Transports in San Jose
Moving to San Jose? Find out all you need to know on the capital city's transport network in this article.
San Jose, the Costa Rican capital city, is a developed and vibrant region. Regardless of the purpose of your stay, you will definitely travel around, and maybe to other cities. San Jose has a comprehensive transport network, including buses, trains, taxis, which can take you anywhere. You can even travel from one end to another by airplane thanks to the two international airports and numerous airline companies.
Good to know:
Local authorities have started a modernization process so as to improve the transport network. In all cases, public transport remains the cheapest and most secure means of transport in the country.
Bus
The capital city hosts several private bus companies which link the different neighborhoods to one another, including the suburbs. Starting from the city center, you can even travel to other regions, and even to the Juan Santa-Maria International Airport.
Indeed, San Jose's dense bus network consists of several bus lines which run over the urban territory to the rest of the country, and even to neighboring Central American countries and to Mexico.
Taxi
The local transport system is complemented by taxis services. In fact, you will find different types of taxis in San Jose, namely the red taxi which belongs to approved cooperatives and yellow and orange taxis belonging to private companies. Note that taxis are equipped with a taxi meter (Marys) which will indicate the fare according to the zone where you are traveling.
Airports
The Juan Santamaría International Airport is located in the West of the city center, that is in Alajuela. This is known to be one of the most developed Central American airports. The second airport, that is the Tobías Bolaños Palma Aeropuerto Internacional, is found in the North-east of San Jose.
Train
The Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles (INCOFER) launched a metropolitan intercity transport system in 2004. This system is served by new trains that have been purchased from the Spanish railway company Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha (FEVE) and connect the following neighborhoods to one another: Tibás, Heredia, San Antonio de Belén, Pavas, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, Sabanilla, Curridabat, Tres Rios, Cartago, Alajuela and the Juan Santa-maria International Airport.
Useful links:
Expat.com ' Transports in San Jose Forum
San Jose Costa Rica 'Transport www.sanjosecostarica.org
Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría www.fly2sanjose.com
