Everyday life

Getting around: how to actually find and use the bus

Telling someone “take the bus” is not help. This page walks through it in order: find the route that goes to your address, find the stop, pay the right way, and know what to do when the bus does not come.

Guided by a resident. Written by someone who has lived through Iceland’s systems, with help from people who pointed the way, and checked against official sources.

Last verified 13 August 2026 · straeto.is, klappid.is

The words you will see

Strætó (say: STRY-toh) — the public bus. Yellow buses, yellow stop signs.
Klappið (say: KLAHP-ith) — the app and card you use to pay for the bus.
Stoppistöð (say: STOP-ee-stuth) — a bus stop.
Leið (say: LAYTH) — a route. Buses are called by number: leið 1, leið 6.
Lögheimili (say: LUG-hay-mee-lee) — your registered legal address. This is the address you plan your daily trips from.

Step 1: find which bus goes to your address

Do not start at the bus stop. Start at home, on your phone or laptop.

Open the journey planner on straeto.is, or install the Klappið app (the current app for tickets and live bus tracking).
Type your home address as the starting point, and the place you go most often — work, school, the shop, the health centre — as the end point.
Set the day and the time you would really travel. Buses run less often in the evening, at weekends and on public holidays, so a plan made at midday can be wrong at 21:00.
Write down three things: the route number, the name of the stop you get on at, and the name of the stop you get off at.

Google Maps also shows Strætó routes and works in English. It is often easier to read than the official planner. Use the official planner or app when you want the exact live times.

Do this once for each trip you repeat. After a week you will stop looking it up.

Step 2: find your stop before you need it

Bus stops are marked with a yellow sign. The sign shows the stop name and the route numbers that stop there. Stops do not always have a shelter, and many are simply a sign at the side of the road.

Search the stop name from your plan in the map on your phone, then walk there once, in daylight, before your first real trip.
Check both sides of the road. The stop going into town and the stop going out of town are two different stops with the same name.
The bus does not always stop by itself. Stand where the driver can see you and put your hand out as the bus comes.
To get off, press the stop button before your stop, not when you arrive at it.
Leave a few minutes early, but do not stand outside longer than you need to. Klappið and the Strætó journey planner show the bus moving in real time on a live map (rauntímakort, say: ROWN-tee-ma-kort, "real-time map"), so you can leave home when the bus is actually close instead of guessing.
The timetable often adds a small buffer for delays, especially in winter. If the app says 12:55, the bus may arrive a minute or two earlier or later, so give yourself a five-minute window.

Step 3: paying, and why you should not just get on

Almost everyone pays with the Klappið app on their phone. You set it up once, at home, with your bank card. You do not buy a ticket from the driver in the normal way, and drivers do not give change if you pay with cash, so paying in cash usually means losing money.

Install Klappið and create an account before your first trip.
Choose what fits how you travel: a single ride, or a pass for a period of time. If you travel every day, a period pass is normally the cheaper way; if you travel now and then, single rides are simpler.
Check whether you belong to a lower-price group — children, young people, students, disabled passengers and older passengers usually pay less, and some groups need proof in the app.
Open the ticket in the app before you get on, and show the moving screen to the driver as you board. A screenshot is not a valid ticket.

If you do not want to use a phone, you can buy a physical Klappið card and top it up. Ask at a service point or a shop that sells them; the Klappið site lists where.

We do not print prices here. Fares and passes change, and the group you belong to changes what you pay. The app and the Klappið site always show the current price.

Step 4: transfers, and buses outside the capital

One paid ride normally covers a transfer to another bus for a set time. In the app this happens automatically; if you use a card, ask the driver for a transfer ticket (skiptimiði, say: SKIF-tee-mee-thee).
Hlemmur and Mjódd are the two main change points in the capital area. Many trips across town mean changing bus at one of them.
Outside the capital area, Strætó also runs long-distance routes between towns. These run only a few times a day and can need booking in advance — check the route page before you plan around it.
In winter, routes can be shortened or cancelled in bad weather. Check the Strætó app, and check road conditions on road.is before a long trip.

When it goes wrong

The bus did not come

What actually happens: Buses can run early, run late, or be cancelled in snow and storms. If you miss one, the next one on the same route may be 20 minutes, an hour, or the next morning.
What to do: Open the Klappið app or the Strætó planner and look at the live times for your stop. If the bus has disappeared from the list, plan the next one or walk to a bigger road where more routes pass. Tell your workplace or school early rather than after you are late.
The common trap: Standing at the stop for an hour with no plan. Always know what the next option is before you leave home in winter.

You got on without a valid ticket

What actually happens: Inspectors do check. Travelling without a valid ticket can mean a fine, and “I did not understand the app” is not accepted.
What to do: Set up Klappið at home, with a working card, before your first trip. If the app fails at the door, tell the driver and buy the ride there rather than sitting down quietly.

You live somewhere the bus barely reaches

What actually happens: Some neighbourhoods and small towns have very few departures, or none in the evening. This affects which job shifts you can accept and which school run is possible.
What to do: Check the timetable for your address before you sign a rental contract or a shift-work contract. If the bus does not fit, look at a bicycle for the light months, a shared car ride with a colleague, or a different neighbourhood.
The common trap: Assuming the map distance is short so the trip is easy. Wind and ice make a 20-minute walk feel very different in January.

Other ways to move around

Walking: short distances are normal, but pavements ice over. Shoe spikes (mannbroddar, say: MAN-brod-dar) are cheap and sold in most supermarkets and hardware shops in winter.
Bicycle: the capital area has good separated paths, and many people cycle all year with winter tyres.
Taxi: available, but expensive for daily use. Book by phone or app rather than waiting on the street.
Car: you can drive on many foreign licences for a limited time after you register your address. Read the driving licence page before that time runs out.

Driving licence: how long your foreign licence works here

Where this fits

Planning the move? Before you move. Just arrived? Starting out in Iceland.

Visiting for a short stay rather than living here? Our sister site Fylgja Iceland covers travel and short trips.

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