R$ 4,30 gets you straight from Bananal to downtown Candelária
The 328 municipal bus runs Bananal–Candelária via RIOgaleão, so you get a single-seat ride from Ilha do Governador through the airport into Rio’s Centro for just R$ 4,30. It mainly serves local workers but works well if you care more about price than speed and want to skip the BRT + Metro transfer dance.
This is a standard city bus, not an airport coach, and it passes both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 on its Bananal–Candelária route. You pay the R$ 4,30 fare on board in cash (reais) or with a Rio transit card; no luggage surcharge, just whatever you can manage to carry through the front door.
Service patterns on the 328 follow typical weekday commuting hours, with more departures in the morning and late afternoon between Bananal and Candelária. Late-night frequencies thin out, so after about 22:00 you’re better off checking a live transit app than gambling on a long wait at Terminal 2’s curb with a suitcase.
Compared to the RIOgaleão BRT, the 328 wins on simplicity: one vehicle from the Ilha do Governador/Bananal area, through the airport, straight into downtown streets around Candelária. You skip a station transfer at Fundão or Vicente de Carvalho, but you do trade that for slower progress in Centro traffic on Avenida Presidente Vargas at rush hour.
Stops at the airport sit on the public access roads outside Terminals 1 and 2, so you walk out of arrivals, follow signs for “Ônibus Urbano,” and watch for a bus marked "328 Bananal" or "328 Candelária" depending on direction. If you’re unsure, ask the driver “Candelária?” or “Bananal?” before tapping or handing over your R$ 4,30.
Seats and luggage space on the 328 match any other Rio municipal bus, so a 23 kg checked bag plus a backpack is fine, but three giant roller bags at 18:00 on a weekday from Candelária back to GIG will feel cramped. For early flights from GIG to domestic cities, locals heading from Bananal often take the first 328 of the morning and arrive at Terminal 2 around 05:30–06:00.
One simple tip: if you land in Terminal 2 and want the 328 toward downtown Candelária, walk to the curbside bus stop, wait for a "Candelária" sign on the front, and sit closer to the front door so you can keep your bags in sight while people hop on and off between GIG and Centro.