Feel Like a Porteño, Ride the Colectivo

Getting around Buenos Aires by subway or taxi is easy, but taking the bus can be a bit of a challenge. Colectivos are buses and buses are everywhere.

There are more than 150 different lines in the city with different routes that will take you basically wherever you want to go. Colectivos are a great way to go. They run 24 by 7, though service at night is less frequent. All colectivos within the city cost $1.10 pesos (which is less that 40 cents USD) for a single fare. They take coins only…no bills!!.

Just go to a bus stop that has the bus number you want to take, when you see the colectivo coming flag it down like you would do for a taxi (because otherwise it won’t stop), and when you get in tell the driver “un peso diez” which means $1.10. Then put your coins in the machine and your change and ticket will come out at the bottom of the machine.

You get on by the front door and you get off using the back one. If you don’t know which colectivo will take you to the place you want to go, feel free to ask anybody in your hotel or at the street, people know a lot and are usually helpful. Otherwise, you could buy a very cheap guide of the colectivos, the “guía T“, which costs a few pesos.

Another way is to go to any of the city sponsored tourist information booths scattered around town and ask them for a map. Tell them where you’re staying and where you like to go. They will draw the colectivo routes on the map, complete with pick-up transfer points. If you re not too sure where your stop is, feel free to ask anyone in the colectivo, including the colectivero (bus driver), and they will let you know when to get off.

The only downside to the colectivos is at rush hour when they can get quite crowded. Watch for pickpockets like you would in any crowded place. Also, colectiveros are a pretty impatient lot. Even if you are stopped at a red light, they will often just lean on the horn for no apparent reason. I mean, there is nowhere to go!

If you are travelling on a budget, or even if you aren’t on a budget , at least you should travel once by colectivo like many porteños do.