I talked to two visitors to Margarita Ville this past month that related stories of how they were conned on the bus before they left the station in Quito. The young conmen/thieves are alive an doing well at the Quito bus station. A little extra precaution is advised for single travelers as both of these incidences involved women traveling alone.
The first involved a young German girl who was helped by two well dressed young men whom she thought worked for the bus company. They helped her to her seat and when she was seated with her backpack on her lap, one of them told her that she would be more comfortable if she put it under her seat. He helped her get it in position for his partner who was behind her, to cut the bottom and extract her camera. These guys can be charming…so beware.
The second involved a mature lady that arrived at the station by taxi and the driver had helped her get her luggage stored below. She entered the bus and took a seat. A few minutes later a young man approached and asked where she was going and told her the fare was $3.50. She gave him a $10 bill and he said he would bring the change back. He then continued and took money from several other passengers. When the bus left the terminal and was on the road the drivers assistant started through the bus to collect the fares. She told the man that she had already paid and in fact was waiting for her change. His remark was, “You didn’t pay me.” So she had to pay again the correct amount of $3.40. In retrospect, she realized that he only asked money from those that looked like tourists.
This problem can be solved easily if you know how the system works. There are two ways you can buy passage on all of the busses. Buy a ticket at one of the many ticket windows in the main bus station. They will note the bus number, the time of departure and assign a seat number. The second is to board the bus without a ticket and once you are on the road the conductor will pass through the bus and collect the fare. In Quito they never ask for the money before you depart unless you are buying a ticket from one of the many ticket windows.
The overall bus transportation system in Ecuador is good and I have not personally had a hint of a problem.. It is affordable and there is no place that I know of that is not on some route. You can flag a bus anywhere on the street or highway and they will drop you wherever you want along the route. Most of the population here in Ecuador depend on the busses to move around along with their cargo. If you get tired of riding your bicycle, flag a bus and they will hoist it on top, without hesitation or groans of displeasure. It is just part of the job.
