Transport: The street structure, organised in a grid pattern, makes Buenos
Aires easy to navigate, and the best way to explore the city and
take in its character is on foot. However, the city is serviced by
an efficient, widespread and cheap public transport system that
consists of buses and an excellent underground rail service (the
Subte). Although it services most of the city centre, the
Subte is not very extensive beyond the central core. The
Subte costs $0.70 per journey. Pre-paid Subte cards or passes can
be purchased from the ticket booths (boleterias) at each
station in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 or 30 journeys. It gets
very hot and crowded in summer especially during peak hours, and
closes between 10pm and 5am. The bus (colectivo) network is
huge and covers the city, and although very useful for getting
around, the overwhelming amount of routes makes it confusing for
tourists. Bus fares are paid in coins into an automatic ticket
vending machine when boarding the bus and cost a minimum of $0.80.
Many services run all night but with less frequency. There are also
urban train services that can be useful for reaching the outlying
suburbs. Taxis are everywhere and relatively inexpensive, but
although generally safe, visitors should be aware that there are
fake taxis that pick up tourists and rob them. It is safer to phone
for a radio taxi or remise, a fixed-price radio cab booked in
advance that acts like a chauffer-driven car and can be cheaper
than taxis over longer distances. They are more useful than renting
a car for excursions from the city and even for a day's tour of the
suburbs.
