Boarding a Guatemalan Chicken Bus
Ever wonder what happened to your old school bus? Well, there is a possibility it is living a second life as a “Chicken Bus” in Guatemala. Guatemalan Chicken Busses are called “Chicken Buses” presumably because there are occasionally used to transport livestock but I saw no evidence of this during my so far, only experience on these marvels of ingenuity.
Old Crowns, Waynes, Blue Birds and others are imported and modified. They are given new more powerful engines to handle mountainous roads. The last few rows are cut off to make the bus shorter for maneuvering in tight spaces. They are often given elaborate pain jobs and put back on the road. Many drivers of these machines are justifiably proud of their “rides” and go to great pains to keep them in top shape.
See also:
- The Chicken Ranch
- Visit to Panajachel and Lake Atitlan Guatemala
- Bus Service in Mexico
I had to see what you had to say about the chicken bus, for the longest time my husband made up the expression. He traveled in them back in the 1980s, and this photo is far from his description ;). He described them as old, run-down American school buses, used mostly by locals (he and his dad were the only gringos on it), and they did transport chicken in them: their own. Locals used to buy a live chicken and transport them home on the bus.