Buses of all types are used extensively in Central America. Everything from small vans to school buses and even modern buses. Taxis in Panama are shared and the taxi drivers are restricted to charging what the bus would cost someone. They are all “yellow” cabs, either compacts or crew cab trucks.
The local buses don’t run on a schedule because they wait to get filled before they head out on the route. Sometimes you pay when you get on, mostly you pay when you get to your stop.
Bus stops can be anything. Some are well constructed with seats and roofs, others are barely anything and may also function as a produce stand at times. As we drove to Bocas Del Toro we saw quite a variety and I took some pictures.
Bikes are also used a lot in various areas and even modified bicycles are used for commerce.