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Costa Rica Public Bus Service |
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Advantages of traveling by bus in Costa Rica
- Cost: Even the longest ride out of San Jose only costs around US$9. Especially on the longer express routes the buses are new, clean and comfortable. At the price you can't beat it.
- Convenience: Sometimes the bus is more convenient than having a car. You don't have to worry about where to park it or whether it will get broken into, and the driver will probably never get lost.
- Culture: Many Ticos use the bus as their main mode of transportation and you will almost certainly make friends on the bus. This can lead to adventures!
Disadvantages of traveling by bus in Costa Rica
- Scheduling: You may find that you have to leave somewhere a little before you want to or stay a little longer than you would like in order to catch the bus.
- Convenience: If your Spanish or your map and schedule reading ability is reasonably good, you can usually find a bus that will take you pretty close to anywhere you want to go. However, it's not as easy or convenient as just hopping in your rental car, and sometimes you will end up walking a few miles with your luggage from the bus station to your chosen accommodations. You can avoid this by taking a taxi, which is relatively cheap in Costa Rica (you could probably go just about anywhere in a taxi for the same price as a rental car).
Besides the regular city, local and express buses, there are minibuses which seat 8-15 and cater to businessmen and tourists. They are more expensive than the standard buses by about 1.5x. For the extra cost you get, less stops, more speed, air-conditioning, and sometimes door-to-door service.
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Important to Know 
