How should I behave during a bus robbery in South America?

Upon planning for a trip through Chile, Bolivia and Peru, I have encountered several personal accounts of (armed) robberies of overland buses between tourist destinations, especially in Bolivia and Peru.

Since long-distance buses are the most available kind of transportation there, many tourists probably end up taking such a bus.

How likely is it to be to be the victim in such a robbery (i.e. does this happen once a year or is this a more regular occurrence)?
What planning can I do beforehand to reduce the risk of getting into such a situation in the first place?
If I do find myself in this situation, how should I behave?

Best Answer

This is not quite easy to answer canonically.

I've lived in Brazil for the last five years and have seen much of the continent, traveling quite a bit by long distance bus.

I've never had an issue with long distance bus robberies, and have never spoken to anyone who's had. I am aware of robberies on local busses in Brazil, some occurrences of which you can find videos of on YouTube. So, I'd say it is very unlikely to be a victim of a bus robbery on a long distance bus.

If you do find yourself in a situation like this, be cool, cooperate, don't highlight your being a foreigner.

To mitigate potential consequences, keep your valuables in several locations. Perhaps some on your body, some in your hand luggage, some in the luggage in the belly of the bus. This allows you to hand over something to the robber, with possibly not handing over everything.