Bus game rules – how to play bus

MISSION OF BUS: I pick up and drop off passengers to earn the most points

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: You can play with 2 – 3 people

WHAT YOU NEED: You’ll need 30 cards, including 3 bus cards, 15 passenger cards, and 12 street cards

TYPE OF GAME: It’s a Pick Up and Deliver Card Game

WHO CAN PLAY: Anyone aged 10 and up

WELCOME TO BUS

Welcome aboard Bus, a pick up and deliver micro card game created by Chris Handy and published by Perplext. In this game, I’m in charge of picking up and dropping off passengers. My goal is to handle as many passengers as possible and come out on top.

WHAT YOU NEED

There are 30 cards in the BUS deck. You’ll find 3 bus cards, which act as player tokens, and 15 passenger cards that you’ll want to collect. The remaining 12 cards are street cards, which make up the game board.

On some of the street cards, you’ll come across bus stops, passenger destinations, and even a construction site. If you land on a street with a bus stop, you can draw a passenger card. To drop off a passenger, simply pass through or land on a destination spot of the matching color.

Once during the game, you have the option to end your turn on the construction site street. When you do this, you can switch any two streets on the game board (as long as there are no buses on them). After making the switch, flip your bus card to show that you’ve used the construction site side.

Getting Ready

Let’s start by setting up the game. First, we need to shuffle the 12 street cards and create the game board. We’ll arrange the cards in a 2×2 grid formation. This will be our playing field, where all the action will happen.

Next, it’s time to shuffle the 15 passenger cards. Once they’re shuffled, let’s place them face down in a pile. We’ll call this pile the “stockpile.” Take the top two cards from the stockpile and flip them face up, placing them next to the pile.

Now, each player needs to choose a bus card to use as their player token. These bus cards have two sides: “Plain Bus” and “Construction Site Used.” Pick your favorite and get ready to roll!

Lastly, don’t forget to claim your own side of the game board as your progress area. This is where you’ll keep your passengers safe and sound. Make sure to keep an eye on your progress and outsmart your opponents!

The Game Begins

A New Player Arrives

When I start playing this game, the first thing I need to do is pick a bus stop to begin my journey. I’ll place my bus card on that stop with the Construction Site Used side facing down. Now, it’s time to choose my first passenger. I can either pick one of the face-up passenger cards or take the top card from the stockpile. Whichever card I choose, I’ll place it on the left side of my progress area, facing up. If I took a face-up card, I immediately replace it with the top card from the stockpile.

When we start the game, we each choose our own station and get a passenger card. It’s okay to put more than one bus on a street with a bus stop.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

After we put our buses on the board and draw our first group of passengers, it’s time to start moving them around. We have a few options on our turn: we can pick up passengers at a bus stop, drop them off at their destination, or use the construction site.

Each passenger card shows how many passengers we need to pick up, the speed limit for our bus, and how many points we can earn. We can move our bus as many spaces as the lowest speed limit on our passenger cards.

When I land on a spot that allows me to do so, I can perform one action from the list. These spots include passenger destinations, construction sites, or bus stops.

DROPPING OFF PASSENGERS

If I pass through or end my turn on a street card with a passenger destination spot, I have the opportunity to drop off a passenger. To do this, all I need to do is slide the passenger card in the progress area to the right, ensuring that the correct color is now in the drop off zone. Once both passengers on the card are dropped off, I collect the card and keep it face down in a pile.

Look at the picture above. I finished the green and blue passenger card. Now I can collect it and put it face down in my pile.

Ending the Game

The game ends when a player finishes five passenger cards. Then, each player gets one more turn, including the player who triggered the end of the game.

Scoring

Every completed passenger card in my pile earns me points. Each card has its own point value.

Winning

The player with the most points when the game ends is the winner. If there is a tie, the player with the most passenger cards wins.