One of Panama's Diablos Rojos.
Twice lately I have travelled out of Panama City by bus to other nearby cities. Silly me with thoughts of Greyhound in mind had gone out to the transportation centre mid-December to see if I could buy an advance ticket for Christmas travel when it might be busy. My destination was La Chorerra, about 40 kilometres southwest. “No possible” I was told at the ticket booth. One of the ticket sellers, exasperated at trying to explain to me with my limited grasp of Spanish, finally took me out to the numbered platform where the bus would be. As he gestured and repeated “El mismo día” I finally got it. You just show up the same day and climb aboard. The ticket booths seem to be only for longer distance travel.
Albrook intercity bus terminal.
The buses are old school buses, many lavishly decorated on the outside, and privately owned. They are the famous Diablos Rojos (Red Devils) that were the only buses serving Panama City until new metro buses were recently put on the streets. For now at least the Diablos Rojos still travel to other cities and towns.
The Arraiján bus was rather plain.
A few days before Christmas I had a dress rehearsal for the La Chorrera trip when I was invited to a Panamanian home in Arraiján, a bedroom community about half way to La Chorrera. I took the metro to the terminus at Albrook which connects to the intercity bus terminal. You need a card with credit on it to get through the turnstile to the bus platform. The same card gets you transport on the city buses and the metro. Once on the bus you wait and the bus leaves when it is full or the driver decides it is time to go.
Transit pass is needed to board intercity buses.
Both occasions my timing was good – I got a seat and didn’t have long to wait. Christmas morning I found a place near the back of the bus and was soon squashed to the window as two other people joined me on a seat that would comfortably fit three small children.
Waiting for the bus to fill - three people on the left and two on the right.
With the bus loaded to capacity we set off, windows open, lively music filling the air, and travelling a little faster than this Canadian thought prudent. As we hit a few bumps that had us bouncing up off the seat I tried to banish thoughts of developing country transportation disasters. Over the Bridge of the Americas and onto the Autopista La Chorrera expressway, we were soon near my destination. Thankfully, I had asked my seatmates about my stop and they gave me a bit of warning to start moving to the front. Exiting, I paid the driver – it was $1.
You can learn more about the diablos rojos in an award winning article.