Getting Around Santiago:A Transport Guide

The Metro de Santiago is an easy and efficient way to explore the city at a reasonable price. The metro has a north-south line running from the Central Market downtown to Lo Ovalle, and an east-west line connecting the Pajaritos station in the west to Escuela Militar station at the east end of the city. MetroBuses serve the Metro stations to act as an extension to the rail system. Competing private companies run Santiago's many city buses, drivers working on a commission basis dependant on collecting as many fares as possible. Buses tend to race each other chaotically through the city's main streets and can be a dangerous option. Taxis can be hailed on any street corner, or radio taxis can be called to the door. Taxis are relatively inexpensive. Driving in Santiago is not recommended due to heavy congestion and limited parking.

Rail
Trains operated by Chile's national railway, Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado, connect Santiago to Temuco, in the central-southern part of the country. All such trains arrive and depart from the Estación Central ("Central Station").

Buses
Bus companies(TranSantiago) provide passenger transportation from Santiago to most areas of the country, while some also provide parcel-shipping and delivery services. For Uses it service you need a SmartCard (Tarjeta Bip) can you buy it on "Centros de Recarga Bip" , cost around of 1000 Chilean Pesos ( 2 USD)

Transantiago is the name for the city's public transport system. It was introduced on February 10, 2007, replacing the previous chaotic system run by thousands of independent bus operators. The system works by combining local bus lines, main bus lines and the metro network. It includes an integrated fare system, which allows passengers to make bus-to-bus or bus-to-metro transfers for the price of one ticket, using a single contactless smartcard but in stead of helping, the new sistem has proven to be chaotic and uncapable of fulfilling the population needs wich has caused several riots and public manifestations of outrage by the citizens and turmoil trough the entire govermment.