Bus transport in Central America

They are often modified and brightly decorated to transport both people and goods between communities in countries like Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

The word "chicken" may refer to the fact that the buses are often crammed with passengers not unlike a truck load of chickens,[2] or to the fact that Central Americans occasionally transport live animals on such buses—a practice that visitors from other countries often find remarkable.

The ayudante is responsible for passengers and luggage, collecting money, and organizing the suitcases, livestock, produce, etc.

Typically, bus operators seek to maximize profit by onboarding as many passengers as possible while driving to destinations at top speed.

These unofficial bus services have been declared illegal by the Panamanian government and the private import of North American-style buses was banned, yet efforts to stop this system of transport have nonetheless been met with little success.