Did you that know at bus stations in Bolivia you usually can't reserve bus tickets in advance? Here in Bolivia there are dozens of bus companies. You can call in advance for pricing and route schedules, but you can't purchase over the phone or with a credit card. You can purchase in advance (on the same day) but not a day before.

Some bus companies are "internacionales" or "interdepartamentales". This means bus lines run international or national routes between Bolivia's 9 departments. Others are "regionales" which means their routes are all contained within a single department or region. Still others are called "provinciales" and connect cities to small towns or small towns to each other. Bus sizes vary too!

Because of these differences, there are major bus stations (also "internacionales" or "interdepartamentales") which are large and well-known. These are the ones most tourists use because the bus lines housed in these are the ones that go to most major tourist attractions in Bolivia. But there are also little impromptu bus stations that spring up on street corners in small towns and large cities alike and if you're one of those people who likes to travel on their own and not with an organized tour, you're best bet is to ask a taxi company or Bolivian travel agency about the latter because many are never advertised and only locals know about them. And before I even begin to comment on local or city buses, just read all about buses in Bolivia here.

International and interdepartmental
bus stations in major Bolivian cities

In Bolivia major international and interdepartmental stations are called terminals (terminales). Each department's capital city has at least one "terminal de buses". The number of smaller provincial, regional and departmental stations varies greatly between cities. Read more about the major cities of Bolivia here.