One of the best things about coming of age in a regional town was finally being able to go up to the bar at the one local pub or bowls club. But the real best thing was knowing that when you were all done and well-sauced, you could toddle back home in a little bus (for free!) that would drop you at your door. When I moved to the big smoke I was quick to learn that the humble courtesy bus isn’t really the norm, but I reckon they should be for some places.
The obvious reason pubs and clubs in metro areas don’t have a little minibus to cart punters from their homes to the bar is that public transport is pretty extensive and reliable. At the very least, the city is far better serviced than out in the country in terms of taxis and rideshares — I think my hometown had maybe one or two taxis so the courtesy bus (AKA the curto) was a good way to get to the bowlo.
But there are some places (like breweries and taphouses) that I wanna go to that simply don’t have nearby public transport options, leaving me stuck with having to pay for an Uber there and back. Which, in this cozzie livs situation, is not ideal.
one thing i miss from living in the country is the bowlo courtesy bus. give me a curto revival in 2023 i beg of u
— corgi (@courtwhip) February 1, 2023
Here in Melbourne, two places come to mind: The Royston, which is nestled in the top eastern corner of Richmond, and Moon Dog World in the industrial backstreets of Preston. Both spots are a pain in the ass to get to — which I say with absolute love — and I wish they had a little bus that could drop punters off at the front door.
I don’t even expect an inner-city courtesy bus to pick me up from my house (a real country luxury), even just a little shuttle to and from the closest train station or tram stop would be fine! It’d be such a mood to scoot down to the pub in a little bus and I can bet that people would wanna go more if the gargle factory was more accessible, too.
It’d also boost the safety of people heading home after a night on the neck oils, I reckon. If there’s a cheeky lil bus out the front to trip our hooned-out asses back to a train station or closer to home, would that be so bad? It’d probably help keep the noise down for the neighbours, which I’m sure would be appreciated by all the NIMBY types.
So if there’s one thing I’d love to bring from my country girl upbringing to the city in 2023, it’s the deeply underappreciated courtesy bus. Hell, we got wedges with sweet chilli and sour cream back onto a few pub bistro menus, why can’t we usher in a new era of the curto?
