Chicken Bus, No Fuss

JACQUELYN LOI
Staff Writer

We all need different types of transportation to get through our day. For example, driving, biking and walking are all frequent modes of transportation utilized in the U.S. However, in the city of Guatemala, it is neither of these; the chicken bus is the most popular form of transportation.

Chicken buses, or Camionetas, are buses that were previously the yellow school buses we have here in the U.S. When American school buses have been in use for 10 years or have been driven for 150,000 miles, they are auctioned off and taken to Guatemala to begin their new lives as chicken buses.

These buses received their name from the likelihood of crossing paths with the animal while riding the bus. Additionally, the way people are crammed into these buses also contributes to the name of the bus since it resembles chickens in a coop. On these buses, there are no such things as a “maximum capacity.”

The chicken bus itself is covered with colorful murals and praises to Jesus. The image of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion hangs on the front of every single bus.

Although chicken buses are a type of transportation that may be foreign to us, it is nothing peculiar the denizens of Guatemala.