buses, or ônibus in portuguese, are one of the most affordable means of transportation in the city and state of rio de janeiro, with lines and connections servicing on a municipal, intermunicipal, interstate and international level.

buses run 24 hours a day, offering locals and visitors public transportation to different areas, typically speeding through special lanes - first-time visitors could be overwhelmed at first, with the variety of buses and connections, but the bus system in rio is well organized and easy to use once the basic structure of it is understood.  

within the major areas of the marvelous city, they can vary -  there are four consortia grouping of 43 bus companies that operate the thousands of buses serving the four areas called intersul, internorte, transcarioca, and santa cruz.