Page 76 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

74 Panama City GETTING AROUND
1 MAJOR DOMESTIC BUS ROUTES
DESTINATION FREQUENCY DURATION
Antón 5.20am–8pm; every 20min 2hr
Bayano (via Chepo) 4am–4.40pm; every 40min 2hr
Chame 5.30am–9pm; every 20min 1hr 10min
Changuinola 6pm & 6.30pm (7pm during 10hr (via Almirante, for Bocas)
busy periods)
Chitré 6am–7pm; every 30min 3hr 30min
Colón express bus: 4.40am–10pm; 1hr 15min
approximately every 30min
regular bus: 4am–midnight; 1hr 45min
every 20–30min
David 4.30am–8.30pm; two express 6–7hr
companies each run buses
every 1hr–1hr30min; both
have express services at 10pm,
11pm & midnight
El Copé 6am–6.30pm; every 30min 3hr
El Valle (de Antón) 7am–7pm; every 25–30min 2hr
Gamboa 5am (6am Sat & Sun)–11.15pm; 50min
16 buses
Las Tablas 6am–7pm; hourly 4hr
Metetí 4.15am–4.30pm; 9 buses 5–6hr
Penonomé 4.50am–10.45pm; every 20min 2hr
San Carlos 6am–8.30pm; every 20min 1hr 20min
Santiago 3.15am–9.15pm; hourly 3hr 30min
(note that all buses for David
also stop in Santiago)
Soná (for Santa Catalina) 6.45am–5.30pm; every 2hr 5hr
Yaviza Midnight express bus; buses 6–7hr
for Metetí will continue to
Yaviza if there is demand;
otherwise change in Metetí
to a local bus.

GEttinG aROUnD
Panama City’s vast urban sprawl continues to expand at an alarming rate, and navigating your way around can at first seem
daunting. However, places of interest to tourists are concentrated in a few areas easily accessible by bus or taxi, or, in the
case of Casco Viejo, on foot. Avoid travelling at rush hour (Mon–Fri 7.30–9am & 4.30–6.30pm), when traffic grinds to a
halt in horn-honking mayhem. The new metro so far only has one line but it provides a quick way of travelling between
El Cangrejo, Plaza Cinco de Mayo (with walking access to Casco Viejo) and Albrook bus terminal. At the time of writing, a
second line was under construction, which should also connect with Tocumen International Airport.

BY BUS – destinations are painted on the windscreen – some
Types of bus There are two types of public bus. Best drivers will pick up and drop off at other places as the
known, but being phased out, are the slow, dilapidated whim takes them, and there are no fixed timetables. The
chicken buses, known in Panama as diablos rojos, or red newer, a/c Metrobuses also operate on fixed routes
devils, on account of the devil-may-care attitude of without timetables, and use designated, less frequent
many of the drivers. Though they operate on fixed routes stops.

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