No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveNew bus routes in the capital to help ease downtown traffic, daily...

New bus routes in the capital to help ease downtown traffic, daily commute

At 5 a.m. on Thursday, 36 buses began operating three new routes to connect locations in the outskirts of downtown San José.

Public Works and Transport (MOPT) Vice Minister Silvia Bolaños said officials are satisfied with the opening of the new service, known as Intersectoral Routes, adding that reports from the first trips indicate that buses are operating with “significant occupancy,” and “none is operating at less than half capacity.”

The routes were added to reduce the flow of people and vehicles into the center of the capital, and to offer a transportation solution for people who normally would have to take two or more buses to travel between sites that are close to each other.

Intersectoral routes maps 

The new buses run from 5 a.m.-7 p.m. and leave every 15 minutes. The fare is a temporary six-month rate of ₡350 ($0.70) one-way.

Bus stops are located, on average, every four or five blocks, and trips take some 50 minutes each way.

Intersectoral Routes travel between La Uruca (northwest) and Escazú (southwest), Desamparados (southeast) and Moravia (northeast), and La Uruca and Guadalupe (northeast). More routes could be added after the six-months trial period.

Early Thursday, 36 officials from the Public Transport Council handed out brochures with detailed information on bus-stop locations and routes.

But the launch of the new transportation service had problems as MOPT crews on Wednesday evening were still struggling to finish posting signage and demarcation of bus stops, and many riders were unaware of their exact locations.

On Thursday MOPT officials reported that some of the new signs were stolen during the afternoon and evening hours of Wednesday.

“We are replacing the stolen signs,” Bolaños said on Thursday.

The original plan of Intersectoral Routes was outlined by MOPT in 2008, but that plan never saw the light of day as the public bidding process to grant concessions was stopped after multiple legal challenges for alleged irregularities in the process. 

Trending Now

U.S. – Guatemala Security Pact Targets Crime and Helps Returning Migrants

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem signed a border security cooperation agreement with Guatemala on Thursday, which includes the use of drones and...

Costa Rica Joins U.S. Global Entry, Easing Travel for Tourists

Costa Rica took a big step forward, by officially joining the U.S. Global Entry program, a move set to make travel smoother for Costa...

Panama Regains Control of Bocas del Toro After Violent Protests

Panama’s government has regained control of Bocas del Toro province after months of violent anti-government protests sparked by pension reforms, officials announced. The unrest,...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica