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Bus travel in former Yugoslavia

Photo: Macic7, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Due in part to the sorry state of railways as well as the high price of short-haul flights in relation to average incomes, buses (autobusi, singular autobus) are the most common form of public transport in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia. There is heavy competition in the market and bigger players include:

  • Lasta Beograd , the largest, part of the Eurolines network, connects Belgrade to the entire region and to most of Europe.
  • Arriva Croatia, the largest provider of passenger transport in Croatia owned by international corporation Arriva Deutsche Bahn. The Group consist of the following companies: Autotrans, APP and Panturist..
  • Centrotrans Sarajevo, from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • Promet Makarska operates frequent buses from Zagreb to Split and Makarska.
  • Niš Ekspres operates most of the bus services to and from Niš.
  • Flixbus originally a German company they serve a handful of destinations in the region

A bus station is called avtobusna postaja in Slovenia, autobusni kolodvor in Croatia, autobusna stanica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, autobuska stanica in Serbia and Montenegro, and avtobuska stanica in North Macedonia.

Fares and ticketsThe fares are generally lower than in Western Europe. Croatia and Slovenia are a bit more expensive than Serbia, but even the longest overnight routes shouldn't cost more than 50 Euro.
Routes and timetablesInformation about routes and timetables is available at all bus terminals, usually in the local language. In Serbia and North Macedonia it is sometimes printed only in the Cyrillic alphabet.
Bus fleetsWhile some companies operate brand-new Turkish, Chinese and/or locally assembled buses, most prefer second-hand vehicles from Western Europe.g. Notausstieg for emergency exit) is common on the bus.
NotesOn longer highway journeys, the bus driver will always make at least one 15 to 20-minute rest stop at a gas station with a cafe and/or restaurant, public toilet and mini-market.
See also

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