Public transport: Asking for tickets and directions

A1
90 min
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1

Think about these questions before reading. Share your ideas with a partner.

  1. How do you go to school or work?
  2. What buses or trains are in your city?
  3. Do you like the bus? Why or why not?
2

Buying a Bus Ticket

Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.

3

Read the article and answer the questions.

01What question do you ask for the price of a ticket?
Sample answerYou ask 'How much is a ticket?'.
02What question do you ask to find a place, like the city center?
Sample answerYou ask 'Where is the city center?'.
03What are two useful words for public transport?
Sample answerTwo useful words are 'ticket' and 'bus stop'.
04Why do you need to ask questions in a new city?
Sample answerI need to ask questions to find places and buy tickets.
4

Key vocabulary

Vocabulary
These expressions will help you ask for help with public transport.
Examples
A single ticket — a ticket for a journey to one place, but not back again.
Use this when you only want to travel one way. You can also ask for 'a return ticket' to go and come back.
Get off at... — to leave a bus, train, or other transport at a specific stop.
This is a useful phrase for directions. For example: 'Get off at the next stop for the museum.'
The next stop — the place where the bus or train will stop next.
You can ask the driver, 'Is the city center the next stop?' to check where you are.
Excuse me... — a polite phrase to get someone's attention before you ask a question.
Always use this to start a conversation with a stranger. For example: 'Excuse me, where is the bus station?'
How long does it take? — a question to ask about the time needed for a journey.
Use this after you ask for directions. For example: 'How long does it take to get to the airport by bus?'
5

Public transport words

Learn new words for talking about travel.

Match each word on the left with the correct meaning on the right.

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Definitions
6

Grammar: Asking 'Where is...?' and 'How much is...?'

Grammar
We use 'Where is...?' to ask about a place, like a bus stop or a train station. We use 'How much is...?' to ask about the price of something, like a ticket.
Examples
Where is the bus stop?
Use 'Where is...?' to ask for a location.
How much is a ticket to the city center?
Use 'How much is...?' to ask for a price.
Excuse me, where is the train station?
It is polite to say 'Excuse me' before you ask a question.
Key points
  • Use 'Where is...?' for places.
  • Use 'How much is...?' for prices.
  • Remember the word order: 'Where is the...?' not 'Where the is...?'
7

Choose the best answer for each question.

01Where do you wait for a bus?
02What do you need to buy to travel on a train?
03Which of these is NOT a type of public transport?
04You want to go to the city center. What is a good question to ask the bus driver?
8

Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.

  1. In your city, is a single ticket for the bus cheap or expensive? How much is it?
  2. Is it better to buy a ticket on the bus or at the bus stop? Why?
  3. A tourist asks you, 'Excuse me, how do I get to the city center?' What do you tell them?