Quick Tips: Bus, Subway, VLT and Bike system in Rio de Janeiro

The transportation services in Rio are not good if compared to other large cities. The subway system have only two lines and, although it doesn’t take you near Pão de Açúcar or Christ The Redeemer, it covers most of the touristic neighborhoods. (The blue lines on the maps are ‘surface metro’, a.k.a. buses).

There is Bilhete Único Carioca/RioCard (Carioca Single Ticket) which is accepted on bus, subway and VLT. They are sold and recharged only in few stations: Botafogo, Carioca (Downtown), Alvorada Terminal (Barra da Tijuca). See a complete list here.

If you don’t intend to ride the bus system, you can buy a Metro Permanent Pass (the first charge is R$5) so that you can recharge it by yourself. The advantage is that they can be recharged in every metro station. The trains have air conditioner and audio tips in English, which are useful for foreigners.

The bus system is being restructured without proper notification and visual updates, so don’t be surprised if you ask for information and someone can’t help you: even the cariocas are confused about the bus lines. Many bus drivers have to change the passenger’s bills while driving, so they are usually stressful people.

We have a bike system sponsored by a bank. It has stations all over the city. Take a look at the Rio de Janeiro’s Bike Map, which includes both exclusive and shared ways (cars) and sidewalks (pedestrians) for bikes.

Avoid getting taxis on the street because you can’t trust all drivers. If you have to do so, research the best way to your destination once you get in the cab and keep tracking the path along the way. Waze is very precise in Rio de Janeiro.

It’s better to use apps like 99 Taxis because their drivers tend to be more polite and trustable. The best solution is to use Uber. It’s cheaper and the drivers are better too.

Metro: R$4,10. Hours: Weekdays from 5:00 am to 12 pm. Weekends from 7 am to 11 pm.
Bus: R$3,80. Hours: depends on the line.
VLT (TRAM): Hours: 24 hours/day.
Bike Rio: Monthly Pass: R$10. Daily Pass: R$5