Anyone else confused by the collectivo bus routes in Buenos Aires? Can you navigate the bus lines?

[MikeRoss]

I have been mostly user Ubers and taxis but that adds up fast. I was only going to stay 1 week but it's now turned into a month. I started taking the Subtes but then it seems like they are working on some lines and they are closed.

Since the D subte line is temporarily closed in Buenos Aires, I've been taking the bus more often. I've noticed that sometimes the buses don't follow the paths shown on apps like Google Maps, Moovit, or Transit. For instance, the 111 bus is supposed to go from Bonpland and Soler to Alto Palermo on Avenida Santa Fe, according to the apps. However, one day, the 111 bus I took went down Paraguay instead, and I had to walk a long way in the heat to reach my destination. Today, when I tried the 111 again, the driver told me it doesn't go to Alto Palermo.

I had a similar experience with the 39C bus. The maps showed it going from Costa Rica at Plaza Unidad Latinoamericano to Gorriti and Humbolt. Instead, it mostly went on Honduras, parallel to Costa Rica. Luckily, it eventually turned onto Costa Rica, but it still didn't follow the map.

I'm wondering if buses regularly ignore the mapped routes or if the apps are not accurate. Either way, how can one really know the correct route for a collectivo?

 

[Betsy Ross]

They don't purposely ignore their routes. Sometimes, streets are closed for various reasons, and they have to take different paths.

 

[Man on the Moon]

Many buses with the same number can have different branches that follow different routes.

For instance, look at the routes for Line 39 in Buenos Aires. You might see "Linea 39 Ramal 2 Chacarita por Plaza Italia" and "Linea 39 Ramal 3 Chacarita por Plaza Serrano." This may not be immediately clear, especially on foreign websites.

Recorrido de la Línea 39 en Buenos Aires

Buscás la línea de colectivos 39? Probá nuestro buscador de colectivos y eligí la mejor opción!

www.omnilineas.com.ar

I used to take Colectivo Linea 5, and now it's called "Linea 8E Ex Linea 5." There's another branch of the same Linea 8 that travels between Ezeiza and Aeroparque.

 

[MikeRoss]

Oh, what a surprise! Understanding bus routes is not the easiest thing. Now, the burning question: how on earth do I actually find the right bus? Is there, by any chance, a better app that knows the mystical, ever-changing paths of these buses better than the others?

 

[Wally]

Give this website a shot, but heads up, they haven't caught on that Linea 5 is now Linea 8. You might also want to check with folks at your usual bus stops - they could have the inside scoop on how to get where you need to go.

Mapa Interactivo de Buenos Aires - Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

El Mapa Interactivo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires es un servicio que le permite localizar direcciones geográficamente, visualizar información relevante de cada parcela de la ciudad incluyendo su fotografía de fachada, hallar el camino más corto para ir de un lugar a otro de la ciudad a pie o en...

mapa.buenosaires.gob.ar

 

[Vero]

Oh, what a surprise! Understanding bus routes is not the easiest thing. Now, the burning question: how on earth do I actually find the right bus? Is there, by any chance, a better app that knows the mystical, ever-changing paths of these buses better than the others?

IMHO all the various mobile Apps are mediocre at best. The City of BA used to have one but they discontinued it as it wasn't so good. I usually check a few of the apps to make sure but they don't always give the correct info.

 

[MikeRoss]

Give this website a shot, but heads up, they haven't caught on that Linea 5 is now Linea 8. You might also want to check with folks at your usual bus stops - they could have the inside scoop on how to get where you need to go.

Mapa Interactivo de Buenos Aires - Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

El Mapa Interactivo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires es un servicio que le permite localizar direcciones geográficamente, visualizar información relevante de cada parcela de la ciudad incluyendo su fotografía de fachada, hallar el camino más corto para ir de un lugar a otro de la ciudad a pie o en...

mapa.buenosaires.gob.ar

Thank you! This looks like it will really help!

 

[JoeTrip]

You can also use this website:

Colectivos de Buenos Aires

Buscador para las líneas de colectivos en Buenos Aires. Mirá todos los recorridos en un mapa!

www.omnilineas.com.ar

 

[Digital Nomad]

People are a bit on edge. Crazy people start attacking someone that wasn't even involved in the accident.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1831008057335390513