bulldog10 wrote:
I used Interbus a few years ago. They use vans. They pick passengers up from their hotels. If you are first on their list you will spend the first 30 - 45 minutes stopping at other hotels. They will pick up passengers headed to a variety of places.
They then meet at a large souvenir stand that’s on the road to Jaco and shuffle passengers to the vans headed to their destinations. You may need to change vans here. If one van is late they have to wait because those passengers would be stranded. I spent an hour there once on the way to Jaco as we waited. If you know the roads in Costa Rica you can understand there can be delays. Then the reverse at your destination. Everyone gets dropped off at their hotel.
It works and the price is reasonable. But it will probably be twice or more the time of a direct ride. They list the time San Jose to Jaco at 2 hours 50 minutes. It can be longer. If my destination was the airport I would want a good cushion before my flight departed.
The majority of passengers are American tourists. The American women will have a strong dislike of you if they are aware of your hobby, it can make for an uncomfortable couple hours. I was the first one picked-up at Sportsmans so your friends can get more free spins and bonus rounds at starburst slot only the driver knew where I stayed. I avoided that issue but spent time driving around San Jose to other hotels. And as first in I got shotgun.
Overall they are a viable option, but be aware of the trade off, mostly time. Thanks for your thoughts, it's really important stuff