If you want to catch a bus or a van make sure you signal or wave them down. Make sure you REALLY get the bus drivers attention because they won't always stop
Buses (Ônibus)...
Buses are the easiest way to get around the city in conjunction with vans. There are so many buses and during peak times there's probably a bus every 5 mins for the place you want to go.
You can view the Rio Ônibus website here but it is in Português. You can search a bus route by the number of the line (Numeró da linha); or from (de) where it originated and to (para) where it is headed; or simply look at all the lines (Todas as linhas) to find the one you want.
There are different types of buses. The most basic public buses costs R$2.20 and have no airconditioning. There are some airconditioned buses from around R$3.70+ and some are even direct routes. As always be aware of your surroundings and keep your wits about you when catching the buses. I've found them quite safe to catch and even caught them at 5am in the morning before, but that's not to say there hasn't been robberies and such on them before.
A typical public ônibus with line number and destination shown. Also shows fare price in the windshield (R$2.10).
Vans...
You can catch a van from almost anywhere in the city going to anywhere else. BE AWARE that the vans are registered which you can recognise by the PROPER signage and green/pink painted lines on the side. The vans will have a sign in front stating it's origin and destination and usually a person yelling out its destination from the side door. These guys/girls also collect your money and open/close the door for you.
I say be aware of which vans you catch because it has been known that unmarked white vans have picked up people before only to stop somewhere and rob them of their belongings. I've known this to happen to a friend of mine, at gunpoint; and even had a plain white van slowing down once to ask us if we wanted a ride when ALL the other normal vans just drove past.
Vans are probably one of the cheapest transport types starting from R$2.
Subway (Metrô)...
The metro here is pretty straight forward to use if you've caught trains before. The only minor problems you would probably have is finding the right exit/entry from the station you are at and where to catch a connecting lines. Because some "metrô" lines (like the Yellow line out to Barra) are actually an ônibus (buses) that you can catch from a particular station (estação). You can also pay to catch the metrô and a connecting public ônibus but you will have to state that when buying a ticket (bilhete/cartão).
You can view the Metrô Rio website here but it is in Português. Mapas e estações will show you the map and stations in Rio de Janeiro. Tickets for the Metrô start at around R$2.70+ and connecting tickets to ônibuses will be valid for about 2hrs after purchase.
Taxis...
Are pretty widely available, safe and reasonably priced. As always you could get ripped off by the driver if they know you're a tourist so it's good to learn a bit of português and know your destination before you go.
Some useful words when catching a cab or van:
Left - esquerda (ey-scare-da)
Right - direita (jeer-et-ah)
Here is ok - aqui ta bom (ah-kee ta bomb)
Stop - pare (par-ee .. or par-eh ... i can't remember which)
Buying a bike...
If you are staying longer term (3+ months) or want to buy a bike I recommend you DON'T buy a cheap one. I've had the experience of buying a cheap (R$250) bike and bits and pieces not working or falling off while I'm riding it. There are also places that give you the option of renting out a bike, although I'm not sure how that process works.
One of the back brakes on my bike fell off (twice), the wheels were a bit crooked and one of the pedals unscrewed itself off when I was riding it. However I took it to a bike shop to get the wheels changed/fixed, cost R$60 and felt A LOT smoother when riding it after. I feel they did a pretty good job and it wasn't a dodgy looking shop either so maybe that's another option too.
Travel Tips...
It's always good to ask where a bus or van is going. I've had the pleasure of catching the "wrong" onibus 3x in less than a few days. Because unbeknownst to me it was some different direct/rush hour route. You can ask if the bus/van passes a certain landmark near your stop.
By saying "passar (landmark)?" or
Are you going to go - você vai ir ___?
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