By Bus

Arriving & Departing

The three key bus terminals in the city of São Paulo are connected to metro stations and serve more than 1,100 destinations combined. The huge main station—serving all major Brazilian cities (with trips to Rio every 10 minutes during the day and every half hour at night, until 2 am) as well as Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay—is the Terminal Tietê in the north, on the Marginal Tietê Beltway. Terminal Jabaquara, near Congonhas Airport, serves coastal towns. Terminal Barra Funda, in the west, near the Memorial da América Latina, has buses to and from western Brazil. All stations have their own metro stops.

Socicam, a private company, runs all the bus terminals in the city of São Paulo and lists schedules on its Web site. Click on "consulta de partidas de ônibus."

Contacts

Socicam (011/3866-1100. www.socicam.com.br.)

EMTU (0800-283-3047 or 011/3775-3850. www.airportbusservice.com.br.)

Terminal Barra Funda (Rua Mário de Andrade 664, Barra Funda, São Paulo, 01154-060. 011/3866-1100. www.socicam.com.br. Metrô: Barra Funda.)

Terminal Jabaquara (Rua Jequitibás, Jabaquara, São Paulo, 04321-090. 011/3866-1100. www.socicam.com.br. Metrô: Jabaquara.)

Terminal Tietê (Av. Cruzeiro do Sul, Santana, São Paulo, 02030-000. 011/3866-1100. www.socicam.com.br. Metrô: Tietê.)

Getting Around

Municipal bus service is frequent and covers the entire city, but regular buses are overcrowded at rush hour and when it rains. If you don't speak Portuguese, it can be hard to figure out the system and the stops. Stops are clearly marked, but routes are spelled out only on the buses themselves. Buses do not stop at every bus stop, so if you're waiting, you'll have to flag one down.

Bus fare is R$2.30. You enter at the front of the bus, pay the cobrador (fare collector) in the middle, and exit from the rear of the bus. To pay, you can use either money or the electronic card bilhete único, introduced in 2004. The card allows you to take three buses in two hours for the price of one fare. Cards can be bought and reloaded at special booths at major bus terminals or at lottery shops.

For bus numbers and names, routes, and schedules, go to the (Portuguese-language) Web site of Transporte Público de São Paulo, the city's public transport agency, or purchase the Guia São Paulo Ruas, published by Quatro Rodas and sold at newsstands and bookstores for about R$30.

Contacts

Transporte Público de São Paulo (156. www.sptrans.com.br.)