In bigger cities, like San Jose, it is still just as easy to walk everywhere, as there are walking bridges and clear crosswalks, but it may take a bit longer. However, if you really need to travel long-distance in Costa Rica, you have two main options: public bus and taxi. Many ticos (the term used to refer to native Costa Ricans) have jobs that are in a different part of Costa Rica from the place where these people live. For example, many locals in San Ramon need to travel to San Jose to work. You will see bus stations and buses everywhere, as people are constantly using them to get back and forth to work. Not only is this system cost-effective, as tickets typically cost $2 to $10 (the cost depends on the route), it’s also reliable. Besides the public bus, taxis are also widely available across Costa Rica. Uber is technically illegal in many Latin American countries, but many foreigners (including us) use it anyway due to the efficiency of the app! Many locals, however, would use the local taxis here in Costa Rica. When using a taxi though, it is important to find a taxi that is red and has a triangular symbol on top, as that indicates that it is a registered vehicle within Costa Rica, so if ever something happens (such as losing a personal item), each vehicle has its personal registered license and identification number, making it far easier to recover the lost item. The price of an Uber and a red-taxi is relatively the same; however, it may be cheaper to travel with the red-taxis if you speak Spanish, as they charge you by a meter, and they might not be tempted to hike the price for a foreigner! Lastly, cars and motorcycles are also commonly seen here in Costa Rica. Many streets in the local towns are one-way roads, and the cars are manual-drive.
