The warm-up reviews present simple verbs with transport pictures. Practice He rides a bike., They take the train to work., and I go to the library every morning. Use the base verb with I, you, we, and they; use an ending such as -s with he or she.

The discussion asks Do you travel by bus?, How often do you take the bus?, Is the bus cheap in your city?, and Where do you usually go by bus? Give a short answer and add one detail: Yes, I do. I take the bus to work every day.

Bus station vocabulary in English

Listen to the vocabulary cards and repeat the words. Connect each word with a picture or a simple travel situation.

Practice the phrases The next bus leaves at ..., How long is the trip?, and It takes about ... Use a departure time after the first phrase and a duration, such as two hours, after the last one.

Finding the right bus

Begin politely with Excuse me. Say where you want to go, then ask which bus to take. Useful questions include:

• I want to go to the city center. Which bus do I take?
• Is this the right bus?
• Where does this bus go?
• Does this bus go to the airport?

In the first video, Samina asks how to get to West Hole. The first driver suggests bus number nine, but a later driver explains that she is going the wrong way and needs the number 19 from the other side of the road. These are details of the lesson story.

Watch once to follow the situation, then watch again with the quiz. Listen for the bus numbers and the instructions Get off here., Cross the road., and Take the 19. Notice how Samina repeats the instruction to check that she understands.

Listening to a conversation between passengers

Listen to Daniel and Emma talking during a journey. Daniel asks Is this seat taken? and Emma replies that it is free. They discuss their destinations, studies, work, and an art gallery.

Complete the true-or-false activity. Listen for details about where each person is going, what Daniel studies, which artists the gallery is showing, and its closing time in the conversation. Listen again before answering if a statement changes one of those details.

Present simple questions with do and does

Use does with a singular subject such as the bus, and do with a plural subject such as buses. Use the base form of the action verb after do or does.

• Where does this bus go?
• What time does the bus leave?
• Does the bus go to the airport?
• Do buses leave at night?

For a yes-or-no question, use Do or Does + subject + base verb. For a question asking for details, put the question word or phrase first: What time + does + the bus + leave?

Practice short answers such as Yes, it does. and No, it doesn't. With a plural subject, use Yes, they do. or No, they don't. The grammar quiz also reviews statements, negatives, and questions with both action verbs and be.

Reading a simple bus schedule

The lesson uses this classroom schedule to practice finding a bus number, destination, and departure time:

Find the destination first, then read across the same row. In this example, bus 12 goes to the airport and leaves at 4:30. Bus 18 goes to the city center, and bus 21 goes to the train station.

Practice What time does the bus to the city center leave? with the answer It leaves at five o'clock. Ask Does bus 18 go to the airport? and answer No, it doesn't.

Buying a bus ticket in English

In the ticket office video, a customer buys a one-way ticket to Green City. In that conversation, the next bus leaves at 3:00 p.m., the trip takes about two hours, and the ticket costs $15. The customer asks about paying by card and where to find the bus stop.

Listen for I'd like to buy a bus ticket, please., One way or return?, How long is the trip?, and How much is the ticket? Practice giving a destination and choosing a ticket type.

A short conversation at the ticket booth

Customer: Hello. I'd like a bus ticket to Green City, please.
Clerk: One way or return?
Customer: One way, please. What time does the next bus leave?
Clerk: It leaves at three o'clock.
Customer: How long is the trip?
Clerk: It takes about two hours.
Customer: Thank you. How much is the ticket?
Clerk: It is fifteen dollars.
Customer: Can I pay by card?
Clerk: Yes. Here is your ticket. Have a good journey.

This model uses example details for English practice. Work with a partner and change the destination, departure time, or ticket type. Switch roles to practice both questions and answers.

Putting a ticket conversation in order

The ordering activity uses a customer buying a ticket to Summerwell. Arrange the sentences from the opening Can I help you? through the ticket request, price, payment, departure question, and goodbye.

Look for clues that connect one sentence to the next. A question about the price comes before the price, and Here you are. comes when the customer gives the payment. Read the completed conversation aloud.

Writing three questions for the ticket booth

The writing task asks you to write three questions you can ask at a ticket booth. Choose questions about information you need before travelling.

1. What time does the bus leave?
2. How much is the ticket?
3. How long is the trip?

Check the word order and put a question mark at the end of each question. Ask a partner to answer using the lesson schedule or example ticket conversation. Teachers can use this as a final role-play; self-study learners can record their questions and listen for clear pronunciation.

Review taxi requests and transport vocabulary in Lesson 28, or explore more free A1 English teaching materials.