Tourist buses attacked in Buenos Aires
8th July 2011
Buenos Aires’ official hop-on, hop-off tourist bus service, which makes a three-hour circuit of the city’s main tourist sights every 20 minutes, has become the target for delinquents throwing bags of rubbish, rotten eggs and even stones.
The most serious problems occur when the bus is passing through La Boca, a working-class district in the south of the city well known for its tango dancers and brightly painted houses.
Last November the route was changed to avoid a particularly violent street after a nine-year-old girl from the city of Córdoba was seriously injured when a stone hit her in the face. The most serious incidents are logged with the police, but they appear powerless to stop the problem.
“Mainly the troublemakers are kids who are just bored,” said one bus driver who did not give his name. “But the attacks scare the tourists.”