Rio de Janeiro doesn’t have one transit system — it has six, run by different companies with different cards, and visitors who figure out which one to use for which trip get around the city cheaply and easily. The metro and light rail cover the tourist core (Copacabana, Ipanema, Centro), and BRT busways and commuter trains reach everywhere else.
The basics
MetrôRio runs the subway — three lines that cover the beach neighborhoods and downtown:
- Line 1 — Ipanema and Copacabana through downtown to Tijuca.
- Line 2 — downtown out to the North Zone and Pavuna, sharing track with Line 1 through the center.
- Line 4 — the newest line, running from Ipanema/Leblon to São Conrado and Barra da Tijuca.
The VLT Carioca is a separate light rail, with four lines looping through downtown, the revitalized Porto Maravilha waterfront, and — usefully for visitors — straight to Santos Dumont Airport. Out beyond downtown, BRT Rio runs four dedicated busway corridors (Transoeste, Transcarioca, Transolímpica, and Transbrasil) connecting the West and North Zones, Barra da Tijuca, and RIOgaleão airport. SuperVia commuter trains reach the wider metro area and Baixada Fluminense, regular municipal buses (many different private operators) fill in everywhere else, and Barcas Rio ferries cross Guanabara Bay to Niterói, Paquetá, and other islands.
How to pay
Two separate electronic cards cover the whole system, and which one you need depends on where you’re going:
- Jaé — the card (and app) for the city’s own transport: BRT, VLT, municipal buses, vans, and it’s also accepted at every MetrôRio turnstile. Get a physical card at self-service machines in BRT and VLT stations, or use the app to pay by QR code — open the app, generate a code, and tap it against the reader. This is the one card most visitors need.
- RioCard — needed for SuperVia trains, the ferries, and intermunicipal buses. All RioCard cards also work at MetrôRio stations.
- Contactless bank card or phone — MetrôRio turnstiles also take a tap from a Visa, Mastercard, or Elo card, or an NFC phone or watch — handy if you only plan to ride the subway.
- QR-code single ride — for a one-off metro trip without a card, buy a “Bilhete Unitário” QR code through the RecargaPay app.
Fares
| Mode | Fare |
|---|---|
| Metro (MetrôRio) | R$7,90 |
| Bus, BRT, or VLT | R$5,00 |
| SuperVia train | R$7,60 |
| Ferry — Niterói, Cocotá, or Paquetá | R$5,00 |
| Ferry — Charitas | R$7,70 |
Switching between the metro and a municipal mode costs a combined fare rather than two full fares: metro + city bus runs R$7,90–8,80, metro + BRT is R$9,70 (only at the Vicente de Carvalho and Jardim Oceânico stations), and metro + SuperVia train or + ferry is R$9,40, all via the Bilhete Único Carioca integration on your card. On the VLT itself, switching lines within an hour of your first tap costs nothing extra.
Getting from the airport
Rio has two airports, and which one you land at changes your options.
RIOgaleão (GIG) is the international gateway, out on Governador Island. There’s no direct metro or VLT line to it — your options:
- BRT Transcarioca “Parador” — two separate lines reach the airport: line 38 (Terminal Alvorada in Barra da Tijuca ↔ RIOgaleão) and line 42 (Madureira ↔ RIOgaleão) — R$5,00, running daily from 4am to midnight. Both stop at Vicente de Carvalho station, where you can transfer to MetrôRio Line 2.
- Metro via BRT transfer — combine the BRT with MetrôRio at Vicente de Carvalho or Jardim Oceânico for a combined R$9,70 fare.
- Express bus to downtown — a direct service to Terminal Gentileza, next to the Novo Rio bus station, for R$15,00.
No official source gives a travel time for any of these, so budget extra time, especially in traffic — a taxi or rideshare is the faster (if pricier) option most visitors end up using instead.
Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) is the domestic airport, right downtown on the bay — and it’s the far easier one to reach by rail. The VLT stops directly at the terminal: Line 1 runs Santos Dumont ↔ Terminal Gentileza, and Line 3 runs Santos Dumont ↔ Central, both for the standard R$5,00 VLT fare.
Apps to download
- Jaé — the official app for the card that covers BRT, VLT, buses, and the metro; also lets you pay by QR code without a physical card.
- RioCard Mais — for managing a RioCard, needed for SuperVia trains and the ferries.
- Moovit — a local favorite for real-time bus, BRT, and train directions.
- Google Maps — solid for trip planning with decent live transit data.
When it runs
- MetrôRio: Monday–Saturday 5am–midnight; Sundays and holidays 7am–11pm.
- VLT: every day, 5am–11pm.
- BRT: every day, 4am–midnight.
- Ferries (Niterói line): weekdays from around 5:40am to 11:30pm at 15–20 minute intervals; Saturdays every 30 minutes from 5:30am; Sundays and holidays hourly from 5:30am, all running until about 11:30pm–midnight.
Accessibility
MetrôRio has ramps, elevators, or vertical platform lifts at most Zona Sul stations (Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Barra da Tijuca) and a good share of the rest of the network, plus tactile paths, Braille station maps, and marked wheelchair boarding spots on every platform of Lines 1, 2, and 4. The VLT goes further — every single stop is level with the train floor, with ramps, tactile paths, Braille-labeled handrails, a dedicated wheelchair space on board, and staff trained by the city’s disability agency to help with boarding. Riders with disabilities (and a companion) ride the VLT free, as do riders 65 and over.
Etiquette & local quirks
- Women-only train cars run on the metro all day, every day — look for the car marked in pink (by law, second car from the front toward Zona Sul, second from the back toward Tijuca/Pavuna).
- Bikes ride differently depending on the mode. Folding bikes are always welcome on MetrôRio; full-size bikes only after 9pm on weekdays or anytime on weekends. The VLT doesn’t allow bikes on board at all.
- On the VLT, watch for the green button — trains don’t have automatic doors, you have to press it yourself to get on or off.
- Rush hour, roughly 7–9am and 5–7pm, packs the metro and BRT hard. Keep bags zipped and in front of you.
Good to know
- Two airports serve the city: RIOgaleão (GIG) for international and most domestic flights, and the smaller, more central Santos Dumont (SDU) — mostly the Rio–São Paulo shuttle and other short domestic hops — which the VLT reaches directly.
- Fare evasion has a real cost. Riding the VLT without a valid tap risks a R$170 fine.
- The old-fashioned yellow Santa Teresa tram, clattering over the Arcos da Lapa viaduct to the hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa, is a separate system from the rest of city transit — it’s a R$20 round trip (with same-day reboarding), not covered by Jaé or RioCard, and a genuinely nice ride rather than just a commute.