Curitiba Transportation

Curitiba has no metro system and the reason for this is simple: a public transport system is supposed to be available to the masses, which means it must be relatively cheap to use - very important in developing countries. The cost of building and maintaining a metro system would by necessity, have to be reflected on much higher fare costs thus defeating its original purpose. The ITN (Integrated Transportation Network) was created to meet the same needs, only using buses instead. The network was designed with a metro layout in mind. That's why the transport system in Curitiba is also known as "the surface metro".

If your time in Curitiba is limited, an easy and interesting way to see the city's main attractions is to take a bus tour. Buses of LinhaTurismo covers 25 key reference points in Curitiba, completing 44 km in 2,5 hours. Stops include, for example, Parque Barigui and Tangua, Memorial Ucraniano, Opera de Arame, Rua 24 Horas, Teatro Paiol, Jardim Botanico and Santa Felicidade. The most central departure stop is at Praca Tiradentes.

Service is available from Tuesdays through Sundays, from 9am - 5:30pm, with buses leaving every 30 minutes. Ticket (16 RS) allow passengers to get off at five of the stops and rejoin the tour on a later bus. Comfortable white 'jardineira' buses have wide windows giving the passengers a better view of the city. They are equipped with a sound system that plays recorded messages describing sites in three languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish.

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The urban transport system is one of Curitiba's best known planning successes, a model for cities around the world that want to implement eco efficient transport networks that are well integrated with urban form and produce environmental benefits.

Curitiba has a master planned bus-based transport system designed by Jaime Lerner. It includes lanes on major streets devoted to a bus rapid transit system. In 1979 was established Rede Integrada de Transporte - RIT (Integrated Transport Net). The transport system was designed to function like a subway system in terms of the amount of people it could transport and and the frequency between routes. Approximately 1.100 buses make about 15.000 trips daily There are several different types of buses, each with a different function. The city has 21 passenger terminals where it is possible to change buses and a single fare allows passengers to transfer from express to inter-neighbourhood and local buses.

The details of the system are designed for speed and simplicity just as much as the overall architecture. Key elements are the tubos (tube bus stops), made of metal frame and curved glass. They are specially designed to move passengers quickly. Passengers pay the fare in advance, as in a subway station. The platform of the tube station is parallel to the platform of the buses. Passengers enter from one end of the station and exit on the other end. Tubos provide citizens with a clean and protected area in which to wait for the bus.

Curitiba has a high rate of car ownership, yet the fact that so many citizens use public transport proves that its system is truly efficient. 75% of the city's population relies on public transport and Curitiba is rarely, if ever, troubled with traffic problems and probably has some of the cleanest urban air.

Public transportation in Curitiba, despite of all the international fame, maybe can cause a worse impression than your guidebook's reference. You can face eternal waitings in some lines, sometimes up to 40 minutes. Even in rush hours a 15 minute waiting can be expected, leaving the stop completely packed inside.

In the cases of the long red articulated buses, you won't wait too much, but they are very slow. The good solution of give them an exclusive track is minimized by the number of stops (tubes) they have to stop by, doing it even if there are no one to jump in or off. And they are not free from the stop and go of the traffic lights. Another issue on these big buses is safety, it's always good to check if there's someone in a suspicious activity, since pickpocketing is increasingly reported in these long vehicles.

And don't expect to find anyone who speaks english when riding the buses there. Drivers and even passengers won't be able to help you if speaking a language other than portuguese.

There is an interesting and cheap way to visit the main touristic attractions in Curitiba: by getting the touristic bus - called Jardineira - because of its wide glass area.

It covers around 20 interesting points in the city and the tour takes around 2 hours. The tourist get off for three stops in total, getting to visit three places a little bit longer and then take another bus and go on with the tour.

Curitiba is famous (not also in Brazil) by its well planned public transportation system, which consists of a countless number of bus lines and connecting stations all over the city.

Lines usually cross the town over downtown, heading the direction downtown-neighborhood.

Main express lines (biarticulated busses) run on bus lanes in the main avenues and cross the city, linking the further districts.

Fare is about R$2,00 (less than US$0,70).

The train ride to Paranagua is one of those "must-do" activities in Curitiba. Unfortunately, the day that I went, it was very cloudy, so it was hard to take photos of the otherwise fantastic scenery. They do sell VHS and DVDs for about BRL$20 that is a good way to ensure you have photos/video of the spectacular train ride. (Also contains great historical/background footage of Curitiba.)

You can go to the central train station (EARLY or book ahead), or call one of the local tour companies. The tour operators will pick you up from your hotel by van, bring you the train station (they will have already reserved a train ticket for you), provide for van pick-up in Morretes, take you to Antonina and then back to Morretes for a traditional "barreado" lunch, and then drive you back via van along the historic stone road, with a short stop in Graciela (to sample the famous banana and ginger ice creams) before bringing you back to your hotel.

The cost of the train ride, lunch and van transportation if you go with a tour operator is about BRL$135, or USD $48. Pretty good price given that van transport, lunch and tour guide is included.

Here is the website for Osatur, the tour operator that I took:

www.osatur.com.br

They speak limited English, so do try to have your Brasilian Portugese phrasebook handy, or a friend nearby to help you with communication if you need assistance.

I've also included the link below to Serra Verde express, the primary operator for the train ride to Paranagua (Osatur uses Serra Verde for the train ride.)

CWB, Curitiba airport, is modern, convenient, and has many connecting flights to Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Manaus, etc. It is very easy to navigate around.

Taxi fare from CWB to the Centro area as of January 2004 was about $30 BRL, or the equivalent of $10 USD.