Those who choose to walk face a gruelling two-day journey through remote forests – and risk robbery, rape and even death at the hands of armed robbers who prey on the men, women and children heading north.
"We wanted to minimise the risk of robberies and it's quicker with the customers when they pay by card," says Victoria Nilsson, who manages two of the bakery chain's 16 stores across the city.
To reduce the risk of robbery or theft, no transaction by law may exceed 10,000 rupees (about $212).
Merchants often object that night deliveries increase the risk of robbery, cause scheduling inconveniences and add night-differential pay to labor costs.
Besides the risk of robbery, there is the risk of embarrassment from (sometimes unwitting) association with mobsters, as when the Bank of New York was apparently used to launder Russian mafia money.
This has caused migrants to make lengthy detours, making journeys to ever more remote and perilous routes where they face a heightened risk of robbery, rape, abduction and death.
So at 2.35am we awaited a collectivo in the dark, while I recalled the advice of a girl we'd met earlier: 'Don't travel at night.' Apparently there's a higher risk of robbery, as the Central Highlands are (allegedly) bandit country.
For example, the risk of robbery and/or rape might make citizens choose against using outside areas at night.
A traditional NHST analysis would cite theories of social disorganization or disadvantage and place-based theories as possible explanations of mechanisms related to the risk of robbery.
That said, using valuable technology such as smartphones to collect data should also be considered when accounting for observer safety especially in areas where the risk of robbery is high.
