You have to ask yourself: Is my destination really worth the gamble? If you’re trying to get to the mall for a last-minute gift, abort mission. The mall is a war zone. But if you’re heading to a friend’s house for a cozy dinner, the bus might be your weirdly festive chariot. Just check the schedule the night before, because no one updates it during Christmas Eve morning—the transit website feels like it’s on vacation, too.
See London's Christmas Lights From One Of These Special Festive Buses
Pro tip: look for a small note on the bus stop pole. You know, the one that’s half-torn and covered in gum. That note is your holy grail. It might say “No service after 5 p.m.” in tiny, passive-aggressive font. Ignore that font at your own risk.
A Tale of Two Bus Stops
My neighbor, Dave, once tried to take the bus to his mom’s house on Christmas Eve. He waited 40 minutes in the cold, shivering like a penguin who lost his tuxedo. Finally, a bus appeared, but it was a “ghost bus”—the kind that drives right past you because it’s “off route.” He ended up calling an Uber that cost him $80 and had a driver blasting “Jingle Bell Rock” on repeat. Dave now drives everywhere on December 24th, regardless of parking nightmares.
Meanwhile, my cousin Lisa swears by the Christmas Eve bus. She says it’s the only day the driver lets you sit in the back with your hot chocolate and nobody yells at you for taking up two seats with your shopping bags. She once had a driver who handed out candy canes. That’s the magic side of the coin. But Lisa also admits she missed her stop because she was too busy singing along to the radio.
Do Buses Run on Christmas Day?
