You can tell I'm running out of ideas! Time to move to Monteverde! These photos are all from my daily walks. The first two are (local) public buses in service; the third is a school bus.
The buses in Costa Rica are efficient and economical. On our “cross country” trip to the Atlantic coast (roughly 180 km), the fare was ~$7 per person each way on a tour-quality bus. We covered the distance almost as fast as one can in a car (which is only about 50 km/h).
City buses run all over town. I’ve only taken them a few times, but Ingrid and Daniela are pros. The minimum fare (which will get us from here to downtown, about 5 miles) is $0.40.
Taxis are also reasonably priced and plentiful. When we arrived at the bus terminal last night, there were taxis waiting for all passengers who wanted them. The trip to our flat, probably about 8 miles, cost about $6.
I’m not sure how it all is organized. The taxis have licenses with door decals to demonstrate it and they are all the same color (red). The buses seem to be regulated private enterprises, with many competing operators.
The roads are only in so-so condition in Costa Rica and in San José. The traffic within the city actually flows fairly well, probably because private vehicle use is not at the same high percentage as in US cities. Outside the city, all the major highways are mostly one lane in each direction, the terrain is rugged, many roads have major potholes, and the truck traffic is heavy, so progress is uniformly slow.
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