Lima, Perú has a very complicated transit system.  There are apparently dozens of independent bus companies and the streets are full of buses, but it’s almost impossible to tell what buses are going where.  Names of target neighbourhoods are painted on the sides of buses, but you have to be an old Lima hand to recognize them all.  Maps don’t exist.  The only thing you can do is ask someone on the street, but you know what kind of luck you have with queries like that.  Fortunately, cabs are fairly cheap here, with $2 and $3 fares, so I have used them, though I instinctively balk at the idea of getting in a taxi.

You probably can imagine what buses are like in a place like Los Angeles.  Each bus has a route number, but unless you know the route through experience, the number does you no good.  Almost invariably, the pigeonhole for the map and schedule of the route are empty, or there are maps and schedules for other routes only.  Not only that, but you may have to wait 15, 30, 45 or even 60 minutes for your bus.  The fare is over $1.50, or about $3 for an all-day pass.  Maps are available from time to time but you have to make a special trip to one of the offices of the transit company or to a designated currency exchange to get one.  The Metro is excellent, if you live near it, but for most Angelinos, getting to the Metro involves taking one or more buses first.

The best system that I have encountered is the one in Beijing, China, but you have to be able to read Chinese, or at least recognize characters.  Every bus stop in the city has a unique name consisting of three Chinese characters.  For instance, my stop was You Yong Chi (the Swimming Pool).  If you go to a bus stop, you’ll find that there is sign listing all the stops along the line.


In other words, there is a list of 20 or 30 three-character names.  If more than one line stop there, there is a sign for each line.  Each stop has also a number along its particular route too.  A map of Beijing that is available on practically every street corner in the city for about 35 cents shows each and every route superimposed right over the street with tiny numbers corresponding to the stop numbers.  On the back, there is a listing for each route, giving the three-character names that correspond to each number.  The upshot is that, if you have the map, you can figure out your exact itinerary between any two points in they city without asking anybody anything.  You even know the names of the stops preceding your own, so you can get ready to alight when the time comes.  Fares range from 5 cents to 25 cents, depending on the distance.  However, buses are not as frequent as in Lima.  You could have to wait up to 15 minutes.  There are clone vans along some lines.  You get a seat in a minibus, but pay more.  Then there’s the Metro too, though very skeletal.

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