Theft on the Buses
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Finding transportation traveling around Costa Rica can be a challenge at times. For those of us that use the public buses this information is going to come in handy. There are a number of public buses zooming around Costa Rica and they make for a very cheap way to get around. However, they have been know to attract criminals catering to Ticos and tourist. The bus usually has one or two storage compartments for your bags. If your bags are larger they will fit on the buses underbelly just fine. However, It has been a problem with travelers in Costa Rica to find out that their bags were taken out from the bottom compartment somewhere along the ride. And the other alternative is a small compartment above your seats. This top compartment has also been known to attract passengers to casually walk off the bus with someones bags. If you do any research at all on bus crime you will find that this is a huge problem in Costa Rica. DO NOT fall asleep on those long bus rides and expect to wake up to your bags in the same place! DO NOT read a book or look out the window the whole time and expect your bags to be in the same place! KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR THINGS!!
michael alan's Blog - Sunday, April 12, 2009
The bus from La Fortuna to San José was packed- pretty typical. She (a gringa from Tennessee) didn’t know she got her backpack stolen until we reached San José… actually, EVERYONE on the bus learned she got her backpack stolen… she was hysterical to say the least. Everything was in it- EVERYTHING meaning- passport, money, credit cards, family pictures, laptop, digital camera etc. What she was wearing, is what she had left. Video: Backing Up Your Travel Documents.
From what she told (everyone), her backpack was pretty big, so she didn’t want to lug it to the back of the bus and risk hitting others in the head (her words, not mine), so she opted to put it in the above rack at the front of the bus, but decided to sit in the back of the bus. You know the rest of the story. For the record, her dad sent her money via Western Union.
I won’t hammer… too much anyway, but I gotta admit, I often wonder why people don’t do a little more homework when visiting a country they’ve never been to before. Even we have numerous articles on this particular subject.
Many of the Travel Books will tell you to sit by a window in order to keep an eye on anything (oversized backpacks etc) that is placed in the underbelly of the bus since that is where most of the theft occurs, me personally, I don’t know anyone who has been ripped off in this manner, but do I have a ton of stories from people who have been ripped off from the overhead inside the bus, usually not a few feet from where they are sitting. Costa Rica Crime- it's YOUR Fault. And just a few weeks ago I wrote about a similar experience: La Fortuna to San Jose- Crime on the Bus.
Check this OUT to Remind youself of things you may have forgotten you know: Theft and You in Costa Rica.
