Puerto Rico By Público

There is no island-wide bus or train service. Instead, Puerto Ricans travel on carros públicos (also called guaguas públicas), private vehicles that transport groups of people between city centers. It is possible, albeit difficult, to travel to many cities using públicos alone, as long as you get used to the system. Be prepared to spend several hours each day waiting for a bus to your destination city and do not plan on visiting sights or parks outside of city centers.

On one hand, públicos are cheap; the longest ride shouldn’t cost more than $10. On the other hand, they are extremely slow, they have no schedule, and vehicles may not keep to quality standards. Generally públicos wait either by a town’s central plaza or in a público terminal starting early in the morning, then leave when they are full. This means that travelers have to wake up at the crack of dawn, then sit in a stuffy van waiting for enough people to show up so they can leave. Drivers usually leave for the day when passengers stop showing up, but this time varies; if you come after 10am, however, all vehicles may be gone.

The system is time-consuming and frustrating but relatively comprehensive. Públicos leave from almost every municipal center and travel to adjacent municipalities and smaller barrios within the municipality. The destination of the vehicle is usually written on the front of the windshield. For a higher price, most público drivers will act as taxi drivers and take you wherever you want to go, but beware that if a público drops you off at the beach, you may end up stranded. It is also possible to flag down a público mid-route, especially along Hwy. 3 (públicos traveling between San Juan and Fajardo) and Hwy. 2 (públicos traveling between San Juan and Arecibo). The best strategy is to wait at one of the big cement benches on the side of the road. It is polite to tip a público driver at least 10% per person and more if you have bags.

Let’s Go lists público routes in the transportation section of each town, but information changes frequently, so it’s a good idea to stop by the público station the night before you leave to get an update. The transport times listed in Let’s Go are estimates provided by público drivers and they are almost always overly optimistic. For instance, it theoretically takes 1hr. to get from San Juan to Fajardo, but on a público it can take up to 4hr. when you include traffic and frequent stops to pick up additional passengers. Do not take a público when you are in a hurry.