Chicken bus: a recipe of the vehicle with the bad reputation
It is probably possible to write a whole poem about the chicken buses. So much fame they have: both positive and negative. Some travelers love them; some travelers are terrified by them and avoid them as much as possible. I belong to the first group, though I was a little bit nervous getting on my first chicken bus in Guatemala. But like with any “first time”, if it goes smoothly, the excitement to do it again and again is hard to conquer. Hence, I traveled through El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua without using a shuttle bus even a single time. Only the chicken buses! Is it really so dangerous?
⠀Well, I can’t deny that sometimes chicken buses are being attacked by the gangs. However, it used to happen much more often ten years ago than now, and the chance to be attacked being on a touristic shuttle bus was actually even higher. I had a chance to talk to the former shuttle-bus driver from El Salvador, and he told me that only a decade ago, the tourists on the shuttles were robbed on a regular basis! Not anymore though. Based on my experience, I got to the conclusion that the chance to be attacked by a gang being on a chicken bus is pretty low. The chance to be robbed - same like the chance to be robbed in New York or any other city on the world. Just watch your bag no matter where you are!
⠀It is true: I saw a lot accidents on the roads traveling through Central America. Some of the drivers go really fast – you cannot deny it. Still, I believe this is just the way how many people drive there, regardless of what type of the vehicle they drive: a chicken bus or a BMW. In such wise, unfortunately I do not think you lower the chance of accident going on a shuttle bus instead of a chicken bus.
⠀ Another “terrifying fact” about riding a chicken bus is sexual harassment that is a “common thing” happening to the female travelers. I did read some stories, and I watched some vlogs about how girls where sexually assaulted on the chicken buses. Well...isn’t it happening almost anywhere in the world? You might be a target being a solo female traveler in Central America. Or Spain. Or Great Britain. I travelled solo for more than three months in the region and never have experienced any tricky situations.
⠀As you see, I don’t think there’s a reason to be terrified by the chicken buses! They are a little bit slower than the shuttle buses of course (I would say you arrive to a destination 1,5 - 2 hours later), but they are 3-4 times cheaper! And getting from one bus to another is super easy: the bus workers will carry your luggage and will transfer you to another bus almost holding your hand!
⠀Finally, the last thing. Chicken buses are like the subway in New York. They are life of the country, and it’s blood it’s vivid energy! Go on a chicken bus if you want to get to know locals, to see what they eat, what they talk about, what they laugh about, how they dress, and what is in their eyes after a long day working on a field…
