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I spent four months in San Jose and learned a few things about riding a public bus.
Make sure you are getting on the right bus
Costa Rican busses have names instead of numbers. The names are in Spanish and sometimes they can look and sound very similar. Don’t be afraid to ask the bus driver if you can get to your destination on his route.
If the bus driver doesn’t understand you, ask a local sitting in the front of the bus. Most Costa Ricans speak a little English and are more than willing to help out an inquiring foreigner.
I would never have known when to get off the bus without help
Whenever you are in an area you don’t know very well it can be hard to know when you reach your stop. Ask the bus driver to notify you.
If the bus driver is busy, ask someone sitting near you to tell you when the bus reaches your location.
Know the place, not the street.
Always use place names rather than street names when you are telling a bus driver where you need to go. Street signs are rare and not many locals know which street is which. I spent many an hour riding around in circles before I figured out that I needed to say the name of the establishment that was my stop, or a place near it, in order to get there.
Take up two bus seats
If possible, sit in an aisle seat and put your bag or backpack on the seat next to the window. This lessens the chance that someone will sit next to you who you do not want touching you or slipping their hand into your pocket or bag.
Sitting on the aisle seat also allows you to scoot away from prying hands. When squished next to the window you have nowhere to escape. I once sat on the inside seat and an old man who sat next to me put his hands down by his side and touched my behind the whole ride. There was no place for me to go.
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