Easiest way from CR border to SJDS or Rivas?

We'll be coming likely from Liberia in Costa Rica and heading up into Nicaragua. As I understand it the cheap buses in CR will take you to the border and then drop you off, where you have to walk across. Once in Nicaragua, what are the options to get to SJDS or Rivas? I don't think there are buses that go directly to SJDS...is that correct? If that is true, can you catch a cheap bus from the border to Rivas (I know you can get a bus from Rivas to SJDS)? How much would a taxi cost from the border to SJDS? I read in the lonely planet book that it would cost around $10 to get from Rivas to the CR border...does that seem accurate? If so, how does this compare to the fare from the border to SJDS? Thanks in advance for the info, just looking for a relatively quick/hassle free way to get from the border to SJDS without spending too much money (more than $15 or so probably).
-Robert

Your option once on the Nica side of the border are a bus to Rivas, or a taxi hire. A taxi to Rivas would be about $15 I guess, hard to tell with petro prices these days, or hire the taxi all the way to SJDS, for about $22 I guess...Or take a bus once in Rivas to SJDS.

Getting around Nica via taxi hires is not expensive and darn easy, and much faster.

But attempting this after 2pm is more challenging. Cross the border as early in the morning as you can, and if its the week of Semana Santa (Easter) forget about it from March 17th to March 24th, as 300,000 Migrant farm workers head home for the free holiday weekend, and then back to CR for work

I just did this 2 days ago:

In Liberia, you go to the Liberia bus station, not the Pulmitan one. But you take the 'Pulmitan' (on the side, it will say that) bus to the border. It's the 3rd bus in and will say Penas Blanca on the front. The current cost is 800 colones. The bus will drop you right off at the border. Hustle your way with your stuff to get in line or you'll be waiting longer. Once you get your CR exit stamp, you can walk straight on to Nicaragua.

It's a little shady there on the Nica side, as people will try to get you to pay extra to skip ahead of everyone else and try to make you pay for the immigration paper. The actual cost is $7USD to get into Nica and another $1 to enter the gate of Sapoa. Try to get your 'papel' from immigration while you're standing in line. Otherwise, you'll have to wait while you're filling it out.

Once you've exited the gate to Sapoa, there will be 2 school buses there (1 for Rivas and 1 for Managua) and a fleet of taxis. The fare to Rivas is 15 cordobas. You can asked to be dropped short of Rivas and catch the southward bus to SJDS, but I declined. It's hot with little shade. It's not that far of a ride in the first place.

The price to SJDS should also be 15, but there's another nicer bus which charges 20 cords.

The taxi drivers will try to charge you all kinds of crazy fares. Make up in your own mind what you're willing to pay. I ended up taking a taxi from Rivas to the border and the guy took 30 cordobas. He was leaving with or without me and I didn't care bc I don't mind taking the bus.

Have fun, I did!