Public Transportation

As you know, we have never lived anywhere where we have had the need for or convenience of good, solid public transportation.  We do now and I have to say, I love it!  The freedom of not having a car, not needing to park, not needing to use a GPS or a map to get around, being able to spontaneously change directions or stop and check out someplace new... I cannot even describe how wonderful it is!  EVERY ex-pat that I know here says the same thing.  Now, I do have to say that the Stockholm public transportation is very easy, clean, safe, and reliable.  I am sure that is not true everywhere but it is pretty great here!  We have very quickly adapted to and learned how to use this system, both buses and subways.  But, here is a list that I just found of the cultural do's and don'ts of Swedish public transportation.

Don'ts:
Don't bring cash
Even the homeless people in Stockholm have started taking cards instead of cash, and the bus and train drivers are no different. Buy your tickets at a nearby machine or news agent and do not, we repeat, do not buy a one-way ticket from the person at the booth. Walk the two metres to a machine and make a perplexingly big and easy saving.


Don't plank
Swedes have such a rich language (some say the richest) that they even have a verb for "sneaking through the turnstiles behind someone else". That verb is "att planka", or as I sometimes call it - to plank. But please, don't plank. It's a very unpleasant feeling for us unwilling accomplice ticket payers when you sneak in behind us.


Sit with your legs apart
One irritated Stockholm commuter became so irked by men sitting with their legs akimbo that she started a blog and published pictures of them. The blog was an attack on macho men, but made no mention of the women who leave their handbags on the seats beside them, arguably an equally irritating problem. It's not for me to judge though, only to warn. Don't spread your legs.


Don't stand too close to other commuters when lining up
This is such a well-known Swedenism that it became a meme. If you stand too close to someone, others might think you are drunk or insane, so why risk it. Worse, you might be trying to start a conversation with them, something that is strictly forbidden. The horror.


Don't sit next to someone. Ever. Unless you have to.
You know you're in Sweden when you get on a bus and every single pair of seats is taken by one person sitting by the window. Prepare for a glare if you sit beside someone and there's a double free. You're breaking unspoken rules. And don't you dare try to start small talk.


And now for the five dos:
Do - bring a pram. 
In Stockholm, people pushing a pram or pushchair get a free ride on the bus. It remains unclear if a baby needs to be in the pram, so if you're really desperate, a little bit of acting and an old pram could do you wonders. However, be sure to alight from the back door of the bus or you'll hold everyone up.


Do buy a monthly pass. 
If you want to travel on the Stockholm metro, for example, for just one station, it's going to cost you 36 kronor ($5.40). 36 kronor! This is among the most expensive short journeys you can pay on public transport in the world. Some people say the most. In any case, buy a monthly card. It may cost 790 kronor, but it's a big saving in the long run. Or cycle.


Do download the app
If you want to be a really efficient commuter, download an app from the local transit operator. The "res i stockholm" app, for example, may only be available in Swedish, but even a child could understand the timetables. Malmö's Skånetraffik and Gothenburg's Västtraffik have similar apps.


Do bring a smartphone
As people aren't generally full of conversation on Swedish public transport, spend your time honing your Candy Crush skills. Everyone else is.


And lastly: Do plan carefully if you're out at night
Unlike New York, Stockholm is a city that sleeps, and if you plan to be taking a tube home at 2am on a Monday then not only are you overly optimistic, but you also have a more interesting social life than I do. In any case, take it from us, if you're going out for a drink, don't drive home, but don't rely on the metros either. Take the night bus... if you can find one.


Josh took the picture above while we were riding the subway home on Sunday after shopping.  We love the buskers that ride along sometimes, playing music and asking for money!  They are always quite good, they are not pushy and they are somehow regulated because they are not on very often and there are not many.

The last "do" in my list also points out the importance of public transportation for social occasions.  There is a VERY STRICT drunk driving limit in Sweden.  It is 0.02% (6 months imprisonment), 0.10% (imprisonment, maximum 2 years).  This means that no one drinks ANYTHING if they are driving.  It is taken VERY seriously, so public transportation or walking are used heavily when any type of drinking is going on.  I know that no one drove to our house for Thanksgiving in anticipation of having a glass of wine.