R$2–3 gets you from REC T1 straight to RioMar
Linha 2040 Aeroporto RioMar runs from Recife/Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre International Airport T1 directly to the RioMar shopping mall and office towers, with a typical trip time of 20–40 minutes depending on bridge and riverfront traffic.
The 2040 is a regular city bus, not an airport coach, so you pay the standard Recife fare of about R$2–3 at the fare box or validator on board and ride the full airport–RioMar stretch without needing to change lines downtown.
Daytime headways sit around 20–30 minutes, but reviews note thinner service late evening after the mall closes, so for a 22:30 movie or a 23:00 arrival at REC you may wait longer than the daytime pattern suggests.
From Recife Airport T1 arrivals, walk to the curbside city bus stands in front of the terminal and look for signage showing “2040 Aeroporto/RioMar”; locals working at RioMar use this line to reach early shifts that start before the mall’s official opening time.
Traffic is the swing factor: in light conditions the ride can hit RioMar in about 20 minutes, but Google reviewers regularly mention trips stretching toward 40 minutes when the bridges and access roads near the mall clog up in the late afternoon.
Common complaint: bunching. Riders report gaps of 30–40 minutes followed by two 2040 buses pulling in together, which defeats the planned 20–30 minute frequency and can leave you standing at the airport stop longer than the timetable implies.
Regulars say they avoid the 2040 toward RioMar during the late-afternoon rush around 17:00–19:00, instead connecting via another line or the metro and then using 2040 in the quieter direction back toward the airport when traffic flows better.
Safety basics: this is a public city route, so keep bags close and avoid flashing laptops or cameras; the crowd is mostly retail staff and office workers heading to or from RioMar during mall hours.
Tip: If your plane lands after about 21:00, check the real-world gap between 2040 buses at the stop; if you’ve already waited 20 minutes, call a rideshare and save the line for daylight runs when the schedule holds up better.