Transport

Uber in Bogota: the big debate!

January 11, 2018 // 15 Comments

Updated February 2020: In January 2020, Uber announced that it was pulling out of Colombia entirely due to ongoing legal battles. HOWEVER, in February 2020 (just a month later), Uber returned! They finally found a legal loophole. Basically, the service operates in exactly the same way it always has, with the same application – they’re just changing the [more]

10 tips for taking a taxi in Bogota

December 1, 2014 // 44 Comments

Taking a taxi in Bogota can be a bit of an ‘adventure’ to say the least; an un-seatbelted adventure which can leave you silently praying for your life, as most taxis do not have functioning seat-belts for the back seats. If you’re taking a taxi in Bogota, keep in mind the following tips, which include common scams and typical taxi driver behaviour: 1. Always [more]

Where to buy a bicycle in Bogota

November 26, 2014 // 7 Comments

Bogota is famous around the world for its cycling culture, largely thanks to the many cycle paths in the city and the ciclovía which leaves the main roads free for cyclists, skaters and walkers on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Therefore, if you’ll be staying in Bogota for a while, the chances are you will want to buy a bike at some point. But where to buy a [more]

Cost of Living in Bogota

November 17, 2014 // 9 Comments

This post was updated in July 2016. Due to fluctuating exchange rates, I have changed the amounts to reflect the current cost of living in Bogota in Colombian pesos. Please note that these figures are based on living in an estrato 4 building, and will increase significantly for estratos 5 and 6. For more information on estratos, have a look at my post on Where to [more]

Gender equality in Bogota: double standards?

November 9, 2014 // 0 Comments

The other day, I was on the TransMilenio bus going down the séptima (7th Avenue) on my way to the Museum of Modern Art on my day off, when something happened which got me thinking about gender equality in Bogota, and in Colombia generally. A common scene on the TransMilenio bus The bus was full, as usual, so I was standing. To give you some context, in Bogota, [more]

The Bogota Transmilenio bus system: problems and solutions

October 29, 2014 // 0 Comments

It’s rush-hour. I’m on a Transmilenio bus and it’s busy. People are standing elbow to elbow and as usual the driver is driving like a maniac over pot-holes and cracks in the road; the standing passengers are swung from side to side, trying to grab onto anything they can as they fight to keep their balance; the seated passengers hold on tightly to [more]

10 Smartphone apps I couldn’t live without in Bogota

October 27, 2014 // 5 Comments

When people move to a new country, they’ll often buy a cheap phone with a local SIM card to use while they’re there. This is fine if you’re just visiting for a short time, but if you’re in Colombia for the long-haul, a smartphone will be a really useful tool. Here are the (Android) smartphone apps that I use regularly, which I really [more]

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