Photo Gallery

Street vendors offering food to passengers on a bus in Cojutepeque, El Salvador. Due to the lack of railway lines, all transport in Central America is by road. Buses provide regular connections between the different regions of the republic. The road network is quite extensive, but in some countries it is clearly insufficient, which is a serious obstacle to the exploitation of natural resources. - 1977

Guatemala's capital, like other Central American cities, offers the traveller many contrasts. The poorest neighbourhoods stand next to modern buildings or churches, most of which date back to the colonial era. In the old quarters, traffic is heavy and sometimes problematic due to the narrowness of the streets. Bus lines are used by the inhabitants to get to any part of the city. Other lines provide connections to the most remote parts of the country. - 1977

The scene captures a typical, bustling moment at a public transport bus stop in Deshnoke, characterised by improvisation and a dense crowd. Deshnoke (also known as Deshnok) is a small town in the Indian state of Rajasthan, around 30 km south of Bikaner. – 1990

In Santa Leticia, in the municipality of Puracé in the department of Cauca, right on the border with Huila, these ‘chiva’ buses are the main means of transport and the lifeblood of the entire region. Santa Leticia lies in the rugged mountainous regions of the Central Cordillera at an altitude of over 2,100 metres. These sturdy buses are often the only vehicles capable of negotiating the unpaved roads and mountain tracks. The buses travel fully laden with sacks of food, crates and crops on the roof. – Colombia – 1977

In the rugged Andean regions around Popayán (such as the nearby Tierradentro region or Puracé National Park), chivas are often the only means of transport capable of negotiating the unpaved gravel tracks. – Colombia – Cauca Department – 1977

Riobamba is the economic and administrative centre of the Ecuadorian province of Chimborazo. The photograph shows the old, historic coach station (Terminal Terrestre) and an adjacent market square in the 1970s. Riobamba links the coastal region with the Andean highlands. The buses in the background display the nearby destinations of Guamote and Colta, two historically significant indigenous communities in the immediate vicinity. – 1977

Bus stop near the village of Conchamarca in the department of Huánuco, Peru. - Book: Picture 181 - Peru - 1976