no money 4-da-bus

My tips for riding the bus in Lima:
1.Flag correct bus (they have the names of the streets for their route written on the side).
2.Get on quickly, usually the cobrador (the person, usually male, who collects the pasajes and tells the driver where to stop, when to enter between cars, and yells out the door at people were they are going) is telling you to hurry, hurry.
3.Attempt to secure a seat
If no seats available:
3a.Grab a hold of the bars screwed to the ceiling-quickly, the bus will not wait for you to gain your balance. This is no loose hold like the subway in New York. This is a strong grip preventing you from falling.
3b.Your stance should be wide, if crowded- you may only be able to go hip width.
3c.Position yourself either near the front of the bus or towards the back. This gives you better access to more seats. If you stand in the middle you may only have quick access to the row you are standing next to.
3d.HOLD YOUR GROUND!! You may be asked to move, or squish, but try to let others move around you.
3e.If someone is rubbing their genitals against your butt, re-adjust. Even if you are not sure if it is on purpose or not, re-just anyway!
3f.Be on the look out, once someone starts to gather their things- be ready. Sit down as quickly as possible.
4.Look out the window to recognize landmarks.
5.Have your pasaje(fair) ready. Try to have correct change, they might give you falso sloes back. If its not far, you only need to pay 50 centimos. Sometimes they will try to argue with you. If necessary get off the bus and wait for another. It won’t be too long till the next one comes.
6.Know the name of street or landmark where you are headed. Now, a side bar on pronunciation… Petit Thouras is the name of the street I change busses on my way home. It doesn’t matter which way I pronounce it, the cobrador always repeats it back to me differently. If I say it like paytettourar, they say paytet toras, if I say paytet toras, they say paytettourar, either way I just nod.
7.When you’re close, approach the cobrador and say baja isquina, or baja puente. If they pass were you want to stop, say it with force, BAJA, BAJA Señor.
8.The cobrador will move his arm aside when it is time for you to get off. They don’t always come to a complete stop. So, don’t stumble, the other traffic may not stop for you either!
Observations: I rode a bus the other day with a ghost busters sticker on it.
I rode a bus the other day and the driver answered his cell phone.
There is no limit to the amount of people they will try to squeeze in the bus. You may be involved in a race against another bus another running the same route. If so, hold on tight!