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Intercity Buses in Uruguay

Posted on March 8, 2007
Filed Under Transportation, Expat Tips, Vocabulary | 5 Comments

Uruguay has a good intercity bus system, even if many of the buses are old and in need of repair. The roads are well maintained for South American standards and are usually two-lane, undivided, paved highways, except for a very few. Traffic is light except perhaps on the coastal roads, on certain summer holidays. Because of the good roads and the light traffic, bus schedules are usually dependable.

Traveling by bus between cities in Uruguay is only a little more complicated than taking a city bus. Even so, you will probably need a certain amount good will on your first attempt. But the benefits are well worth the hassle. Intercity buses are by far the cheapest and safest way to travel and, once you know the system, also easy. After you read this, you will have no excuse not to get to know the interior better.

It is not an exaggeration to say that to the average Uruguayan, the Tres Cruces bus terminal is far more important than the Carrasco Airport. After all, the country is small and gasoline very expensive. If you also consider that many Uruguayans do not own a car, it is easy to see why intercity buses would be popular. Since all buses serving towns farther than 60 km depart from the same terminal, we could guess that it would be a much busier place than the Airport. And it is.

Tres Cruces is a combination Bus Terminal and Shopping Mall. The bus terminal is located on the ground level and the shopping mall on the two upper levels. The Shopping Mall consists mostly of small shops catering to users of the bus terminal and the surrounding neighborhood. The main anchor store is the Tata supermarket located on the street level. It is a supermarket of reasonable size and is a great place to shop for snacks, beverages and anything else you may need for a trip.

Before heading to Tres Cruces, it is a good idea to do your homework first. The terminal has a web site where you can see the schedules and the bus lines serving your destination. If you prefer to do things the hard way, you can go to the counter of each company and look at the large signs advertising destinations and schedules. Keep in mind that a given destination may be served by several companies. The fares are based on the distance and will always be the same for the same destination. If you buy a round trip ticket, some companies offer a discount. But then you’ll be limited to the schedules of that one company on your return. Even if you do your research online, you’ll still need to buy the ticket at the company counter. Beware, some agents are friendly, but most look like they’d rather be somewhere else.

The bus terminal is well policed and you can feel safe, but it is best to use caution regarding handbags and expensive items. Soliciting is not allowed in the terminal, but you may be approached by children trying to sell you something. The guards will chase them out as soon as they are spotted. In case you want to roam around unencumbered, you can leave your luggage at the storage service at the far end of the ground floor. It is free for the first two hours if you show a bus ticket. Please note that it is not luggage check in, you will need to retrieve it and bring it to the bus yourself.

There are plenty of places to sit down and wait. You can also find several newsstands, gift shops, candy stores, Internet Café and ATMs. If you get hungry, there is a good restaurant on the same floor, La Mostaza. The atmosphere is pleasant and the prices reasonable. If you would like something quick, there are several fast food places, in the one at the far end you can order cafeteria style.

Bus departures are announced regularly, but the acoustics are not good and it’s best not to rely on it. It’s better to check the big board next to the departure gate: it shows the bus departure time and the stall. Buses arrive at their stalls 15 minutes before departure time. At that time, go through the gate area to the bus stall. A person will eventually arrive to load your luggage under the bus. A tip of 10 or 20 pesos will be appreciated. You can board as soon as the driver opens the door. Seats are numbered; make sure to check your ticket. During the trip, a person will come by to check your ticket. If you are planning to get off before the final destination, make sure you tell the driver or the ticket collector.

Don’t be alarmed if you see armed policemen standing inside the bus. This is normal. They get to ride free as long as they don’t take a seat.

Buses with destinations closer than 60 km depart from the Baltasar Brum terminal. It is also known as la terminal Rio Branco, because it is downtown on calle Rio Branco. In this terminal there is no obvious way to determine what destinations each company serves and I was unable to find a web site or guide. A TV monitor presumably designed to announce departures was not working. I ended up asking one of the many bus company representatives standing around. This strategy worked fine (but required Spanish).

The good news is that you can board at any of the bus stops marked as Paradas Inter Departamentales. Once you have tried a given route you’ll know where the stops are. For example, Avenida Italia has a number of stops for buses going to Ciudad de la Costa. The fare is based on the distance you wish to go, so when boarding the driver (or the fare collector) will ask you the stop you are getting off and charge you appropriately. If you want to go the end of the line say: la terminal. In some buses, you pay the driver when you board, in others a fare collector will come around after you sit down.

Useful words in Uruguayan Spanish:

Depósito de equipaje - Luggage storage
Equipaje de mano - Hand luggage
Equipaje - Luggage
Ida y vuelta - Round trip
Ventana - Window
Pasillo - Corridor
Ómnibus - Bus
Asiento - Seat
Boleto - Ticket
Andén - Stall

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• Should I Bring My Electrical Aplliances to Uruguay?
• Usufruct and Inheritance Issues
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