Public Transit in Costa Rica
February 3rd, 2012 | by admin |
The most common way to travel in Costa Rica is by bus. An excellent bus service connects all parts of San José and all places in the country. You can get to almost all locations for a maximum of US$5 by bus. Buses and bus stops are marked by the name of the destination.
Most travel guides include lists of locations and prices to different places of interest. Buses for short ways often are old school buses, but busies to far destinations are comfortable and nice. Some even have air condition and TV.
To get around in the city, we recommend the use of taxis. There seem to be millions of them and they have low prices. The law requires that all taxi’s use their meter.
Our advice: Always check if meter is running or if you’re a stranger to the country, ask for the price before you get in. If you take a taxi at the airport to go to Alajuela for example, make sure not to take on from the Airport taxis, since they have a higher basic rate.
The taxi system is well organized. If you feel cheated, make a note of the number of the taxi permission or the license plate and complain at the “Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transportes”. Taxis are red with yellow signs on top. From San José to Escazu it costs about US$1.
Taxis are allowed to charge 20% more from 10pm to 5 am.
Many tourists love a trip on the train. Trains have recently made a comeback, as there are now buses departing from San Jose to arrive in Heredia, and vice versa. There are also buses that depart from certain parts of San Jose.
Costa Rica offers reasonable priced flights within the country by SANSA. They fly to destinations like Samara, Golfito and Quepos. All flights start near the international airport Santa Maria. If you need to fly, ask for a ticket in advance. It is better to go directly to the office of SANSA instead of relying on a travel agency.
Diana Wilson
