While most industries in Costa Rica come to a virtual halt during the holidays, Christmas is the busiest time of the year for inter-province bus operators. According to a report published on daily newspaper La Prensa Libre and broadcast by its sister Radio America AM station, bus lines are stepping up their operational pace in an effort to meet the demands of hundreds of thousands of holiday travelers.

At the Empresarios Unidos main bus terminal in San José, there are typically 50 buses waiting to take riders to the Occidental region and the main beach in Puntarenas, but that number has been increased 70 since Friday, December 23rd. Buses bound for Puntarenas will be departing every 5 minutes during holiday daytime hours, according to administrator Roy Vargas.

At the modern Caribeños bus terminal near the ULACIT campus in Barrio Tournón, an increment of nearly 50 percent in ridership was observed on December 24th. The holidays will not have a diminishing effect on the frequency of inter-province bus service; in fact, buses will be departing at an increased rate from now through the early days of January.

Inter-province travel is a holiday tradition for many Ticos who take advantage of their end-of-year vacation to visit family or for a quick getaway to the beaches or the countryside. An unfortunate side effect of the busy holiday travel season is that it tends to bring out opportunistic crooks and scam artists to the bus terminals. In early December La Prensa Libre exposed a crew of aging thieves nicknamed the “abuelitos timeadores” (scheming grandpas) who seek to ply their wicked trade by casing bus travel depots; targeting travelers who leave their luggage unattended. Fuerza Pública is already on the trail of these geriatric petty criminals; thus far their age seems to belie their evasiveness, as none of the elderly outlaws have been apprehended.

Bus travelers are warned to keep tabs on their luggage at all times, particularly during the busy holiday season. Fuerza Pública has announced that additional police officers will be posted at the main bus terminals for the benefit of public safety.