Buenos Aires has one of the best inner-city bus systems in Latin America but too few tourists take advantage of it. You cannot see Buenos Aires from the subway, taxis get more expensive bi-annually (real inflation NEW ARGENTINA INFLATION INDEX), and so it is well worth the effort to travel Buenos Aires by bus known locally as a colectivo. These marvels of modern transport take some catching, their speed, cornering, and ‘assertive’ motoring will most definitely make you wish you had partaken of a ‘spice’ or two!
All colectivo riders, locals included, rely on a guidebook to navigate the city, called the Guia-T (pronounced gee-ah-tay); acquire this handy urban-bible for five pesos at kiosks and newspaper stands and immediately open the secrets to every single City bus line.
A quick lesson - there are three main sections to the Guia-T, which help you decode the secrets of Buenos Aires travel, which bus line to take, where to hop on and the exact street routes. The first section is an alphabetical directory of all streets, sub-divided into sections by the exact address on the street. Once you find the right street, follow the line of the correct address and the corresponding page number and a grid coordinate, such as 14 1C. The second section has grid maps of the entire city. In our example, you would flip to page 14 and locate quadrant 1 C. Each right hand page has a map with street names and on the left are also quadrants but instead of a map, you find all of the bus numbers that run in the area. Now, find your departure page, quadrant and bus number that matches with a bus line number from your destination grid page. When you find the match, you have the coordinates to catch your colectivo.
To find the exact colectivo-stop you might have to walk a few blocks but keep your eyes open for a skinny pole with your bus number. They are easily missed so another tip! Look for the only orderly line in Buenos Aires characterised by the frustrated beats of Porteño’s foot stamping for their carriage. When your colectivo number appears on the horizon, you must flag it down by holding your arm in the air and sometime a more frenetic foot beats are necessary to remind driver that he is in fact a public servant. Remember that the bus route numbers are on the front and side of the bus - the numbers on the back are not the route numbers and if you see the side or the back - all is lost!
As the bus nears, try to make eye contact with the driver if possible. The colectivo-drivers are powerful beings in Buenos Aires and they will blow by you whilst the accomplished riders watch knowingly and Gringo laugh. When the bus stops, (by god) wait your turn in line and as you approach the driver you have to say “un peso” and then put your peso coin in the ticket machine. Wait until your ticket prints out then take a seat. Our next tip avoids the next Gringo laugh! There is no change for peso bills (NO CHANGE = NO BUS) so make SURE you have change.
The rule for choosing a seat on the colectivo is clearly established: pregnant women and women with babies always have first priority as well as elders. If you are sitting near the front of the colectivo and any of the previously mentioned people get on the bus, and you do not get off your seat you will have committed a serious social crime.
As tourists, we see Palermo, Recoleta, El Centro, and the inside of the subte. Just seeing these places will not give you a full taste of the city and you will miss the most beautiful and surprising parts of real Buenos Aires.
Take the 12 or 17 buses to go south and see Constitución whose abundance of painted ladies dressed early for a night-out might astound you prostitutes, it is the busiest Buenos Aires Travel hub and stay on to see the traditional neighborhood of Barraccas. Just be careful not to stay on the busses until end of the line because they park and stay for a whole…..well who knows when the foot stamping might bring them back?
Buses run frequently from about 08h00 until 00h00. Do not wait alone for a bus after 12 pm. If you are out later, and you will be, the best way to change locations while solo or in a small group is to ask your host to call a radio-taxi service. They are quick to respond and safer than the taxi is you can catch the street. Finally, if you are completely lost or confused about where to get on or off the bus, just ask anyone on the street.
Buenos Aires Travel, Public Buses the Colectivo – ‘catch a bus with the Guia-T.’
Real inflation NEW ARGENTINA INFLATION INDEX – but Buenos Aires still offers tourists’ value.
