bus

It has been branded ‘brutal’ and ‘absolute hell’

The world’s longest bus journey spans 4,000 miles and has racked up a negative reputation. It takes over 100 hours to travel the route, which is roughly six days.

The journey connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans as it goes from Lima in Peru to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It is made possible thanks to the Trans-Oceanic Highway.

The legendary Transoceánica holds the title of being the longest regularly scheduled, direct commercial bus route in the world.

It runs weekly by the Brazilian bus company and passes through coastal cities, savannas, wetlands, rainforests and the Andes Mountains.

The bus departs on Thursdays at 1pm and promises to be a ride passengers won’t forget. There are 44 regular seats and 12 sleeping berths on board. There’s also a toilet, small sink, water dispenser and Wi-Fi.

However, there are no showers on board. To be able to wash, passengers use facilities during the three scheduled stops per day at roadside stations.

The bus is driven by two alternating drivers, with one resting in a sleeping cabin while the other drives. According to Check My Bus, the ticket price is approximately R$1,300, which is around £186.

From the bus, passengers are able to see world-famous sites including the Amazon Basin, Andes Mountains, Christ the Redeemer and Machu Picchu.

Starting in Rio de Janeiro, the bus makes its way through São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Acre, until it reaches the border with Peru.

It then goes through the Peruvian Amazon, crosses the Andes and takes the Transoceanic Highway to Lima, the capital of Peru.

Despite the stunning scenery, some passengers have found the journey very tricky.

YouTuber Noel Phillips travelled the route and branded it “gruelling” and “absolute hell”. He said that on the bus, personal space was a non-existent concept.

In a video documenting the trip, Noel said: “Nobody has [headphones]; everyone just plays everything on full blast. And when they can’t hear it above everybody else’s, they just turn theirs up so in the end you just have 15 phones playing different things at 55,000 decibels.”

Noel admitted that by the time he reached Brazil, the journey felt repetitive. He faced a number of delays on his journey as well as a lack of heating on the bus.

March 11 (UPI) — At least six people were confirmed killed and several were injured after a fire tore through a bus in a town in western Switzerland.

At least three people were taken to a hospital after the incident, which took place at around 6.25 p.m. on Tuesday in Kerzers, around 12 miles west of Bern, police said.

An investigation into the cause was underway, including looking into reports the blaze was started by a passenger dousing himself in gasoline and setting himself on fire, although police and authorities in the canton of Fribourg said they did not believe it was an attack or terrorism.

“At the moment, no element highlights” a terrorist act, Fribourg Police communications head Martial Pugin told Swiss breakfast radio on Wednesday.

Pugin’s comments were echoed by Fribourg State Security and Justice Councillor Romain Collaud who also ruled out a technical fault with the bus, which was operated by PostBus Switzerland.

“It was a diesel bus, not an electric one. A bus catching fire like that surprises everyone. We’re still somewhat in shock. I think it’s important to reassure the public. The public is safe. The investigations and inquiries are ongoing,” Collaud said.

However, he warned that the process of identifying those killed could take several days.

PostAuto, of which PostBus is a subsidiary, said in a social media post that it was deeply saddened by the incident, saying it was a “terrible tragedy,” and vowing to do everything possible to aid in the police investigation.

“All the employees of PostAuto and the post office are shocked and affected like I am,” said CEO Stefan Regli.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire group management, I express our deep condolences to all of them. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. The Fribourg Cantonal Police, under the direction of the Fribourg prosecutor, is responsible for the investigation of the fire. PostAuto is in close contact with the authorities and is doing everything in its power to solve this terrible incident.”

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said it pained and upset him that fire had claimed the lives of yet more people in Switzerland.

“It distresses and saddens me that once again people in Switzerland have lost their lives in a severe fire. The circumstances are being investigated. To the relatives of the deceased from Kerzers, I extend my condolences. And I think of the injured and the rescue workers,” he wrote on X.

Tuesday’s incident comes less than six weeks after 41 people were killed in a blaze that broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day at a bar in the Swiss ski resort town of Crans Montana.

Protesters blocked a bus carrying Iran’s women’s football team outside a hotel in Australia after five players slipped away to seek asylum duing the Women’s Asian Cup. They say the remaining players could face danger if forced to return to Iran after staying silent during the national anthem.