Eight
Survival tips for Using the Santiago de Chile Metropolitan Bus System
(Excerpted from the article originally titled
"Travel Note #50, Getting Around Town")
It took me a
full six months before I worked up enough nerve to get on my first Chilean bus. I'd seen them before and one almost ran me
over crossing Providencia, but getting run over by a bus isn't really the same
as getting on one.
If you want
to take a local bus and live, here are eight basic survival tips:
1. GETTING ON. To stop the bus, point with one finger to an imaginary spot in
the middle of the street and stare directly at the bus. This tells the bus driver that you are a
passenger and not a moving target.
2. FINDING THE RIGHT BUS. If you haven't taken an Evelyn Wood speed
reading course, you may have trouble reading the destinations as the buses zoom
by. Stop the bus, wait until the door
opens, and then scream out your destination to the bus driver. If the door doesn't slam rapidly, it's going
in your direction.
3. CORRECT CHANGE. Don't hand the bus driver a 1,000 peso note
to pay for the 150 peso fare. He can't
keep his eyes on the road and count your change at the same time, but he'll
still try.
4. WHEN TO PRAY. If you enter a bus and see a collection of saint and virgin
stickers, the bus driver has made his peace with God and is prepared to
die. Don't let him take you with
him. If any driver is blatantly
reckless, get off the bus and take the next one.
5. TICKET STUBS. You may see some people returning their ticket stubs to the bus
driver for some small favor, like letting them get off the bus and live. The bus driver then resells the ticket and
pockets the change. Don't return the
stub, the driver is supposed to let you live.
6. RUSH HOUR. Unless you really enjoy tight, closed-in spaces, avoid the buses
at rush hours (8 to 9 am and 6 to 7:30 pm).
It's not uncommon for the buses to fill up to the steps. If you're lucky enough to be on the inside,
you'll end up four stops down the road before you can get off.
7. HOW TO STOP. Usually there's a bell to signal the driver if you're in the back
of the bus. Look for a cord that looks
like a clothesline, a button that looks like a doorbell, or on the newer buses
look for a red button hidden on the metal pole by the door.
8. GETTING OFF. Be extremely cautious getting off the bus. Sometimes the bus driver will start moving
before you leave the steps, especially if you leave from the back. While this form of flying is exhilarating,
the landing is usually pretty rough.