Let’s take the bus!

In Brazil you normally take the car. At least when you don’t go to far, because then you take a plane.

No train? No! In Brazil there are no passenger trains between cities…. The fist time I heard this I couldn’t believe it. I had seen the movie “Central do Brasil”… and there was a train! But later I found out that that was a local one. In and around the lager cities are nice metro’s and local trains, but between cities: No trains! Not yet. But soon……we are waiting for the Rio – São Paulo High-Speed Rail!   

And then there are people who don’t drive or don’t posses a car, or the young or the elderly, or the foreigners…. They take a taxi, or they take the bus. 

The last years we have tried a lot of buses (being a foreigner in the company of a non-driver). I can tell you the bus system in Brazil works! Between cities the buses are luxurious; the holiday-coach type of bus. They are very comfortable and have reserved seats. If you go on the real far stretches they even have buses, where the chairs go very far back and there is some support for your legs. They are much better to sleep in than airplanes. Take your own pillow!

When you get onto the bus (the inter cities) you first fill in your ticket with your name and number of your passport or identity card. Before climbing in you have to identify yourself to the driver.

This pictures is a bit vague, because it was taken from a another bus .....

The intercity bus stations in Brazil are like a mix of train stations and airports in Europe. There are many different bus companies and you have to know where to buy the tickets. To me it seems that finding the right company is a bit of a gamble….. 

São Paulo bus station

The large bus stations, like the main station of São Paulo, have a lot of facilities. Some, like the one in Maringa, have a lot of green.

 Others are just mainly concrete like Taubaté.

But concrete can be painted…. And then you know you are in Taubaté, the capital of books for children……

The smaller ones are more severe. It is interesting to see the differences. The traditional blue!!

We1l, let's go to the platform.... the bus is leaving!