If you take the bus a lot, it is a good idea to do this because it is usually cheaper this way. You can refill the cards at the bigger bus stations and sometimes in stores that make photocopies (they usually have a sign outside that says "we refill transport cards").
The buses for use outside of the city leave from the big bus station in the center of the city and stop in a little area called the Plaza de la Paz which is right near my house. La Plaza de la Paz is just a bus stop right before the highway. The outside of city buses go to smaller towns that are more than twenty minutes from Oviedo. Sometimes I take these buses home from my schools when there is a meeting after school and no one can drive me back to Oviedo. These buses cost $2.35 a ride. Usually my teachers drive me to and from school, but if they cannot, the buses are super helpful. You can use the bus card on these buses, too, but one ride on these takes away two rides on your card because inner-city rides cost less.
The last type of buses are the outside of Asturias buses. We call them ALSA buses. This bus company actually started in Asturias and they are AWESOME! They are the cheapest way to get to another part of Spain. I take these buses to Madrid for flights all the time. They run all day, but you have to work around the schedule they have. It takes longer to get to places in buses versus trains, but it is much cheaper to take a bus. Usually it costs me about twenty-five euros to go to Madrid from Oviedo and another twenty-five to come back. However, it does depend on what time you leave and if it is the holidays. During holidays the prices go up, and during the middle of the day more people want tickets, so they raise the price.
