Bus transport in Central America

Buses (camionetas) in Antigua, Guatemala.

A bus on the Masaya-Granada road, Nicaragua.

Bus transport is a key mode of transportation and plays an important role in commerce across Central America, where personal cars and rail systems are less common compared to wealthier countries.

In the region, these buses are often called "camioneta" or "trambilla" (the latter being a hypercorrection of "tranvía"). They are often modified and brightly decorated to transport both people and goods between communities in countries like Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. In Panama, they are known as "Diablos Rojos" (Red Devils).^[1]

The buses are typically built from retired North American school buses, sometimes with light or medium truck chassis (often Nissan Diesel). In Panama, some are based on Toyota HiAce, Toyota Coaster, or similar passenger vehicles, usually left painted white. When a Toyota Coaster is used, the bus is called a "Chiva," while a Toyota HiAce is referred to as a "busito."

"Chicken bus"

Some English speaking tourists call buses "chicken buses". The word "chicken" may refer to the fact that the buses are often crammed with passengers not unlike a truck load of chickens,^[2] or to the fact that Central Americans occasionally transport live animals on such buses—a practice that visitors from other countries often find remarkable.^[3][4] The term "Chicken bus" is not used by locals, and some consider it offensive.^{[5][better source needed]}

Transmetro bus in Guatemala City

See also

• Chiva bus
• Jeepney
• Tap tap
• Matatu

References

1. "Los Diablos Rojos, Cultura Panameña Popular Rodante | Educa Panamá | Mi Portal Educativo". Archived from the original on 2020-07-19. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
2. "Chicken Buses of Guatemala". Amusing Planet. 14 October 2012.
3. Morrison, Tim (4 September 2004). "Hop a 'chicken bus' to rural Honduras: A trip into the countryside is a challenge but I'm rewarded with cloud forests, pristine rivers and giant waterfalls". The Vancouver Sun.
4. Collins, Tracy (30 September 2006). "LETTER FROM GUATEMALA SOJOURN IN GUATEMALA; A volunteer discovers something of herself in her travels to Antigua". Bangor Daily News.
5. hogareño (15 July 2014). "Chicken bus". WordReference.com forum.

External links

• Video, photographs, and a book about Guatemalan Chicken Buses Archived 2020-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
• Adventures on a chicken bus Archived 2020-08-23 at the Wayback Machine
• Videos of chicken bus travel Archived 2014-12-26 at the Wayback Machine