Buying bus tickets ahead of time at Mepe in San José

Also does anyone know if there is a way to buy a bus ticket online from Mepe?

We have taken that bus and we just showed up 30 minutes before the bus left. There is a bus every 2 hours so if the 8 am bus would be full you can take the 10 am one. You can't buy tickets online. What you can do is call the Mepe terminal in San Jose to reserve tickets, without paying. But you still have to go buy them at the terminal at least 30 minutes before departure. Reserving tickets is in Spanish only. If that is a problem you could ask your hotel to do it for you. I believe the Mepe ticket window will be open till 6 pm. That is when the last bus leaves.
More info here (keep scrolling down for Mepe phone number):
https://www.puertoviejosatellite.com/bus-to-puerto-viejo.php

Arriving at 3:15 at SJO you're not going to get to the Mepe bus terminal before it closes, I don't think so. I think the last bus departs at 4 and they shut the thing down. I remember last year trying to buy a bus ticket there the day before in the late afternoon, and it was closed up tight. And there's no way to buy online that I know of. You don't need to worry. Almost everyone buys their bus tickets at that terminal 1/2 hour to an hour before the bus leaves.

Thanks both of you for the help. I will be at Hotel Aranjuez for my first night. Don't know if you have been there but they have the best breakfast in the world but it doesn't start until 7. Guess I'll eat fast and get a taxi to the terminal at 715. I will reserve the ticket ahead of time so I know I have one.. Don't want to wait until 10 if they sell out. Do know if I can reserve the ticket a couple of days ahead of time?

I may just go from the airport to the hotel and then go back to the Mepe terminal at 530 pm and buy them then. I just want to know for sure we can get on the next morning bus at 8 and I don't think I could get to the terminal by 730 am.. Seems like by what mstep says they shut the terminal down after each bus goes. There is a bus at 6 pm so I am guessing that they open it up by 530. Thanks. I have options now.

The last Mepe bus to Cahuita and Puerto Viejo is now indeed at 6 pm. So yes, either go the evening before or call to reserve tickets (I believe you can call a few days in advance but it is not necessary... the day before should be fine) and pick them up (pay for them) by 7:30 am.

Thanks so much. Do they keep the ticket counter open between bus runs or do I need to time it so I pick them up 30 minutes before a bus run? Also in case anyone else has this question, you can email them in Spanish to get the reservation. This is easier for me than talking in Spanish.

I assume they keep the ticket counter open (we took a bus with another company from the same terminal as well and that counter stayed open between bus runs). From the link I provided above (which always seems to give accurate and up to date information):
For buses from San Jose to Puerto Viejo or Cahuita, other than the 6 a.m. departure, you can call the Transportes Mepe office in San José to reserve a ticket the day before or the day of but note they will generally only speak Spanish. No credit card number or deposit is required but you must show up at the ticket office at least 30 minutes prior to departure to pay for and collect your reserved ticket.

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