One Must Ask if the Benefits of the New Restrictions are Worth the Hassle.

The recent restrictions imposed on the vehicles entering the city of San Jose has forced many car owners to adapt to being immobile one day a week, and for many, it was the first time that they have had to take the bus in many years. I have heard some people say that they have actually enjoyed it; after all it’s only once a week, and it breaks the routine. It is interesting to see the world, and to mix with the crowd, and, apart from saving lots of money it is ecologically sound.

For most, unfortunately, it is a traumatizing, time wasting and frustrating experience. A bus stop may not always be conveniently located close to one’s home. A little walk is good, but when going to work, and the bus journey promises to take at least an hour, the extra 20 minute walk may become quite a hassle at this point. Next comes the waiting. I have had to wait up to 30 minutes for a bus. While it is only just slightly annoying if you do not have a tight schedule, it is absolutely out of the question if this is part of the journey to go to work! Then consider those with an early or late shift when there are no buses to arrive or come home, but they cannot take their car as driving is restricted for half of the day’s journey.

To make matters worse, more than one bus is likely to be needed. Wherever you are, you are probably going to need to go to San Jose Center first, get off the bus, walk another 10 minutes, wait another 10 or 15 for the next bus, fighting your way to get in, and if you are unlucky, you may need to repeat the same process to catch a third bus, depending where you are going! This could be shortened by the intersectorial buses, which have routes that circumnavigate the city center, but the buses are still parked in a giant lot, waiting for government approval to proceed.

With 1/5 of the country’s commuting population thrown into the bus route mix every day, the lines for buses are becoming longer and longer. Frequent stops to pick up more customers slow down the routes and sometimes you can’t even get on the next passing bus as too many people have accumulated to fill the small space. On some routes you may find yourself waiting an extra 30 minutes or more if this happens!

Waiting for the bus in San Jose is also quite different than if you are living in the country where the bus stop is going to be located in some quiet clean spot. Bus stops in San Jose are often located in the worst areas, places you are told to avoid at any cost, around the Coca Cola bus station and zona roja, where you will find the homeless sleeping wherever they fell amid the crowds; drugs, alcoholism, crime, it is all around, misery, sadness and desperation are everywhere.

The last time I found myself waiting for a bus in San Jose, I was in such an area. I was going to San Isidro. It took some time to find the bus stop, as nobody seemed to know for sure! I was walking in the most undesirable streets of town. I did not feel threatened or scared, but misery enveloped me. At every corner a more desperate scene awaited me. Finally I reached the bus stop. I had just missed a bus so I had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. The scenes I saw, the poverty and despair and the misery, stayed with me all day. I just could not shake it off. I had seen it all before, and worse, but how can anyone get used to this? Soaring real estate prices and consumerism versus the shocking reality of downtown San Jose!

How does the Costa Rica government expect to encourage anybody to use the buses in these conditions, with no organization or any effort to attract customers? Why aren’t more bus lanes built, why isn’t the service improved, with less waiting in safer conditions, more bus stops and more buses! And to add a little touch, better drivers who do not fantasize and drive their buses as if it was a Ferrari! I can only hope that soon some eyes will open to look at this problem and find a good solution; public Costa Rica transport is the solution, but not if it becomes a journey from hell!

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Filed under: Reader Opinion & Stories on August 14th, 2008