Getting around Ecuador: transport and apps

Buses

Ecuador is a small country with an excellent bus network, and this is how you travel here.

• Fares run at roughly USD 1 to USD 1.50 per hour of travel. Quito to Banos, Cuenca or Otavalo costs a few dollars.
• Use the better operators on long routes - Panamericana, Flota Imbabura, Transportes Ecuador - and buy at the terminal counter rather than from a man at the door.
• Keep your bag on your lap or between your feet. Overhead racks and the space under the seat in front are where things disappear from.
• Do not take an overnight bus if you can avoid it, and never one on a route the FCDO flags.
• Mountain roads close for landslides in the rainy season. Ask before committing to a tight connection.

Cities

• Quito's Trolebus, Ecovia and Metrobus run north to south on dedicated lanes for a few cents, and the new metro connects the main axis. All are crowded and are where pickpocketing happens.
• Uber, Cabify and inDrive operate in Quito and Guayaquil, and are the right way to move at night.
• Registered yellow taxis have a meter, an orange number plate and a visible ID card. Use those, or an app, and not a car that stops for you unasked.
• Do not hail a taxi on the street after dark. This is the single clearest piece of advice for both cities.

Getting to the regions

• Domestic flights to Cuenca, Loja, Coca and Manta save a day of switchbacks and cost little.
• The Galapagos is only reachable by air from Quito or Guayaquil, to Baltra or San Cristobal.
• The Amazon means a flight to Coca, then a motorised canoe, usually arranged by the lodge.
• The tourist trains are mostly suspended, so check the current position rather than planning around them.

Driving

• Hiring a car works for the sierra loop and is unnecessary anywhere else.
• The roads themselves are good, the driving is fast and the overtaking is optimistic.
• Do not drive at night between towns, both for the road and for the security advice.
• Fuel is cheap and stations are frequent on the Pan-American, sparse elsewhere.
• Police checkpoints are routine. Carry your passport and the hire documents.