Bus journey to Kykkos highlights limited rural public transport options
A weekend bus trip from Nicosia to the Troodos mountains was disrupted after a passenger missed the only morning connection to Kykkos monastery.
Nicosia, Cyprus. A weekend journey by public bus from Nicosia to Kykkos monastery highlighted the limited frequency of services and unclear boarding arrangements on routes serving the Troodos mountains.
The traveller missed the 8.55am Bus 82 connection to Kykkos after waiting at a roadside stop rather than at the nearby bus parking area where the vehicle had been waiting.
Initial experience of bus services
Ahead of travelling to Cyprus for the summer, the traveller had been warned that public buses were unreliable, often arriving late or failing to arrive at all.
However, intercity buses and services within Nicosia had generally enabled the traveller to reach intended destinations. The traveller then sought to assess how public transport worked in less populated parts of the country during a weekend trip to the Troodos mountains.
Limited route to Kykkos
The planned trip included visits to Kykkos monastery and Platres, as well as a stop at a winery.
Bus 82 is the only route from Nicosia to Kykkos monastery. It does not operate on Sundays and runs only twice in each direction on other days. The traveller therefore chose to depart on Saturday morning, as taking the later Saturday service would have prevented a return journey for the rest of the weekend.
Missed connection
Shortly after 7am on Saturday, the traveller took a packed bus to Apolloneio hospital in Nicosia before boarding Bus 408 towards Troodos Square.
The traveller got off partway through the route at the “Mitropoliti Chrysanthou Sarigianni – Atsas” stop, five minutes before the scheduled 8.55am connection to Kykkos.
A map indicated that the connecting service would leave from the same stop. At 8.55am, Google Maps showed the bus as delayed by five minutes.
Moments later, two buses left a parking area behind a nearby petrol station. Bus 82 was at the front. The traveller ran towards it from the roadside stop, but the bus had already turned the corner and departed.
Search for alternative transport
The traveller concluded that passengers were expected to board the bus from the parking area rather than the roadside stop, although no signage was seen to indicate this.
The next Bus 82 service to Kykkos was scheduled for 2.55pm, six hours later. A check of the Bolt application showed that no driver was nearby.
With no immediate alternative available, the traveller went to the petrol station to request help in calling a taxi to Kykkos monastery.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →
