Inner-Workings of the Micro, Valparaíso

I take the micro on average 5 or 6 times each day. It's a big part of my life in Chile, and as a result, I'm sort-of obsessed with it. This article has a lot of information about the micro that you may or may not find interesting.

The micro is the most common and cheapest way to get around Valparaíso. It's chaotic and scares some tourists, but take a deep breath. You can do it. Before long you'll be zipping around like a Chilean.

It is run by the Transporte Metropolitano Valparaíso (TMV) and consists of 11 bus companies and has 106 different lines.

The micro runs from 6am to 11pm but some companies run all night. Don't worry if you're stuck somewhere late at night waiting for a micro. Be patient.

You pay the driver when you get on the micro.
Local: 200-370 pesos
Directo: 450-730 pesos
Escolar: 130-150 pesos

Saturday until 2:00pm/Sunday/Holiday: 250 with escolar card

There is no schedule. The micro runs every 5-15 minutes.

How do the bus companies track the density of the micros?
The TMV just installed new GPS systems that collect information and note the time when the bus stops at each stop. You can see the GPS system behind the driver's seat.

Los Sapos (Toads) are the people who hop on, shout something to the driver, collect money, and hop off. They control the frequency of the micros. They note the times and sell their information for 100 to 300 pesos to the bus drivers. They tell the driver if they need to go a little slower or a little faster, depending on how many micros have passed. Sapos do not work as a part of any micro company. There are usually 2 sapos at every major micro stop.

And what about the drivers?
To be a driver on the micro, you need to be at least 21 years old and you need to have been driving for at least 2 years. You also need to take 2 driving courses and have a regular medical exam every 4 years.

Micro drivers drive one trip which is about two hours and then rest for 20 to 30 minutes. They work for 4 days and then rest for 2. Each driver has his "own" micro and can decorate it how he likes. Micro drivers are paid about 18.000 pesos each day which is about $40 dollars. They also get 1% of all the tickets they sell which adds up to more or less 5.000 pesos or $10 dollars a day. Because they collect a percentage of the tickets they sell, they move quickly and sometimes charge you more than they should. A driver on average drives 250 kilometers each day, or about 155 miles.

Some micro-ride recommendations:
The "O" passes through all of the hills on Avenida Alemania. It stops close to the ex-carcel and La Sebastiana.

The 520 micro passes to Laguna Verde which is a nice place to take landscape pictures of the lagoons.

For information about where each micro passes, visit the Valparaíso Micro Site