On Monday a problem arose with buses in El Salvador. In and around the city of San Salvador some gangs are trying to extort money from the route buses for "protection".
One bus was held up Monday and after the passengers got off, the bus was burned with a warning that this was not the end of the problem.

On Tuesday some buses refused to run their routes (actually the drivers/owners refused). Today, many are running and some are not. The government has put thousands of military police out to correct the problem, and it is believed the buses will begin again.

The bus we had arranged for our airport pickup on Friday is NOT a route bus, and those are not targeted. However, we arranged for two armed Tourism Police to ride with the bus round trip as a precaution. The driver will also avoid the areas most likely to be problematic.

Again, we request prayers for our safety and security and success. Ralph