"Do you know the way to San Jose? I´ve been away so long, I may lose my way..." So goes the song by Dionne Warwick. I couldn't resist using this title to talk about how to get around San Jose without losing one's way.
The most common way is to take el bus. The bus system seems to be very good. There are plenty of buses and they run regularly. No one seems to be very concerned with bus schedules. They just go to the bus stop and wait. One will come along soon. I have only had to wait a half hour twice; usually a bus comes within 10 minutes or so. To let the bus driver know you would like him to stop for you, put your arm straight out to your side, at a 90 degree angle to your body, about shoulder level or slightly lower, pinch your fingers and thumb together as if you are trying to hold something really tiny, and motion your hand up and down much like your head when you want to say "yes". Do not put your hand up in the air as if to wave or flag down the bus like we do in the U.S. The bus driver and passengers will wave back as they drive by, leaving you still standing at the bus stop!
The driver is called el chofer and a person se sube (gets on the bus), pays the tarrifa (210 colones), and se baja (gets off the bus). There are no bus transfers, so if you get off the bus to run an errand, you pay full price to get on the bus again. If you want to change buses in town to go in another direction, you also will pay full price again. NO TRANSFERS.
If you are lucky, el chofer will not kill you getting you to your desired destination. I´ve already spoken of a few of the mishaps I´ve experienced on a bus, but let me add one more anecdote.My ride to school today was absolutely the worst ever. The driver seemed to be a little pithed to say the least. He was very aggressive, stopping on a dime just in time to avoid a little car in front of us that would not let him get in the long line of traffic heading to town this morning. He swerved around another bus into oncoming traffic and stopped underneath a red light. At least he stopped; it sure didn´t look like he was going to. Then there was a near-miss with a bicyclist pedaling down the middle of the road during rush hour followed by another serve and fast stop to avoid hitting another bus.All of this swerving was occuring while he was chatting with a passenger behind him. I said "gracias" to the chofer as I always do when I get off the bus, but today my intent was, "Gracias, for not killing us." Marcia and Kesa agreed!
Another way to get around town is to hail el taxi. Un taxista drives el taxi. They drive as loco as the choferes de buses. Los taxis are small red carros with a bright yellow triangle on the driver´s side door. Lots of numbers and signs are in the triangle. This proves they are registered taxis. Do not get in a fake taxi; they are not legal. 
When you get in the taxi, you should ask the taxista very politely, "Ponga la Maria, por favor" (please start the meter.) The meter is affectionately known as La Maria. I guess the Virgencita has some influence with the taxi service as well as other aspects of life here in Costa Rica. Maybe naming the meter after our Lord´s mother was an effort to remind the taxistas to be honest. The meter automatically starts at 565 colones ( a little over $1.00).
Saturday when I was attempting to get to the downtown bus station by 6:30 am, my host family called a family friend who is a taxista. We had 45 minutes to get to the bus station; it takes about 20 minutes, tops. We did it in less than 13 minutes. "How efficient!" you may be saying to yourself! Wrong! He sped and swerved around the few cars on the road. The first red light he ran seemed to be one of those, "Oops! It's turning red as I pass under it." The next two were just flat out, "The light has already turned red, but I think I'll go anyway." It was so obviously red way before we got there, I couldn't believe it when he just kept going.
I try not to look at the road anymore when I'm in a taxi...
Finally, if you have a carro, you can drive yourself around. It seems that most Ticos have only one car in the family. Drivers are called conductores. To drive is conducir or manejar in Spanish. Hyundai is getting pretty popular around here. Gas costs over 700 colones per litre, or about $5.59/gallon. (In the U.S. it's currently averaging in the $3.69 range.) Make sure you have a good working horn as it will be used alot. Also make sure you get a prescription for Prozac, you will need that, also.
Vaya con Dios...you will definitely need Him in the back seat!
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