Chicken Bus terminal in Antigua under the looming Volcan de Agua, Guatemala — April Beresford

Chicken buses are the way of the people in Guatemala. No trip in this country is complete without at least one experience flying down the potholed roads on one of these refurbished school buses packed with white knuckled locals.

Thanks to the competitive system of the chicken bus world, even short ride between towns is destined to be a wild one. Bus drivers here pay a flat fee to the company per day and have an assigned route where passengers are picked up and dropped off at will. Any money that stands to be made depends on the drivers ability to pick up as many passengers as possible on every route. This only encourages the chauffeurs to drive faster and more dangerously as they battle to overtake fellow bus drivers, even on single lane cobblestone city roads.

 Chicken Bus Tips #1

1. Greet the bus passengers and bus driver as you enter the bus. It is not common for locals to say hello or rather, ‘Hola’ to one another. Be a respectful and knowledgeable traveller by saying “Buenos dias” (Good morning) or “Buenas tardes” (Good afternoon). Continue reading →