Rio Novo Bus Terminal

The Rodoviara Rio Novo is the main bus station of Rio de Janeiro hosting the majority of Rio’s incoming and outgoing long-distance buses. The terminal is located on Av. Francisco Bicalho - Sao Cristovao - which is about 2 km northwest of downtown (Centro). There is no need to know the address of the Novo Rio because everyone just knows it as the ‘rodoviaria’, and every taxi driver knows how to get to the 'rodoviaria'.

The terminal has restaurants and snack outlets, an information booth, police station, and bathrooms which you will need to pay to use. 

Book your bus from Novo Rio now!

Origin City = Rio de Janeiro - RJ (TODOS)

How to get to the Rio de Janeiro Bus Terminal 

The Novo Rio terminal is not in a good area of Rio, so it is not a good idea to explore the neighborhood around it, and once you arrive at the bus station, just go directly inside! The terminal itself is safe and you can get to the Rio de Janeiro terminal via one of the following transport modes featured below.

Uber from the Rio bus terminal

With today´s peer-to-peer ridesharing apps, transport to and from the bus terminal has never been easier than hailing a car from your phone. From the terminal, it is best to wait at the information desk near the entrance of the terminal.  You can wait inside the terminal and just walk out to the car loading bay when you see your car arriving. 

Other Apps which are good alternative to Uber are Cabify and Lyft.

Taxis to the Rio Bus Terminal 

There are also taxi Apps you can use to get to the Rio Novo Rio bus terminal such as 99app.com and easytaxi.com/br and they are a good way to see fares before you hail a taxi.  If you will be hailing a taxi from the street, then you can use the taxi fare calculator to get an idea of fares. Just remember that the driver might go a different way, so always count on it being a bit more expensive.

From the bus terminal always use the Taxi Stand located inside Novo Rio.  Here you will find 4 companies where you can book your taxi, paying in advance for your destination, and you will be escorted to your taxi by the driver. The companies servicing the terminal are:

Táxi Amarelo
Transcootur
Coopatur
Coopertramos

Local Transport to the Bus Terminal

If you are going to use local transport which is also pretty good in Rio de Janeiro, you should think about getting a RioCard, which you can reload and use during your stay in Rio for most of the local transport modes such as buses, light rail, and ferries.  Below you can read how to use local transport to the Rio Novo Terminal.

VTL Light Rail to the Novo Rio Terminal

Since the 2016 Rio Olympics, downtown Rio has a new safe light rail to get around the port areas of the city including the bus terminal. You can use this to get to downtown areas such as the Santos Dumont airport, or to Praca XV where you can take the ferry to Niterói. It is also good to take to places downtown where you can change to the Rio Metro (subway system) to get to areas such as Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.  


There is VTL station next to the terminal on Rua Equador, and it is well signed showing the direction of the terminal and vice versa. When you buy a ticket you can just get a single ticket and you can recharge it at any of the VTL stations, or inside the Novo Rio terminal, you can recharge it at the TIPO store if necessary.  The times of operation for the VTL is from 6 am to midnight.

How to get from Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon to the Rio bus terminal.

There is a website which allows you to check any bus route and fares from anywhere in Rio to the Rio bus station including the tourist neighborhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.  Click here to try it: http://www.vadeonibus.com.br

Add your starting point where it says Onde Voce Esta, and then add your destination street where it is written Onde Voce Quer Ir.  After clicking on the BUSCAR button you are given options for which buses you can take and if you select one the route will appear on the map and you will be given additional information such as how much the fare costs.

Use the same site if you are staying in the neighborhoods of Santa Teresa, Lapa, Gloria, Botafogo, etc.

As a quick reference their system recognizes the following places written like this: 

  • Terminal Rodoviario Novo Rio (Rodoviaria)

  • Aeroporto Internacional do Rio de Janeiro/Galeao (GIG)

  • Aeroporto Santos Dumont (SDU)

On Sundays and holidays, the buses may take alternative routes through Copacabana because Avenida Atlantica will be closed.

How to get from the Rio bus terminal to Barra da Tijuca.

You can take the 2018 - Aeroporto Internacional do RJ (AIRJ) - Alvorada bus in the direction of the Santos Dumont airport, the bus then carries on through the Southern Zones of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon on its way to the local terminal in Barra da Tijuca called Terminal Alvorada. 

Using the Rio Metro (Subway) system to get to the Rio Novo Terminal

You also have the possibility to take the Rio Subway system to and from the terminal, but this option doesn't take you all the way to the Novo Rio Terminal. The subway system in Rio is called the Metro and there is a shuttle that runs between the terminal and the ESTACIO underground Metro station.

You may wish to get a RIOCARD and take the metro to a downtown stop where you can change to the VTL Light Rail which can take you directly to the bus terminal. The stations where you can change between the Metro and the VTL light rail are:

  • Centro
  • Carioca
  • Cinelandia

The Metro Rio system is still rather small, with only 2 lines and 35 stations. The Metro is best to use when trying to access downtown areas from neighborhoods such as Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon because you literally travel under all of Rio´s traffic. It is considered a safe way to travel and has very clean and air-conditioned stations and subway cars. There are maps in English in the subway stations to help you navigate the system. In areas where the subway does not run, you can use the buses called “Metronibus” or “Metro na Superficie”. But, before you do so, you need to buy a special subway ticket. If you decide to take the subway, you should obtain a map and familiarize yourself with the different routes. For more information: www.metrorio.com.br

Working hours

Monday to Saturday: 5 am to midnight
Sunday and holidays: 7 am to 11 pm

Getting between the Rio Airports and the Novo Rio Bus Terminal

If you need to get from the bus terminal in Rio to the airport, it is important to remember that there are 2 airports in Rio. All international flights and many of the domestic flights depart from the Galeao (GIG), and other domestic flights also take off from the Santos Dumont Airport which is located on the bay downtown. The Rio Novo terminal is located between the GIG airport and the Santos Dumont airport.

How to get from the Rio Bus Terminal to the Rio International Galeao GIG airport (& vice versa)

You can take a bus from the outside of the bus terminal to get to the Rio international GIG airport. Exit via the terminal’s back entrance and cross the road to the bus stop on Rua Equador (street). The main bus to the airport is numbered 2018 - Aeroporto Internacional do RJ (AIRJ) - Alvorada, but before entering the bus ask if it is going the direction of Galeao (15 minutes) or Santos Dumont (20 minutes). Departures start from between 05:30 am until midnight and the frequency is every 20 minutes in either direction every day of the week. 

Buses you can take between the GIG airport and the Novo Rio bus terminal are:

2018 - Aeroporto Internacional do RJ (AIRJ) - Alvorada (22 minutes average)
2145 - RIOgaleão - Aeroporto Santos Dumont via Av. Pres. Vargas (24 minutes average)
2101 - Aeroporto Internacional do RJ (AIRJ) - Aeroporto Santos Dumont Expresso (20 minutes average) 

How to get from the Rio Bus Terminal to the Santos Dumont Airport

Your best bet is to use the VTL light rail as mentioned above because the Santos Dumont airport also has a VTL terminal.  You can also take any of the buses mentioned above from the Rio bus terminal to Santos Dumont airport. Just make sure they are going in the direction of Santos Dumont and not the GIG airport before you embark.

Direct transfers from nearby cities to the Novo Rio Terminal.

There are also transfers, both shared shuttles and private vehicles which you can book via BusBrazil.com!  There are three departures per day from Ilha Grande to Rio de Janeiro which will drop you off at the terminal.  From Buzios, Angra dos Reis and Paraty you can also get a transfer direct to the bus terminal.

Rio Novo Bus Terminal Rio de Janeiro

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terminal´s phone number?

+55 (21) 3213-180010

Is there luggage storage at the Rio Novo Terminal?

There are 2 locations with 24-hour bag & luggage storage within the terminal. Look for them at both the arrival area and departure area.

What are the terminal´s opening times?

Open 24 Hours

Can I exchange money at the terminal?

There is a money exchange agency at the bus terminal, though it only operated during normal business hours.

Does the terminal have cash machines (ATM)?

You will find a number of ATM cash machines at Novo Rio including banks such as 24 Horas, Itaú, Banco do Brasil, Banco Santander, and Caixa Economica.

Does the terminal have restaurants?

There is a food court, coffee shops, food kiosks, plus several shops. 

What is the Rio bus station address?

Francisco Bicalho, 1 - Santo Cristo
Rio de Janeiro - CEP: 20220-310

Is there an Information Desk at the terminal?

There is an information counter at the Rio Novo bus station.

WC

Do I need to pay to use the bathroom?

People under the age of 60 years need to pay.

Where can I go by bus from Rio de Janeiro?

You can travel to all corners of Brazil by bus from Rio de Janeiro.  Here are just a few destinations you can explore by bus from Rio de Janeiro.

Where is the Rio bus station located?

The terminal is located on the outskirts of Rio´s downtown area, between the Southern Zone beaches and the international airport. The area is not the best neighborhood, so look at the best ways to arrive there featured on this page. Below is a map of the Rio bus terminal location.


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