BUS SYSTEM IN SAN JOSE

A few blogs ago, I wrote about traveling around San Jose. I told you about the taxi system here in Costa Rica. Today, I have put a picture of another form of transportation-the BUS. This is the most common form of transportation (along with walking) for most of the Costa Ricans. You can pretty much "catch" a bus on any main street and go anywhere in the country. You might have to take two or three different buses, but eventually, you would get to wherever you wanted to go. This is picture of a bus in downtown San Jose. This is actually a pretty nice bus. There are a lot of different types of buses. I think I have only seen a few that were the same. Most are pretty safe. Some, you wonder how they are even working.

They make frequent stops along their route to pick people up and drop them off. The bus stops are hard to figure out. There are some that are marked and have seats, and then others are just in the middle of the street (actually sidewalk).

Most of the buses cost from 145 -220 colones. That is about 25-50 cents in U.S. money. So, it is cheap, but sometimes it is difficult to know which buses to take. If you can learn the bus system, it is the cheapest way (though it is really slow) to get around.

Another difficult thing for me is the seating. All of the seats are so close together, that I cannot sit in them very easily. My knees are jammed into the seat in front of me in almost every bus. If we are not going too far, I usually stand for the entire trip.

To "catch" a bus is similar to catching a taxi. Wait on the side of the road until you see the bus you need to get on. They have destinations painted on the front windows of the bus or signs in the windshield. Once you see it, you have to wave it down. IF IT STOPS, you must get on quickly and move to the back of the bus. Usually, I get on last to pay for the family. Now, when you are nearing your destination, you pull a cord or push a button that sends a signal to the driver. Most of the buses have a sign that lights up and a buzz or beep that sounds to warn the driver that you want to get off at the next stop. It's usually pretty effective, but sometimes the driver doesn't here it or he doesn't want to stop.

It's not too bad to take a bus around San Jose. It's cheap! It give you a lot of exercise because you usually have to walk to a bus stop and then to your final destination. You get to see a lot of different and interesting people, and you get to see more of San Jose. If you are walking along the street and a bus is coming, just make sure you do not step into the street. The bus will not stop for you.

Blessings to all! Please feel free to drop us an email or give us a call. That information can be found on our website: www.mattixfamilynews.com.

Charley