Transport and Getting Around

Moving around a country in English needs a small set of nouns and one preposition rule that is worth getting right permanently.

by, on or in?

by + transport — no article, for the general method:

I go to work by bus / by train / by car / by bike / by plane.

Exception: on foot (not by foot).

on / in + a specific vehicle:

I'm on the bus. · She's on the train. (things you can walk about in)

He's in the car. · We're in a taxi. (things you sit inside)

Rough rule: large public vehicles take on, small private ones take in.

Getting on and off

Matching the preposition:

get on / get off the bus, the train, the plane

get in / get out of the car, the taxi

Catch, miss and take

Three verbs do most of the work, and they aren't interchangeable:

• catch — be in time for it: I need to catch the 8:15.
• miss — fail to: I missed the last bus.
• take — use it as your method: We took a taxi.
• board — the formal, announcement word: Flight BA219 is now boarding.

The vocabulary

Rail: platform, ticket, single, return, timetable, change (at), delay, carriage, season ticket Road: bus stop, coach (long-distance bus), traffic, rush hour, petrol (US: gas), motorway, fare Air: gate, boarding pass, check-in, luggage, hand luggage, departures, arrivals, delayed, cancelled

Paying to travel: the price is the fare (a ticket is the thing you hold). On city transport you often top up a card and tap in and tap out at the barrier.

Buying a ticket

• A single to York, please. (one way)
• A return, please. (there and back)
• What time's the next train?
• Which platform is it?
• Do I have to change? — Yes, change at Reading.

Understanding announcements

Announcements use a fixed, rather formal vocabulary that sounds nothing like the conversation above. These four cover most of it:

You'll hear	It means
The train now standing at platform 4…	the train currently there
…is due to depart at 14:30.	is scheduled to leave
We apologise for the delay to this service.	it's late
A replacement bus service is in operation.	the train isn't running; take a bus

Also common: terminates at (goes no further), calling at (stopping at), alight (get off).

Taxis

• Could you take me to this address?
• How much will it cost?
• Can you drop me here?
• Keep the change.

Problems

• The train is delayed by twenty minutes.
• The flight has been cancelled.
• I've missed my connection.
• Is there a later one?

And the phrases for getting help when something goes wrong:

• Excuse me, is this the right platform for Leeds?
• Sorry, I think I'm on the wrong train.
• What should I do — my connection's been cancelled.

Say where you're going, not what you want. A single to York, please works at every ticket window in the country. Trying to build a full sentence under pressure is what makes buying a ticket harder than it is.

Something has gone wrong at the station

A: Excuse me — is the 8:15 to Leeds still running?

B: It's been cancelled, I'm afraid. There's a replacement bus from stand C.

A: Do I have to change?

B: Yes, change at Doncaster. Your ticket's still valid.

Cancellation, replacement service, changing, and the reassurance about the ticket — the four things you actually need to understand.

Test yourself

The quiz below is mostly the preposition rule.