Bus Transportation

The bus is an efficient and inexpensive method of transportation, although not necessarily the fastest. All buses have local routes and travel to the farthest destinations in the country.

Either tickets or passes are available. The same tickets are used for both the bus and the train. Each ticket purchased for local destinations is worth one hour of travel. Each ticket to be used for the trip must be validated by a validating machine before getting on the bus. Tickets can be bought individually or in packets. Another option is the "jumbo card," a pass for children between the ages of 12 - 20 that can be used to travel on both bus and train on a 12-month basis.

Public buses run regularly from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., although they may only come once per hour outside of the city. After 7:00 p.m., they are less frequent, running perhaps every two hours until 11:00 p.m. Special buses run at night from the most popular sections of the city to the towns and villages, giving those residents better access to the rich night life.

Schedules are posted at all the bus stops. One can also check the Internet or ask for information in the administrative building in the center of each town. Most bus stops in the towns and villages consist of a small outdoor shelter. In the city, all buses converge at an outdoor terminal in a central location. Although there are no refreshment stands directly connected with bus stops, in the more central locations there will always be refreshments sold nearby.
Buses are used to transport students to both elementary and secondary school. Each teenager attending school in the city is issued a free pass to ride the bus between home and school on weekdays.