Ride the Bus
Four questions, a pyramid and one unlucky bus driver: the Ride the Bus rules step by step.
Also known as: Bus Driver · Pyramid
How to play
Play with a standard 52-card deck in three rounds. Ace is high.
Round 1: Four questions
Going round, everyone answers four questions about their next card, which then stays face up in front of them:
- Red or black?
- Higher or lower than your first card?
- Inside or outside your first two cards?
- Which suit – clubs, spades, hearts or diamonds?
Guess wrong and you drink: one sip for question 1, two for question 2, three for question 3, four for question 4.
Round 2: The pyramid
Lay out a face-down pyramid of 15 cards: five at the bottom, then four, three, two and one on top. Turn the cards over one by one, from the bottom up.
If you hold a card of the same rank, put it on top and hand out sips – as many as the row number counting from the bottom (bottom row 1, top row 5).
Round 3: Riding the bus
Whoever has the most cards left becomes the bus driver. They lay five cards face down in a row and turn them over one at a time:
- 2 to 10: move on to the next card.
- Jack, Queen, King or Ace: drink (Jack 1, Queen 2, King 3, Ace 4 sips), deal new cards and start again.
The ride ends once the bus driver gets through all five cards without a face card or ace.
Warning: Agree on a limit for the bus ride beforehand (e.g. no more than three restarts) so nobody gets stuck.
Agree on drinks and amounts before you start. The game works just as well without alcohol.
What you need for Ride the Bus
Missing something? Here’s matching equipment.
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1× Deck of cards
Plastic cards survive spilled drinks.
No matching offer available right now.
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Ride the Bus: FAQ
How many players do you need for Ride the Bus?
Ride the Bus is played with 3–8 players.
What do you need for Ride the Bus?
For Ride the Bus you need: Deck of cards, plus drinks of your choice.
How hard are the rules of Ride the Bus?
Rule difficulty: Medium. The instructions above are all you need to start.
Can you play Ride the Bus without alcohol?
Yes. Ride the Bus works just as well with water, soft drinks or alcohol-free beer. Agree on drinks and amounts before you start.