Ecuador Buses - 9 Things To Know
- Jamie Melrose
- Dec 9, 2019
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 22, 2020
Compared to its giant neighbours, Ecuador looks as if it could fit in your pocket (It’s actually larger than the UK). Despite its size, Ecuador offers everything a traveller could want in a South American escape. From Pacific beaches and soaring Andean peaks to the steamy Amazon basin; it’s the full package. And the best way to explore this country is by bus. Here are 9 things I noticed, and wish I had known, about ‘busing it’ in Ecuador.
1 - Planning my route
Planning a route online in Ecuador is not easy. There is no Busbud, yet (It’s phenomenal, check it out - https://www.busbud.com/en). I punched my destination into Google maps and yes it did give me a route, albeit long, with bizarre transit stops (Mexico City, by one search). And bus company websites proved to be a maze of confusion.
I found the best option, and most entertaining, was to pop down to the town’s ‘Terminal Terrestre’ and just ask. Perhaps a risky move considering I was travelling that day, I found that, no matter where I was going, there was always a bus.
If I wasn't fortunate enough to be near a bus station, I simply waited by the roadside until something trundled along. Although, this could take a while....
2 – Follow the Music
Ecuadorian bus stations can be a confusing affair. They are big and bustling, with salesmen touting you relentlessly for your custom. With no notice boards and unmanned tourist offices, finding the right bus seems a daunting task.
I soon figured out how bus companies advertise their destination. A man stands in the hallway and yells the destination. They do this repeatedly until it starts to sound like a song.
The low boom of “Banos, Banos, Banos”, the high pitched “Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayaquil” or the machine gun rapid “Quito, Quito, Quito, Quito!”. If I heard my destination, I would simply follow the noise.
If not, standing idle (and looking like a gringo), one of these singers would approach me and belt out their destination in my face. If I gave no reaction, they would change, “Quito?, Guayaquil?, Banos?, Cuenca?” until my raised eyebrows signified he’d got it right. I would then be led to the right section.
I can only assume that these men work on commission… or maybe they just love to sing.
3 – Choosing a Company
After the singing man led me to the desk of the bus company, I could then ask for the price and times. Often the company was shockingly awful (if the miserable staff and degraded desk were anything to go by) and if so I would then find another company (companies going to the same destination are in similar areas) – I did feel bad for the singing man and his commission.
I found that you very much get what you pay for. Spend too little and your bus will take ages, picking up every man, woman and llama that flags it down. Spend more and you will be treated to a reclining seat, drink service and a personal TV.
Bus companies all showcase pictures of modern beautiful coaches. Sometimes I would ask to see this magical bus, only to be shown a decrepit vehicle. This helped me choose and I would select the company with the best-looking bus. If I was in a rush, I’d choose the company leaving soonest, decrepit bus or otherwise.
4 - Timetables
Bus timetables are plastered across the glass panel that separates company desk from chaotic bus terminal. I found these timetables to be flexible; earlier departures weren’t on the timetable (I called these secret buses) and some companies didn’t have timetables at all.
In one instance, I enquired what time the bus was leaving. The gentleman said 9.40 am. I explained that I was not asking what the time was now, which was 9.42 am. He repeated, unamused, 9.40 am. I bought my tickets at 9.45 am, boarded at 9.50 am and left at 10.15 am; after a few more bewildered gringos had piled on (one of which was dressed as a wizard).
When going to Banos there was no timetable, the company merely told me, “10 minutes”.
The bus waited a further hour until half of the seats were full before we left.
When they have passengers, they go, because money. I soon stopped expecting Tokyo timings and was much happier for it.
5 – Sales Pitches
Every bus journey begins with a speech and sales pitch. These vary wildly. From Venezuelan refugees selling currency to Ecuadorian artisans peddling bracelets.
The method of selling sweets baffled me. At the start of one journey, a man proceeded to give out chocolate bonbons. I believed these to be a gift from the bus company. Just before scoffing them, the salesmen returned and demanded his payment; I begrudgingly returned my treat.
Throughout the journey, salesmen would hop on, tout their goods and hop off. Because of the sheer traffic of people coming onto the bus selling bottled juice, sumptuous cheese bread, sweets and even cigarettes, I stopped stockpiling on snacks for long journeys. I simply sat back and waited for the goods to come to me. I had to accept that everything, as with most things in Ecuador, costs $2; regardless of if they are worth $2 or not.
6 – Toilets
I drink a lot of water, and even more coffee. Ensuring there are adequate bathroom facilities is a top priority. I would ask each company “The bus has a bathroom, yes?”. They would always say yes, true or not. I would then drink a large coffee before a 6-hour journey only to learn, that the bathroom was ‘out of order’.
In desperation, I would alert the attendant and the bus would stop at whatever bush, barbeque or tienda. At the tienda, I would then have to pay the $2 toll to use the cunning shop keeper’s toilet. Because the bus had left late, I found myself running onto a moving vehicle after I had finished.
To avoid this, I took to inspecting buses before departure and held off on the beverages until I knew it was safe.
7 – Safety
Like any rapidly developing nation, crime is a real issue in Ecuador. Luckily for me, my only experience was a badly executed attempt at pick-pocketing in Quito. However, it is not uncommon for things to go missing on buses.
A common ploy is for a person (who is assumed to be working for the bus company) to offer to ‘assist’ passengers with their bags. When placing bags in the overhead storage units, they rummage in pockets and grab whatever they can. For this service, they then ask for a tip, which many obliging travellers graciously pay (no doubt $2). The helpful thief then speedily gets off the bus.
To keep my things safe, I kept them at my feet. My girlfriend and I established a buddy system where there was always one of us on the bus with the bags. With larger items, we padlocked them, tagged them with the bus company's receipt and threw them in the hold. Simples.
8 – Entertainment
Every bus (bar and barber for that matter) in Ecuador has a TV. That TV is usually playing a dubbed American action movie.
At the start of the journey, the attendant slips in a pirated DVD. You are then subjected to upwards of 9 hours of action movies played at full volume. On a trip from Puyo to Quito, I watched 4 Jason Statham movies back to back. Whilst precariously winding up the Andes from Guayaquil to Cuenca I sat nervously through the explosions and blood-curdling screams of Hacksaw Ridge. Children as young as 3 watched the violence. On another journey, they played the movie Speed – A movie about a bus that blows up.
Unable to escape it, I tried to embrace it, using the opportunity to learn some Spanish. When I could take no more, I plugged my ears and watched the view roll by.
9 – Winding Roads and Blinding Views
The roads are narrow and sheer drops are never far. On one particularly turbulent descent, a passenger was rendered car sick, subjecting the entire bus to the subsequent smell for the remaining 3 hours of the trip. Indeed, I often found myself hanging on to my seat as the bus weaved and tilted around winding roads.
Despite this, there is nothing quite like travelling through a country by bus. I could smell the sizzling meat from roadside restaurants hanging whole pigs. I met friendly salespeople and exchanged glances with quizzical Ecuadorian commuters.
The ascent and descent of the Andes is truly breathtaking. The landscape changes suddenly, and dramatically. From rainforests to highlands. You cut through towering pine forests and cover track upon track of endless banana plantations (Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter).
I could not recommend a more entertaining and budget-friendly way to travel around this beautiful country.
Comments