To and from Bus Station in Rio; All about Bus Station transfer

There are two good ways getting to and from bus station in Rio: one is The REAL-bus and the other is taxi. There are options with local buses and also subway and bus integrated, I donīt think they are worthwhile, either itīs not safe or itīs to much of a hassle.

The REAL Bus

The price is 3.50 R$ and it runs everyday from 5:30h until midnight at least every 20 minutes. Itīs not fast (45 min - 1h 30 min depending on traffic) but itīs reliable.

From
Going from the bus station you can easily catch it by going outside the arrival terminal past the taxi line; the REAL bus leaves from there. There are two different routes, one is to Leblon and run everyday, the other one is to Mandala (in Barra de Tijuca) and run weekends and holidays, both of them pass Zona Sul. On Sundays and holidays between 7h and 18h (during Daylight Saving Summer Time until 19h) they shut part of the beach avenue in Flamengo and the bus going to Leblon changes route from Aterro to Praia do Flamengo.

To
Going to the bus station in Rio the REAL bus more or less reverses the routes, note that these routes are not affected by Sundays or holidays. Click for itineraries to and from Leblon and Mandala to get the normal routes.

Taxis

From
Going from bus station in Rio there is a really good taxi cue system at the arrival terminal, the prices are neatly printed on a sign. You will be given a note and the cabbie will take you to your destination for the sum written on it (to Ipanema it would be around 30 R$). Just walking out on the street would make it possible for you to grab a cab that will accept going on the meter which is slightly cheaper.

To
Going to the bus station itīs best to order a normal yellow cab from a company by phone, they will go on the meter; If they donīt, tell them to turn it on. Another option is to flag one down on the street, itīs easy to make them go on the meter. I have repetedly told you here to make them "turn on the meter", of course you can always try to negotiate. I know of people only paying 25 R$ from Copacabana to Galeão, but itīs a bit harder. Click Taxis in Rio to get more detailed information on this subject.

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