Advertisement
HomeBlogsRoutes Around the World: Bus Art Closeups from Panama City

Routes Around the World: Bus Art Closeups from Panama City

STN global correspondent Anson Stewart shows us how the buses of Panama City have become a rolling canvases.

The buses in Panama City are covered with captivating spray-painted and vinyl adhesive images, cartoons and photos ranging from mystic wizards to Shakira, lions to Tupac, and Darth Vader to Pinky and the Brain. This article from 2008 details the buses and the concerns about losing valuable public art as they are replaced and helped convinced me to make Panama one of my stops. Though it mentions a renowned artist from El Chorillo, the drivers I talked to also spoke highly of a number of bus artists in the Santa Librada neighborhood. To my eye, the Santa Librada buses were the most well-decorated.

“Suavivor” – suave survivor?

 

panama2

Well-decorated Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

panama3

Picking up passengers at Metromall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

panama4

Ward transit-style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

panama5

Original — What style!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

panama6

Battery compartment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

panama7

Fill it up well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

panama8

“Marvin the Martian”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STN’s Stewart is a graduate of Swarthmore College and a recipient of a 2010 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a grant to study abroad. Stewart’s project is “School Bus Migrations: Recycling Transit in the Global South.” Follow his blog and see more photos from his journey.

Advertisement

November 2024

Meet the 2024 Transportation Director of the Year, Craig Beaver, director of transportation at Beaverton School District in Oregon....
Advertisement

Buyer’s Guide 2024

Find the latest vehicle production data and budget reports, industry trends, and contact information for state, national and federal...
Advertisement

Poll

Does your state require school bus evacuation training for students with disabilities and special needs?
71 votes
VoteResults
Advertisement