Transportation Options in La Paz

Although at first glance the traffic appears overwhelming and the transportation options confusing, navigating them once you have a sense for how things work is quite easy. Getting around the city actually couldn’t be easier. Not counting private cars, there are four main transportation options:
1. Micros – These are buses that are about half or three-quarters the size of a regular bus (hence the name). The smaller size makes it easier to navigate the narrow and winding streets in La Paz. They are the cheapest means of transportation, although also the slowest and least frequent.

2. Minis – These are mini-buses (the equivalent of the Bulgarian marshrutka) that criss-cross the city along set routes. They are the most abundant vehicles in the streets, zig-zagging from lane to lane, competing for passengers. Sometimes, all you see are columns and columns of mini-buses; the sight almost makes me forget that regular cars exist. Unlike the ones in Bulgaria, these minis are so frequent that you never have to wait longer than a minute or two during the day before one headed on your route comes along. Getting a ride on a mini costs between 1 Boliviano (Bs) and 2.30 Bs, depending on the distance and the time of day. (1 USD = approx. 7 Bs) Each mini’s driver has a sidekick to help him collect fares and also to attract passengers. They lean out of the mini’s window and shout out main stops along the route at a speed that would put any one of those readers of the small print in medicine commercials on US television to shame. They even manage to name the current fare somewhere in the avalanche of words.

3. TRUFIs – The acronym stands for Taxi de Ruta Fija (set route taxi). As the name suggests, these are basically taxis that follow set routes. They are almost as frequent as minis and faster because they make fewer stops to pick up passengers, although slightly more expensive (the fare is 3 Bs). The only thing to watch out for with TRUFIs is sitting in front, next to the driver, because that seat is meant for two people, so you might end up squished uncomfortably next to the stick shift.

4. Taxis – Taxis are abundant and although they are the most expensive relative to the other transportation options, they are still pretty cheap. (For example, getting from the Zona Sur to the centre costs between 12 and 15 Bs, around $2.) We’ve been warned not to flag taxis down on the street at night; calling a radio taxi is the best and safest way to go.