Bus transport A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used i ...

is a key mode of transportation and plays an important role in commerce across

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, where personal cars and rail systems are less common compared to wealthier countries. In the region, these buses are often called "camioneta" or "trambilla" (the latter being a hypercorrection of "

tranvía The Tranvía was a streetcar system that served Manila and its surrounding cities during the early years of the 20th century. History Prior to the tranvia, modes of street transportation in Manila were mostly horse-drawn, consisting of the ...

"). They are often modified and brightly decorated to transport both people and goods between communities in countries like

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. In Panama, they are known as "Diablos Rojos" (Red Devils). The buses are typically built from retired

North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...

es, sometimes with light or medium truck chassis (often Nissan Diesel). In Panama, some are based on

Toyota HiAce The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/M ...

Toyota Coaster The is a single-decker minibus produced by Toyota Motor Corporation. It was introduced in 1969, with the second generation introduced in 1982, followed by the third generation in 1992 and the fourth generation in late 2016. In Japan, the Coa ...

, or similar passenger vehicles, usually left painted white. When a Toyota Coaster is used, the bus is called a "Chiva," while a Toyota HiAce is referred to as a "busito."

"Chicken bus"

Some English speaking tourists call buses "chicken buses". The word "

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

" may refer to the fact that the buses are often crammed with passengers not unlike a truck load of chickens, or to the fact that Central Americans occasionally transport live animals on such buses—a practice that visitors from other countries often find remarkable. The term "Chicken bus" is not used by locals, and some consider it offensive. Autobus_articulado_Transmetro_Guatemala

References

External links

Video, photographs, and a book about Guatemalan Chicken Buses

Adventures on a chicken bus

Videos of chicken bus travel
{{Americas topic, Bus transport in Bus transport in North America Road transport in El Salvador Road transport in Guatemala Road transport in Honduras Road transport in Nicaragua Road transport in Panama Road transport in Central America Decorated vehicles

"Chicken bus"

See also

References

External links