Some 100 new public buses will soon chug along seven new routes on the outskirts of San José after the government awarded a concession Tuesday to a consortium of 34 bus companies.
In an effort to ease traffic in the city, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) will gradually remove 900 of the 3,000 buses that leave and enter San José every day.
As rising oil prices threaten to make cars unaffordable for some, the ministry is working to make public transportation more comfortable and culturally accepted.
Together, the new buses will make a loop around the city without entering it.
Buses will run from Desamparados, south of San José, to Moravia northeast of the city, from Moravia to La Valencia, north of San José; and from La Valencia to Santa Ana, west of San José.
Others will run from Escazú, west of the capital, to La Uruca, on San José’s northwest side; from La Uruca to Guadalupe on the northeast; and from Escazú to Alajuelita, southwest of town.
Another route will run from Hatillo, southwest of the capital, to Guadalupe.
Fares will range from ¢280 to ¢475 (about 56 cents to 95 cents), as set by the Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP), a state body.
The buses will run from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the week and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.
