Chicken bus
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bus transport in Central America is a major mode of transport and important in commerce in the area, as personal automobiles and rail transport are less common than in some wealthy nations. The buses are often called by the Spanish terms "camioneta" or "trambilla", the latter a hypercorrection of "
tranvía The tranvía was a streetcar system that served Manila and its surrounding cities during the early years of the 20th century. History Prior to the tranvia, modes of street transportation in Manila are mostly horse-drawn, consisting of the ''c ...
". The buses are sometimes modified and colorfully decorated. They transport goods and people between communities in various
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
n countries, especially
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
,
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
,
El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
,
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
,
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
and
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
. In the latter country, buses are also known as ''Diablos Rojos'' (lit. Red Devils). The base vehicle is usually a retired
North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...
on a light or medium truck chassis. In Panama, the base vehicle can also be a passenger
Toyota HiAce The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/ ...
or
Toyota Coaster The is a single-decker minibus produced by Toyota Motor Corporation. It was introduced in 1969, with the second generation introduced in 1982, followed by the third generation in 1993 and the fourth generation in late 2016. In Japan, the Coa ...
or similar and is often left painted white. If a Toyota Coaster is used, the bus is known locally as a "Chiva", and if a Toyota HiAce is used, the van is called a "busito" instead.


"Chicken bus"

Some English speaking tourists call buses "chicken buses". The word "
chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
" may refer to the fact that the buses are often crammed with passengers not unlike a truck load of chickens, or to the fact that Central Americans occasionally transport live animals on such buses–a practice that visitors from other countries often find remarkable. The term "Chicken bus" is not used by locals, and some consider it offensive


Operation

A typical bus features two young men who partner to operate the bus. One with a license takes the role the driver, while the other takes the role of ''ayudante'' or "helper" to customer service issues. The ''ayudante'' is responsible for passengers and luggage, collecting money, and organizing the suitcases, livestock, produce, etc. onto the roof of the bus–often while in motion. Loudly announcing destinations the bus is reaching is also a responsibility. Some buses sport vibrant paint including the bus's name and permanent route. Religious imagery and verbiage is also common. Typically, bus operators seek to maximize profit by onboarding as many passengers as possible while driving to destinations at top speed. Some countries, such as
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
, subsidize buses and establish maximum prices, which often end up being the ''de facto'' price for the route. Unlike most bus drivers in Europe, Central American bus operators are usually self-employed or members of
cooperatives A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
who use fares to cover expenses. In Panama, these kind of buses are more commonly known as "''Buses piratas''" (pirate buses) since they are considered by the government to be illegal. There have been cases of ''buses piratas'' being operated without adequate driver's license. Some operators use smaller buses that don't require such a special or more expensive license. Smaller buses tend to be more fuel efficient which can increase profits considerably. These kind of buses were supposed to be phased out by 2012 and replaced by official "Metro Bus" transport. However, ''buses piratas'' continue to operate in Panama due to popular demand after the official "Metro Bus" system suffered from negative perceptions of infrequent buses being too overcrowded during peak hours. These unofficial bus services have been declared illegal by the Panamanian government and the private import of North American-style buses was banned, yet efforts to stop this system of transport have nonetheless been met with little success.


See also

*
Chiva bus A chiva (Spanish for goat) or ''escalera'' (Spanish for ladder and stairs) is an artisan rustic bus used in rural Colombia. Chivas are adapted to rural public transport, especially considering the mountainous geography of the Andean region of t ...
*
Jeepney Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become ...
*
Tap tap ''Tap taps'' ( ht, Taptap, ) are gaily painted buses or pick-up trucks with metal coversHa ...
*
Matatu In Kenya matatu or matatus (known as mathree in Sheng) are privately owned minibuses used as share taxis. Often decorated, many ''matatu'' feature portraits of famous people or slogans and sayings. Likewise, the music they play is also aimed ...


References


External links

{{Wikivoyage, Chicken bus, Chicken buses
Video, photographs, and a book about Guatemalan Chicken Buses

Adventures on a chicken bus

Videos of chicken bus travel
Bus transport in North America Road transport in El Salvador Road transport in Guatemala Road transport in Honduras Road transport in Nicaragua Road transport in Panama Road transport in Central America Decorated vehicles