Societatea de Transport București (STB) is the overground public transportation company in Bucharest, which operates city buses, trams, and light rails. The company is fully owned by the Municipality of Bucharest and is separate from Metrorex which operates the metro.
Bus, Tram, And Trolley Lines
Bucharest has an extensive network of overground public transport, one of the densest in Europe. STB operates 138 bus routes, 15 trolleybus routes, and 23 tram and light rail routes throughout the capital city and its outskirts. The total length of all routes combined is 1,651 kilometers. The tram and light rail lines have the lowest numbers starting with line 1. These lines are easier to navigate than the buses and because they are separated from other traffic in parts of the city, they are faster too. The trolleybus lines all have double digit numbers, while you can recognize the bus lines by the 3 digit numbers. The night buses have separate line numbers which start with an N followed by one or more numbers. You can find an overview of all the lines and timetables on the website of the STB.
Schedules And Departure Information
The overground public transport in Bucharest is much harder to navigate than the metro but luckily there is a very useful app that can help you plan your journey. The app is called ‘Info Transport Bucharest’ and can be downloaded from the Apple or Google Play store. In the app you can find all the public transport stops (including bus, tram, trolley, and metro) with live departure information. You can also plan your journey by entering your destination and either your current location or another departure point and the app will give you the best options to get there with all details.
Hours Of Operation
STB operates the overground public transport roughly between the hours of 4.30am and 11pm. After 11pm there are also night buses on a few routes which operate until the regular schedule starts again. The night buses all leave from the streets around Union Square and cover most areas of the city. Express Bus 783 between the airport and the city runs 24/7.
Bus, Tram, And Trolley Fares And Tickets
Tickets can’t be bought onboard of any vehicle so they need to be purchased upfront at any of the STB ticket booths, ticket machines, post offices or via the 24Pay app. Single-journeys can also be paid with contactless cards in all vehicles with the Visa or Mastercard logo by placing the card or phone against the validating machine. Ticket machines are located at every tram stop and the busier bus stops where you can usually also find the manned ticket counters. The STB tickets are called ‘Active’ and ‘Multiplu’ cards and are preloaded with either money, with one or multiple journeys, or a subscription. The following cards are available:
Multiplu Card
The Multiplu card is intended for occasional passengers like tourists and can be preloaded with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 30 trips, or with a 24-hour, 72-hour, or 7-day pass. The card is free if preloaded with at least 2 journeys and has a validity of 60 days. The Multiplu card is anonymous and transferable, but can’t be reloaded.
Active Card (Nominal)
A nominal Active card is only issued with a valid ID and is non-transferable. It can be loaded and loaded with any type of travel credits (journeys or money), subscriptions or discount tickets. The card is only free when issued for the first time and it can be reloaded with money (e-wallet), or with journeys or a new subscription.
Active Card (Non-Nominal)
A non-nominal Active card can be issued to anyone (without ID) and costs 3.7 lei. The card is transferable and can be loaded and reloaded with money (e-wallet), journeys, or a 24-hour, 72-hour, or 7-day subscription online or via any ticket office or machine.
Journey Fares
A flat fare is applicable to each journey, so the price is the same regardless of the distance traveled or the number of transfers made between lines. Single journeys have a validity of 90 minutes and are valid on all buses, trams, and trolleys, but not on the metro. You need to validate the ticket every time you enter a vehicle, after which the remaining validity time will be displayed on the screen. The following fare options are available:
- 1 journey: 3 lei (valid for 90 minutes)
- 2 journeys: 6 lei (valid for 90 minutes per journey)
- 10 journeys: 25 lei (valid for 90 minutes per journey)
- 24 hour pass: 8 lei
- 72 hour pass: 20 lei
- Weekly pass: 30 lei
- Monthly pass: 80 lei
Combination tickets (STB + Metrorex) which include the metro are also available:
- 1 journey (120 minutes): 5 lei
- 2 journeys (120 minutes): 10 lei
- 10 journeys (120 minutes) 45 lei
- 24 hour pass: 14 lei or 20 lei including the airport train
- 72 hour pass: 35 lei or 40 lei including the airport train
- Weekly pass: 50 lei
- Monthly pass: 140 lei / 210 including the airport train
