Our readers already know that São Paulo’s longest bus line travels an incredible 80 kilometers without leaving the capital. But that’s not the only São Paulo record that drives busologists crazy: the city also has the second largest bus station in the world.
With 120,000 square meters, the Tietê Bus Terminal occupies an area equivalent to 17 soccer pitches and is the largest in Latin America, second only to New York’s terminal in global terms. The station serves around a thousand destinations and receives an average of 70,000 people a day, more than the population of 83% of the municipalities in the state of São Paulo. Impressive, isn’t it?
The super numbers at the Tietê Bus Station
The Tietê Bus Station was inaugurated in 1982 with the aim of relieving the old Terminal da Luz. Its location on the banks of the Marginal Tietê was strategic, as it facilitated bus access without congesting downtown traffic.
In a short time, the Terminal da Luz was shut down and journeys migrated to the Tietê, which began to receive a large number of passengers. On Christmas Eve 1986, for example, 110,000 people boarded more than 2,000 buses – a record that still stands today.
Currently, the bus station has 89 boarding and disembarking platforms, where 60 companies operate more than 300 lines. Around 3,000 buses pass through daily, taking passengers to destinations within the state, throughout Brazil and even internationally.
The second largest bus station in the world offers trips abroad
One of the most curious lines that passes through the Tietê Bus Terminal is the Trans Acreana – which, despite its name, goes far beyond Acre. Known as the longest bus line in the world, it connects Rio de Janeiro to Lima, Peru, and stops for boarding and disembarking in São Paulo.
In addition, the largest bus station in Latin America offers trips to four other neighboring countries: Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. In other words, as well as destinations to the four corners of Brazil, the Tietê Bus Station is also an excellent starting point for exploring South America.
