The Wheels on the Bus

When I was a little girl and my parents had trouble getting me to go to sleep, they would put me in my car seat and drive me around the neighborhood. The way they tell it, it worked like a charm. So well, in fact, that I was nervous to start driving when I turned 16-- for fear I would fall asleep behind the wheel.

This anecdote about my childhood must be the explanation for what I'm about to tell you: I love riding the bus in Rio. I mean love. When I'm having a bad day or want to relax, I hop on a circular and just ride around the city. I try to memorize the routes and guess what street we're going to pass next. I like being able to tell what neighborhood I'm in without looking at signs. I love the steady, rumbling vibration when there's no traffic. And I ADORE the way the bus drivers turn into absolute speed demon maniacs when traffic gets really heavy. It's as close to a roller-coaster as a person can get here in Brazil. I've seen bus drivers pull up to a curb so fast and so tight that the hubcaps actually produced sparks as they hit the sidewalk. It was fantastic!

You just can't beat public transportation in Rio. The metro, while faster, is more expensive and completely sem graça (lacking charm). There's nothing to see, nothing to do and no one talks. On a bus, you get a free tour of the whole city, it's cheap and people are often very chatty. Plus, at any given bus stop, you will get bombarded by buses arriving every minute and going to all kinds of exotic places like: Jardim de Allah, Rio Comprido, Avenida das Americas, etc.

Plenty of naysayers like to mention how “dangerous” the buses are. Personally, I’ve never seen anything even remotely sketchy on a bus. Metro stops, however, are a special kind of creepy at night when they’re empty. There are always taxis, of course, but what grad student on fellowship can take a cab everywhere? Not this one!

In the U.S., public transportation—particularly city buses—have a bad reputation. And rightly so. They are full of weirdoes who smell and talk to themselves. Plus, they only run every 30-60 minutes! How crazy is that? The U.S. should take a lesson from Brazil and we Americans need to start taking the bus. Only heavy patronage will change the sad state of American buses. Until then, I’m going to take full advantage while I’m way down below the Equator. Roll on!

Until next time…