Panama City - Transportation

Transportation

Panama's international airport, Tocumen International Airport, has two runways and is located on the eastern outskirts of the city. There are direct flights between Tocumen and the United States, some European cities, and all major cities in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, like Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, and Lima. Panama City has a regional airport, Marcos A. Gelabert, located in an area once occupied by Albrook Air Force Base. Marcos A. Gelabert Airport is the main hub for regional flights within Panama and the Pearl Islands in the Pacific and Bocas del Toro islands in the Caribbean.

There are frequent traffic jams in Panama City due to the high levels of private transport ownership per mile of traffic lane. In an attempt to curb traffic jams, President Ricardo Martinelli has brought forward a citywide metro system, initially 14 km long, stretching across the city. This new metro system, along with the Metrobus, will replace the current public transportation system.

The bus terminal located in Ancon offers buses in and out of the city. Bus service is one of the most widely used forms of transportation in Panama. The terminal receives thousands of passengers daily from locations like David, Chiriqui, and the central provinces of Herrera and Los Santos. The terminal also receives international passengers from Central America via the Pan-American Highway.

Panama City offers transportation services through yellow taxis. Taxis do not use a meter to measure fares, instead using a zone system for fares that is published by the Autoridad de Transito y Transporte Terrestre, Panama's transit authority. Major vehicle rental companies are located at the airports.

Although Panama City is modernizing its public transportation system, it is still common to see a form of public transportation consisting of colorfully painted buses, colloquially known as diablos rojos. A diablo rojo is usually painted with bright colors, usually depicting famous actors, politicians, or singers. It is popular for bus drivers to customize the interior and exterior of their diablo rojo.