Expanish TEFL Blog
General Etiquette Regarding Public Transportation in Buenos Aires
As a TEFL teacher you are going to have to take advantage forms of transportation in Buenos Aires, possibly dividing your time between the bus, subway, and train, depending on where and when you are traveling.
Teaching English in Buenos Aires often requires lots of traveling from place to place!
Public transportation in Buenos Aires has an entire culture of its own regarding how you get on, where you sit, the sales of items on board, and general rules of thumb.
Pay attention to the following and we guarantee that your public transportation travels in Buenos Aires will be successful every time!
Gettin on’
In order to use public transportation you are going to have to get on it!
Subway: Buy your ticket(s) from the ticket counter and wait for the subway (going in the right direction). Depending on the hour, getting on may be simple and spacious, if you are in rush hour, don’t be afraid to push (like others) do. If there is a cm space, people want to see a body in it!
Bus: Be sure to flag down the bus at your stop, otherwise they may go on by. Line up with the others, wait your turn, pay in change when you board.
Train: Similar to the subway, buy your ticket and enter quietly or squeeze yourself in there.
Women and children first (age priority)
The men in Argentina do know their manners and will almost always let a woman enter or be seated first. Very nice for us ladies. ALERT: Senor women, disabled, or women with small children or who are pregnant always get a seat. In this case, it doesn’t matter if you are a man or not, get your tushy out of that seat if you see someone like this come on – they get priority.
Public transportation sales people
On both the subway and occasionally train, you will find people selling various items.
Subway: If you are seated, the ‘salesperson’ will come by and place their product on your lap. Don’t be alarmed, this doesn’t mean you have to touch it or buy it or hand it back. If you are uninterested, simply leave it there and it will be picked up on the way. If you are interested, pay for it. Sometimes the items are sold by adults and sometimes very young children – even if this is not your favorite moment on the subway, be respectful of the people selling the products, they are trying to make a living just like everyone else.
Train: There are sometime sales people selling items or food like gum or chocolate bars. If you want something, just flag them down and pay the price.
Rules of Thumb on Public Transportation in Buenos Aires
- Keep your personals close and make sure your bag/backpack is shut. Don’t leave your wallet in your back pocket, etc.
- Always buy a ticket for the train or you may have to pay a fine on arrival.
- Look both ways when getting off the bus.
- Keep change on you at all times, most public transportation only accepts coins.
- If the subway or train are too full, wait for the next pick-up, being squashed is just not worth it.
- Interested in teaching English in Buenos Aires? Check out our TEFL courses in Argentina!
