View attachment 210959
By "buses" they mean a long distance coach.
With some exceptions, you have to pay to a specific operator in Poland. (The exception could be mutual honouring tickets between SKM and Mazovian Railways in the Warsaw Zone 1 and 2). However, whenever there's a need, an app can be created. Brands such as
SkyCash,
jakdojade or
Koleo all have agreements with all the operators, and it also extends beyond just the public transportation/railways for SkyCash. You either top up your account in the app or use BLIK, which is a unique Polish system for instant payment from any bank. These apps also have timetables for any railway operator in Poland.
However, the specific operators have their own apps and websites as well. I prefer:
- Checking the connections and cyclist seat availability for long haul in the Intercity website
- Do the commute planning in jakdojade ("how do I get there")
- Buy the local tickets in SkyCash
- But buy the long haul tickets with Intercity. The latter ensures I will certainly get a seat/bike space and all applicable discounts.
It took Poland some time to get to that level.
---------------
In August 2023, I got to Gdańsk with an Intercity train. The next step was to get to Gdańsk Airport to collect
@Brix. I hadn't done my research beforehand. As I knew it took a city bus ages to get to the airport, I took a taxi. It took ages and cost a lot. Only when I picked up my gf, I started reading the apps. Turned out, the railway operator was Polregio, offering a very fast and inexpensive connection back to Gdańsk but Gdańsk Wrzeszcz (a hub). The next step was just to get on Gdańsk SKM (the Fast Urban Train). All very fast and inexpensive. One always learns...
View attachment 210960
The trip back to the airport was so easy!