Spanish to Use on Public Transportation

Quick Answer

This article will teach you vocabulary and useful phrases in Spanish to use on transporte público(public transportation).

Questions This Article Answers

What does guagua mean?

What does andén mean?

What does subirse mean?

What does bajarse mean?

How do you say one-way ticket in Spanish?

How do you say return ticket in Spanish?

How do you say take the bus in Spanish?

Red Double-Decker London Let's start with a list of medios de transporte público(means of public transport).

examples
Viajé de Madrid a Barcelona en tren. I traveled from Madrid to Barcelona by train.
El subterráneo es más rápido, pero más caro. The subway is faster but more expensive.
Quiero viajar en uno de esos autobuses de dos pisos por Londres. I want to ride one of those double-deckers around London.

Bus Tickets Here's a useful list of words related to the boletos(tickets) you can buy when you ride public transportation.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
abono	travel pass	boleto de ida(Lat. Am.)	one-way ticket
abono diario	day ticket	boleto de ida y vuelta(Lat. Am.)	round-trip ticket
abono mensual	monthly ticket	boleto de ida y vuelta(Lat. Am.)	return ticket
billete(Spain)	ticket	boleto sencillo(Lat. Am.)	single ticket
billete de ida(Spain)	one-way ticket	pasaje	ticket
billete de ida y vuelta(Spain)	round-trip ticket	primera clase	first class
billete de ida y vuelta(Spain)	return ticket	segunda clase	second class
billete sencillo(Spain)	single ticket	tarjeta de viaje	travelcard
boleto(Lat. Am.)	ticket	ticket	ticket

examples
¿Cuánto cuesta el boleto sencillo? How much does a single ticket cost?
Los turistas compraron un abono semanal. The tourists bought a weekly travel pass.
Dos boletos de ida y vuelta, por favor. Two round-trip tickets, please.

Bus Stop Here's a word list with more vocabulary related to public transportation.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
andén	platform	parada	stop
asiento	seat	parada de autobús	bus stop
atasco	traffic jam	pasajero, pasajera	passenger
calle	street	peatón	pedestrian
carretera	road	puerta	door
coche	car, carriage	red	network
conductor, conductora	driver	retraso	delay
cuadra(Lat. Am.)	block	revisor de billetes(Spain)	ticket collector, ticket inspector
de larga distancia	long-distance	revisor de boletos(Lat. Am.)	ticket collector, ticket inspector
demora	delay	ruta	route
embarque	boarding	salidas	departures
embotellamiento	traffic jam	semáforo	traffic light
esquina	corner	tarjeta de embarque	boarding pass
estación	station	transbordo	transfer
estación de autobuses	bus station	urbano	urban
estación de tren	train station	vagón	car, carriage
horario	timetable	ventana	window
línea	line	vía	platform
llegadas	arrivals	viaje	trip, journey
manzana	block	zona	zone

examples
El autobús 37 va al museo. La parada está a la vuelta de la esquina. Bus 37 will take you to the museum. The bus stop is around the corner.
¿Qué línea de autobús va al estadio de baloncesto? Which bus line goes to the basketball stadium?
El tren a Rosario sale de la vía 9. The train to Rosario departs from platform 9.
Este boleto es válido para las zonas A, B y C. This ticket is valid for zones A, B, and C.
Estoy en un embotellamiento, así que voy a llegar tarde. I'm stuck in a traffic jam, so I'm going to be late.

Validate Ticket Lastly, here is a list of verbs related to public transportation.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
abordar	to board	ir a pie	to go on foot
bajarse, bajarse de	to get off	llegar	to arrive
cambiar	to change	manejar(Lat. Am.)	to drive
cancelar	to cancel	parar	to stop
coger(Spain)	to catch	partir	to leave, to depart
coger(Spain)	to take	salir	to leave, to depart
coger el autobús(Spain)	to catch the bus	subirse, subirse a	to get on, to board
comprar	to buy	tomar	to take, to catch
conducir	to drive	tomar el autobús	to take the bus, to catch the bus
detenerse	to stop	validar	to validate
desembarcar	to disembark, to get off	viajar	to travel
embarcar	to embark, to board	viajar en autobús	to travel by bus
ir	to go	viajar en tren	to travel by train

examples
No te olvides de validar el boleto antes de subir al tren. Don’t forget to validate your ticket before getting on the train.
¿A qué hora sale el autobús que va al aeropuerto? What time does the bus to the airport leave?
Tenemos que bajarnos en la próxima parada. We need to get off at the next stop.
Cambié de tren en la terminal Grand Central. I changed trains at Grand Central Terminal.
Nuestro tren parte a las 9:15 a.m. Our train departs at 9:15 a.m.
¿Dónde puedo tomar el autobús 152? Where can I catch the 152 bus?