The Bus

I have had three different types of unique bus experiences in Ecuador so far.

1.  Cuenca's Public Transit:  These buses pack passengers on board, swing around corners, exhale enormous plumes of black exhaust and are an excellent way to get around town.  For $0.25 you can ride all over, out to Baños for a relaxing soak or up to the overlook Turi for a fantastic view, provided you can read the bus guide and know where you are going.

2.  The Intercity Bus:  Buses are the most common mode of transportation between cities in Ecuador.  Numerous companies traverse the country, up and down the mountains, along the coast, and into the oriente.  With about $1 per hour and lots of time, you can get just about anywhere.  If you can catch the bus at the city's bus station you can buy a ticket and be guaranteed a seat.  However, these buses often pass through towns and cities without going to the station, and in this case you must locate the appropriate street corner or highway gutter and flag down the next bus headed in the right direction.   Vendors add extra excitement when they get on and off the bus all along the route.  They hop on, sell ice cream, hot meals, jewels, drink powders to aid digestion, and just about anything else imaginable along the ride, and get off down the road.

3.  The School Bus:  Every Thursday I take the school bus to the school where I volunteer.  The school buses in Ecuador are yellow, 15-passenger vans.  Unlike school buses at home, these buses provide door-to-door service (except not for me.)  When a student lives down a one-way street, instead of going around and approaching from the right direction, we zip half a block down in reverse to shorten the route.  I am the second passenger to get on the bus on our route and the ride takes 50 minutes to an hour as we stop at each door to pick up kids and almost as many teachers.  By the time we reach the school, we have upwards of 20 passengers, and I am probably sitting in the middle of the front seat, straddling the gear stick.

While each of these rides is a truly distinctive experience, there is one thing that all of these buses have in common: No matter how many seats are free or how much standing room is available, the more the merrier!