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  3. Ride the Bus

Ride the Bus (Bussen)

Ride the Bus is a card game with a few rounds. First you collect cards. Then the pyramid decides who has to ride the bus.

In the Netherlands the game is called Bussen. Below are the Dutch rules. They are almost the same as the international version. Only round 4 asks for the same or a different colour instead of the suit. And the bus is a row of 8 cards.

What is Ride the Bus?

Ride the Bus card game with the pyramid and the cards for the bus
Type
Card game
Players
2 to 8
Duration
30-60 minutes
What you need
Playing cardsDrinks

How to play

  1. Pick 1 dealer.
  2. Round 1 is red or black. Everyone gets 1 card. Right means you hand out. Wrong means you drink yourself.
  3. Round 2 is higher or lower than your first card. Right means you hand out. Wrong means you drink yourself.
  4. Round 3 is inside or outside. The new card has to fall between your 2 cards or outside of them.
  5. Round 4 is the same colour or a different colour. Right means you hand out. Wrong means you drink yourself.
  6. Everyone keeps the cards they got in the first 4 rounds.
  7. Then build a pyramid with 5 cards at the bottom, then 4, then 3, then 2 and 1 at the top.
  8. Turn the pyramid over starting from the bottom row.
  9. Does someone have the same card value in their hand? Then that player can put the card down.
  10. The row decides how many sips that player can hand out.
  11. Whoever has the most cards left at the end has to ride the bus.
  12. For the bus, lay 8 cards face up in a row.
  13. The player on the bus keeps guessing higher or lower. Right means they move on. Wrong means they drink and start over.
  14. The bus is done when the player gets through all 8 cards or when the deck runs out.

When do you drink?

  • Round 1 is worth 1 sip.
  • Round 2 is worth 2 sips.
  • Round 3 is worth 3 sips.
  • Round 4 is worth 4 sips.
  • In the pyramid someone drinks or hands out the number of sips of the row.
  • On the bus the player drinks for every mistake.

Extra rules

  • Agree beforehand whether equal cards count as wrong or get a do-over.
  • Make sure the dealer has played the game before.

Looking for more drinking games? Check out our top 10 best drinking games.

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