Private Shuttles
 

I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion about traveling from place to place in Costa Rica by shuttle vans. It appears that Gray Line and Interbus are cheaper than the quotes I'm getting from some of the hotel travel desks and tour operators. The travel desks arrange a driver just for us, the other services offer shuttles with other travelers. (at least this is what I believe the situation is...)

I'm trying to arrange transfers from Monteverde to Ocotal and then from Ocotal to Alajuela - in September. Any thoughts about reliability, the better option, etc?

Thanks everyone, I'm learning so much from all of you.

I've always used Interbus and always good experiences. I actually like meeting people, finding out where they're from and talk this and that about the trip. The drivers have always been informative and personable. On a couple of the vans there were just us and another couple, so it's not like they pack you in. Sometimes they do use a larger tour bus.

We used interbus a couple of times and it was fine. Like hipvirgochick noted, number of people on the shuttle varied, we had one where it was a small group and one where it was a much larger group in a tour bus van (which wasn't as comfortable but fine). They showed up 30 minutes early for one of our transfers, but we were at the beginning of the pick up and they waited for us since we weren't quite ready.

We booked a transfer on grayline as well for one part of the trip and that shuttle never showed up eventhough I did have the reservation confirmed before we left. Maybe just a back luck on our part as our hotel told us they had not had problems with Gray Line before. It seems like more people use interbus though. Grayline also doesn't service quite as many hotels as Interbus, so just something to be aware of.

Interbus is popular and has a very good reputation. We always use a private driver just because it gives you a little more flexibility - they will pick you up at your specific hotel at any time that you specify, and they'll stop for anything for you along the way - to point out nice sights, if you need the restroom, stop for drinks or snacks, etc. We've had great experiences with them. We've had flight delays twice that would have caused us to miss a shuttle, but since the driver is only working with you, they'll work around your schedule. Interbus gets raves though, so I would feel comfortable going with them if you don't need the flexibility of a private driver.

We used Interbus throughout during our last trip and every driver we had was great. Each shuttle showed up on time or a few minutes early, it was usually just us and two or three other people and half the time it was just us, which was great.

We even had the good luck to get the same driver who picked us up from the airport at the beginning of our trip drive us back at the end of it.

As hipvirgochick mentioned, we had a good time meeting and talking to other travelers (and drivers) and as shuttles are smaller than buses -and you'll be riding together for a few hours - you do get a chance to really chat and compare itineraries/activities.

I've noticed here and there that prices that travel desks quote differ from prices on the actual Interbus web site, so it's worth spending time figuring out what the difference in rates means. One travel agent we spoke to said there was a tax that normally was tacked onto the fares - something to do with the high import taxes on foreign cars that then gets passed onto people who buy/use said cars - but as my friend was the one who made all the reservations, I can't be absolutely sure.

Just to add on to the others, I uses Interbus and was very pleased. Decent rate and easy to use, you can check out their website to see their times & prices.