Getting Around Oslo

(A Ruter Appreciation Post)

Life without a car is going to be an adjustment, but of all the cities where we could learn how to get around with public transport, Oslo seems to be one of the best.

Ruter is the name of the public transit system, and for 770 NOK a month per adult (about $75 USD), we have access to all the metros, trains, trams, busses, and ferries in zone 1, which is pretty extensive and contains the entire metro system. They even have a few self-driving electric busses! If we ever do have occasion to travel outside zone 1, you can use the app to add a zone for the day at just an extra 60-80 NOK ($6-$8ish).

Everything is super clean, and Norwegians seem to be quite reserved, so all our excursions so far have been very manageable. We did invest in a larger stroller that’s also towable by bicycle, though, since we’re doing a lot more walking than we used to.

The Norwegian equivalent to craigslist is Finn, and we used it to find an awesome THULE brand stroller. That meant a bus trip to nearby Vålerenga to pick up our find.

Such a sweet little neighborhood, and such an awesome, heavy-duty stroller! There’s space on all the metros, busses, trams, ferries, and trains for it, and it makes such a big difference to be able to push them right onto transit in a stroller that also fits our bags, coats, and such.

One interesting thing about the metro especially is that there isn’t any mechanism for swiping into the stations. You keep your ticket in an app on your phone, and occasionally they spot-check at the exits. Anyone without a ticket that was valid at the time of the ride gets a fine. It’s definitely a system that relies on trust and a generally compliant population, but it seems to be working!