Vibrantly decorated transit vehicles known affectionately as 'chicken buses' are the primary mode of intercity public transportation across much of Central America, despite…

A closer look

Vibrantly decorated transit vehicles known affectionately as 'chicken buses' are the primary mode of intercity public transportation across much of Central America, despite starting their lives as extremely boring North American yellow school buses. Once an American school district deems a bus too old or mechanically sketchy to safely transport first graders, the lumbering diesel beasts are auctioned off, driven south across the border, and subjected to massive mechanical overhauls. Local drivers chop the roofs, upgrade the engines, and meticulously cover every square inch of the exterior in psychedelic murals, chrome accessories, and blinding LED lights to attract paying customers. The end result is an incredibly cheap, ridiculously fast, and utterly terrifying street racer that casually blasts reggaeton music while hurtling down treacherous mountain roads crammed with seventy humans and a literal flock of livestock!