Riding the Bus
Posted October 3rd, 2007 by Christopher HowardBill recently came to live in Costa Rica. Like me, he lives in the city and does not own a car. He called me last Saturday to ask directions to the Pavas feria. I told him where to catch the bus on Pavas Avenue and to get off one stop past the U.S. Embassy.
He was a little embarrassed as he confessed that he had not as yet ridden a bus in San Jose. He should not be embarrassed; not many expats do ride city buses. I am now used to that mode of transportation but remember how confused I was at first, so, for those who would like to try the bus, I am going to answer some of the questions Bill asked
Often there is a sign in the window of buses telling you the various stops and how much the current fare is (it changes with inflation).
You do not need the exact change. I have seen bus drivers change five thousand note bills, although you might find yourself with a pocketful of menudo (small change). Within the city most trips are under 200 colones (40 cents).
Don’t dally in the front of the bus once you have entered because often there is an electronic gate that records the entries. Sometimes buses are crowded with standees. If you are older and female, someone will usually give you their seat. If you don’t know where your bus stop is, the driver is usually very helpful in letting you know when to disembark. Ask him when you enter. If you do know, pull the string or push the proper button at least a block beforehand. As soon as you sit down, look for the signal apparatus. Sometimes they are hard to find. Remember, Ticos riding buses are as kind and helpful as they are in other situations. I once was struggling with a torn fingernail and the lady in the seat opposite me brought out an emery board, gave it to me and insisted that I keep it.
Some buses seem to be old school buses with seats and spaces between them just right for third graders. If you are very tall, it might be easier to stand or the middle seat at the back of the bus. Sometimes you may get a driver is a “cowboy” as I call them or “muy bravo” as some ticos say. There are signs in most buses telling you to exit via the back door but many riders near the front still use the front door.
Buses are not always quiet, sometimes the driver treats you to his music, sometimes a vendor or supplicant gets on to give a pitch for money. A city bus is sometimes noisy and sometimes crowded, but it is never smelly. I am convinced that Costa Ricans are the most bathed people in the world.
There are many bus stops throughout the city (they are about the only places that tell you what street you are on). There are benches and some have narrow roofs which don’t actually protect you from the rain because rain seldom falls straight down in the city.
Buses leave and return to San Jose from just about every town in the country. The best place to pick up schedules and locations of the intercity bus stops is the Tourist Bureau located under the Plaza de la Cultura.
After writing all of this I began to wonder if it has any relevancy because once people have cars it is very difficult to give them up. They love what they consider the convenience even though they may find themselves inconveniently stuck in traffic unable to read or nap, or do some serious work (other than talk on their cell phones), all of which you can do on a bus.
And then this past week I attended Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth,” about global warming. The viewing was sponsored by the Eco travel agency Horizontes Nature Tours and was free for the many people invited to view it. The lovely Cine Megaly was almost full. The film is well worth seeing and has significance for Costa Rica because this country could, with continued and more serious concern for the environment, for conservation, be a proud example to the rest of the world. Global warming is reaching a critical mass and seems to be affecting even Costa Rica (and we are lucky because the rise in temperatures is less the closer you are to the equator). Some friends who live in Atenas tell me it is getting warmer there so that they are now noticing that there are more mosquitoes – a warm weather menace.
At the end of the film was a list of things that we can do to help stop, or at least slow down, global warming. There are the three well-known “R’s”: Reduce consumption, Reuse what you can and Recycle. Then came a whole list of specific things. First on the list was Ride the Bus.
Suddenly I felt my information to be very relevant.
Jo Stuart is the author of the popular book about life in Costa Rica entitled, “Butterfly in the City.” To order a copy of her wonderful book please contact her at: jostuart@amcostarica.com
