Bus Travel in Mexico

Mexico’s national bus network is professionally-run and offers an affordable means to travel across Mexico

This complete guide introduces you to Mexico’s bus network and its features and services, and also shows you how to travel efficiently by bus, using the highly developed, nation-wide network of bus routes in Mexico.

About bus travel in Mexico

Traveling by bus across Mexico can be quite a pleasant experience, exceeding many people’s initial expectations.

Since the early 1990s, Mexico has invested billions of dollars in new roads, including high-speed toll-roads which connect all of Mexico’s major towns and cities.

In parallel with Mexico’s investment in its road network, Mexico’s bus companies invested heavily to create an extensive network of bus routes, offering passengers the opportunity to traverse the entire country by bus.

Although there are several classes of bus service in Mexico, the most popular among tourists and those interested in traveling comfortably are first and executive class which transport customers in comfort and safety, on high-specification, quiet, modern air-conditioned buses. These buses only travel on the toll-roads (where possible), and only make intermediate stops on very long journeys, thus making the trip fast and efficient.

The bus companies which operate these first and executive class services are professional and the staff are immaculately dressed in uniform and courteous. The first class services run generally on time.

Different companies operate different routes (usually by region), although competition does exist and therefore prices are kept competitive.

If you have concerns about the comfort levels of bus travel, ride a first class or executive bus in Mexico. 4-6 hours is the optimal comfort travel time for these luxury buses; if your destination is further away than this and you enjoy creature comforts, consider flying across Mexico instead.

Mexico doesn’t have a national bus company, but there do exist several regional companies and one large bus company group. Together they provide extensive bus routes that cover every main town and city in Mexico.

Online agencies offer booking systems that search across bus companies and offer fares and online booking services.  See the section titled Bus Companies and Booking Seats in this guide for details.

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Bus stations in Mexico

Bus stations in Mexico City

Mexico City has four main bus stations, located at the four cardinal “compass points”—North, South, East and West.

Depending upon where you are going in Mexico, you will need to travel from the appropriate bus terminal. The Mexico Bus Routes Table indicates which station you need.

Bus stations in Mexico City are located in, or adjacent to, less than desirable neighborhoods. However, the bus terminal complexes are secure with local security guards policing the area; you just need to look out for possible pick-pockets and bag-snatchers (as in most stations, airports, etc.). See the section about Bus Travel Safety, below, for more details and safety tips.

Getting to and from bus stations

When you are departing from Mexico City, it is best to get to the bus stations using secure taxis or App Cabs. If you are traveling very light and know the city, you may take a bus, micro-bus or the metro to the bus station, but for most travelers with luggage and/or valuables, a taxi is the best and safest way to get to and from the bus terminals, especially in Mexico City.

When you are arriving in Mexico City, use the secure taxis available from the bus stations.  Never take a cab from the streets adjacent to bus stations and don’t accept rides from people offering taxi services: go to the secure taxi kiosks clearly marked inside the bus terminal building.  Alternatively, you can use App Cab services from bus stations—the app (e.g. Uber, Didi) will guide you about where to meet your ride.

In Mexico’s provincial towns and cities, you may take a local bus or micro-bus (sometimes called a pesero) to and from the bus station, although taxis or App Cabs are best if you have luggage and/or valuable equipment (cameras, laptops, etc.) as they are not expensive and provide an efficient mode of transport to your hotel, or house.

Using authorized Taxis and App Cabs from bus stations

All of Mexico’s City’s bus terminals operate “Authorized Taxis” in the same way that the airport does. Fares are fixed, based on what ‘zone’ you are traveling to. Go to the Authorized Taxi booth (Taxi Autorizado) and purchase your ticket.

In the provinces, some towns and cities operate “authorized” taxis; look inside the terminal for the Taxi Autorizado booth. If not, taxis will be lining up outside of the terminal building waiting for passengers.

Alternatively, you can use App Cab services from bus stations—the app (e.g. Uber, Didi) will guide you about where to meet your ride.

Bus stations outside of Mexico City

Bus Stations outside of the capital vary. Some are more modern than others. However, most bus stations are older buildings, situated in the middle of town (which can be very convenient) and offer varying degrees of services and amenities. Bus stations are generally regarded as safe in Mexico City and in the provinces; with the caveat to keep an eye on your pockets and belongings at all times.

Facilities at Bus Stations in Mexico

The layout of Mexico’s bus stations is pretty standard whichever one you walk into. As you walk-in, you will find rows of counters split up into different sections. Above the counter is a sign advertising the bus company, on the walk behind the counter you will see a table with a list of the destinations that company operates, the class of service, and service times in 24-hour time format (referred to by some as ‘military time’). Buses on the popular routes run all day and all night, seven days a week. Some buses have the schedules posted above the counter, alongside the company’s advertising boards.

Toilets at bus stations

All bus stations have public toilets (restrooms) and charge small fee for entry— you will need coins. The toilets are not the most attractive you’ll see, but they are kept generally clean and tidy.

Other amenities

Bus stations have small coffee shops as well as locally-run convenience stores selling a variety of foods, confectionery and tobacco. The foods on offer may not be very appetizing, so you may want to bring a pack lunch or simply buy pre-packaged foods from the convenience stores. Many bus stations also have stands selling magazines and newspapers, mostly Spanish-language media and publications. In some of the more tourist-focused cities, you’ll also find stores selling curios, souvenirs and other travel keep-sakes.

WiFi at Bus Stations

Many bus stations offer some free WiFi that can be helpful if you have a smartphone and want to save on your data allowance. Bus stations in Mexico don’t really provide an ideal environment for working on a laptop computer, except perhaps in the executive lounges available at some stations and which you can wait inside if you are traveling on an executive service bus. Some first executive-class buses now offer WiFi on board, although service reliability varies and is subject to availability of cellular data en-route.

Executive-class waiting lounges

Some bus stations have rooms which are reserved exclusively for travelers holding tickets to ride the executive class of bus service offered by some companies in Mexico. The lounges are a little quieter than the main bus station, although most feature a television which is on and turned up most of the time. Although they are more comfortable than the general bus station area, the executive lounges cannot be likened to executive airline lounges offered at airports.

ATMs at Bus Stations

Most bus stations offer ATM services, provided by one or more of Mexico’s major banks, e.g. Banamex, BBVA, HSBC, etc. Money exchange services are not as common at bus stations as they are at airports.

See Also: Bus Stations Versus Airports

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Buses to and from Mexico City

Mexico City is the principal “hub” for bus routes in Mexico. Its four main bus stations serve routes to destinations all over Mexico.

Check the Mexico Bus Routes Table for details about which bus companies travel to which destinations and from which terminal in Mexico City.

Regional bus routes

If you are not in Mexico City, then you will find the intercity bus routes in Mexico are regionalized. Bigger cities (or major tourist centers) usually act as regional “hubs” from where buses depart and arrive. The regional hubs also serve as connecting points between smaller cities and small towns.

Mexico has more than 200 different bus companies operating from over 150 bus stations nation-wide. You can find links to the major bus company web sites in Mexico on this guide (see below) as well to online bus booking agencies that can help you find and book a bus on the route you’re seeking to travel.

The principal “Regions” and the region’s “Hub cities” are:

Pacific North-West: The hub cities are Mazatlán and Los Mochis. Buses from here serve destinations along the northern reaches of Mexico’s Pacific Coast and also east to the colonial (inland) city of Chihuahua.

Central Western Region: Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, is the regional bus hub for all routes in the western areas of Mexico, including Toluca, Morelia, Pátzcuaro as well as the north-western colonial cities of Aguascalientes and León. Guadalajara is also a hub for bus routes to the central Pacific Coast including Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo.

Southern Central: Oaxaca City, Tuxtla Gutiérrez and San Cristóbal de las Casas are the three principal ‘hub’ cities in the south of Mexico. They serve routes between each other and also to other important locations in the southern regions including the popular Pacific coastal resorts of Huatulco and Puerto Escondido.

Yucatán Region: In the Yucatán Peninsula, the colonial cities of Mérida and Valladolid, and the resort city of Cancún are the principal ‘hubs’ for bus routes in the region. Frequent connections run between these cities and, from them, you can get to most principal towns surrounding them.

Southern Gulf Coast: Campeche, Villahermosa and Tabasco are the principal cities in the region and also the main bus ‘hub’ and connecting points for towns and cities in this region of Mexico. Buses from here also connect to Veracruz (north) and Mérida (southeast).

Central Gulf Coast: The port city of Veracruz and the capital city of the state of Veracruz —Xalapa— are the principal cities from where all buses serving this region arrive and depart. Buses from Veracruz also connect to the colonial city of Puebla and travel north to Matamoros—bordering the USA.

North, North-East: Chihuahua City and Monterrey (Mexico’s third largest city) are the principal ‘hubs’ for buses serving the northern region of Mexico, including buses to Mexico’s border cities. You can also get buses which travel to and from some principal US cities from Chihuahua and Monterrey.

The Southern Baja Peninsula: Buses are not as frequent or as extensively developed on the Baja Peninsula as they are on the mainland. The main bus company is called Aguila, which runs services between Los Cabos, La Paz, and Todos Santos, as well as routes to Loreto.

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Classes of bus service in Mexico

Not all routes offer a selection of class of service, especially on shorter journeys. Longer journeys almost always offer a first or executive class option; shorter distances (less than 30 miles) may only offer an equivalent of second-class, but are usually adequate for the journey time. Here are the three main classes of service and what they offer:

Executive class buses

These are luxurious buses and offer the latest in bus technology and comfort. Inside, the passenger cabin is closed off from the driver’s cockpit; windows are double-glazed, the cabin is air-conditioned and the suspension is excellent.

Toilets are provided on board, and seats have their own TV with a selection of films to watch during the journey. (Non-Spanish language films are usually dubbed into Spanish.)

Executive bus services offer wide, reclining seats and leg supports—achieved by configuring the seat arrangement to just twenty-four or twenty-five seats on board in a 2+1 seat arrangement.

See also: Executive class bus travel in Mexico

WiFi services on executive class buses

Executive Class bus services usually offer WiFi services on-board. Service quality varies and, depending on where you are geographically, internet signals may not be available at certain points en-route as many of Mexico’s highways traverse mountains and other remote areas where cellular data signals don’t reach.

See also: Internet Access on Mexico’s Buses

First class buses

First Class buses offer many of the services offered on the executive service such as air-conditioning, on-board toilet and entertainment (although they do not offer individual screens at each seat). The seat configuration will be less generous, meaning that there will be less room for stretching out / sleeping. Some first-class buses are double-decked.

Second class buses

Second class buses might (but usually don’t) offer air-conditioning on the routes they operate, but will be less comfortable than first and executive buses, so unless your budget is really tight, try to avoid these for long journeys.

Avoid second-class buses for overnight travel—see bus safety, below. Another disadvantage of second class buses is that they take longer to arrive at their destination because they tend to be indirect, and some make very frequent stops, sometimes in small towns and villages along the route. This can easily add several hours to your journey time.

How many stops?

Buses in Mexico may travel direct to their destination, they may stop every few minutes, or something in-between.

Generally, executive-class buses run non-stop to their destination, although some will make scheduled stops en route on longer journeys; first class buses may make an intermediary stop at a major town or city en route; second class buses may stop everywhere. Here is the terminology:

“Sin Escalas” or “Directo” – Nonstop to the destination. Note that Directo, may include one or two short scheduled stops at major towns or cities en route.

“Semi-Directo” – Will make a few stops on the way.

“Ordinario” – Will stop where passengers hail the bus from the street.

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Choosing between buses and airplanes

It might sometimes make sense to take a bus even when a flight option is available.

By way of an example, on the Mexico City to Acapulco route, the flying time is about 50 minutes, but you need to get to the airport at least one hour before the flight departs, and you need to get to the airport in Mexico City and then from the airport in Acapulco to your hotel; many hotels are closer to Acapulco town than to the airport.

The Acapulco airport is closer to the newly developed Diamante area of Acapulco than to the bay area. But if you are staying in the bay area, you will actually spend over three hours getting to Acapulco by airplane and then have to pay for an expensive cab ride from the airport to the center of Acapulco.

Executive-class buses to Acapulco, with wide seats (only 24 seats aboard) are available as an alternative to flying. The bus leaves from the south side of Mexico City and takes about five hours. It drops you right in the middle of Acapulco (there is also service to the Diamante area of Acapulco if your hotel is situated there), and you’ll save yourself a lot of money in taxi fares to and from the airport.

Another example would be taking a route from Mexico City to Puebla. Puebla has an airport, but a bus may be a better option for the same reasons as traveling to Acapulco by bus.

Bus stations are less attractive than airports, and it will be helpful if you speak some Spanish in order to undertake some bus travel in Mexico as the ground staff do not usually speak English.

See also: Bus Stations Versus Airports

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Making bus seat reservations in Mexico

Before the advent of internet bookings, you either needed to visit a travel agency or go to the bus station to buy your bus tickets in Mexico.

There are four ways that you can book a bus ticket in Mexico:

• Go to the bus station in advance or on the day of your journey and buy tickets in person. You can pay cash, or use a credit or debit card to pay.
• Book your seat in advance online using the bus company’s web site or smartphone app; however, note that most bus company booking systems only accept credit/debit card payments from bank cards issued in Mexico.
• Book your seat in advance using one of the bus company booking agencies—see the section below about these.
• Telephone the bus company and book over the ‘phone. Note that most bus companies only accept credit/debit card payments from bank cards issued in Mexico when booking this way.

Advance booking -vs- buying tickets on the day

Outside of key holiday dates and long-weekend holidays you will probably be able to get a seat on a bus to your destination by going to the bus station a while before you intend to travel and buying a ticket to travel that day.  Popular routes have buses leaving every hour or couple of hours, usually all-day long, and at least two or three buses traveling overnight.

Other than at peak periods, which are Christmas and New Year, Easter and other school vacation periods, booking in advance is not essential if you are flexible and are willing to wait two to four hours at the bus station for the next service to depart.

An alternative “advance purchase” method if you don’t want to or cannot book online is to go to the bus station before the date you intend to travel and purchase your tickets in advance that way.

All tickets are sold on a one-way fare basis; that is, there is no discount if you buy a return journey; however, you may want to pre-purchase return tickets at the same time to secure your seats in advance.

Booking in advance online gives you the certainty of an assigned seat on the date and time you intend to travel, and online booking systems offer e-tickets so you don’t have to worry about losing the paper version.

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Bus travel safety

Bus travel in Mexico is generally regarded as safe.

Safety at bus stations

Bus stations in Mexico are safe places to be, even if the neighborhoods which surround them may be rough (this is particularly so in Mexico City). The stations are professionally managed and continuously patrolled by security staff.

The key points to note about bus station safety are:

• Watch your personal belongings at all times;
• Pick-pockets and bag snatchers operate in bus stations just as they do at the airports and the metro stations;
• Keep valuables (e.g. jewelry, laptops, expensive cameras) secured and ideally out of sight;
• Dress casually;
• Use authorized taxis or App Cabs to get to and from bus terminals.

Safety at bus stations in Mexico City

Mexico City has four main Bus Terminals; one at each compass point of the city (see section above for details). Bus stations in the capital are situated in less than ideal areas, but this should not put you off traveling by bus to and from Mexico City; you simply need to take some precautions:

• Only take official taxis (Taxi Autorizado) or App Cabs from the bus station to your hotel or next destination in the city.
• Bus Stations in Mexico City are generally regarded as secure and public security officials patrol them constantly.
• However, like airports, subways (underground/metro), and bus stations world-wide, they are prime hunting grounds for pick pocket and bag snatching gangs.
• Stay alert and keep your pockets and personal property well guarded.

Night buses

A popular way to travel by bus, especially on executive-class buses, is to travel overnight; the idea being that you sleep on the bus and arrive at your destination the next morning. Traveling by bus overnight may be a false time economy, unless you know that you and your traveling companions are good at sleeping inside a moving vehicle. Most people arrive at their destination needing a few hours of sleep.

There is an additional risk to taking an overnight bus. Many routes cross remote areas of Mexico and, on odd occasions, highway robberies occur. No one is usually hurt, but you may be relieved of all your worldly goods. The instances of highway robbery are rare, especially on executive-class and first-class buses which take high-speed toll roads insofar as the route permits.

We advise that you avoid second-class buses which travel overnight.

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Traveling with pets on Mexico’s buses

You can take your cat and/or dog on long-distance buses in Mexico.  The bus companies stipulate that domestic pets (cats and dogs) must be transported in a purpose-made pet transporter, which is placed in the baggage hold.

Guide Dogs on Mexico’s Buses: If you are traveling with a service dog (guide dog) using Mexico’s buses, you are, by federal law, allowed to take the guide dog on board with you. Businesses and transport companies are federally mandated to facilitate the needs of persons traveling with service dogs.  You can read more about guide dogs in Mexico on this page.

Bus companies and booking agencies in Mexico

To find details about services, routes, schedules, and make advance bookings, you can visit the bus companies’ websites, or you can use of the online bus booking agencies.

Online bus booking agencies

Online bus seat booking agencies have made it easier to find and book bus travel in Mexico by offering customers routes and fares offered by various bus companies without having to go to each bus company website.  These are the principal booking agencies online:

• Clickbus
• CheckMyBus
• Reservamos
• Wanderu

Bus companies and websites

Here is a list of Mexico’s principal bus companies with links to their web sites.

ABC

Regions Covered: Baja California, Baja California Sur, Veracruz, Puebla, Mexico City and south-eastern Mexico.

Website: www.abc.com.mx

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ADO

Regions Covered: Mexico City, Veracruz, Puebla, south and south-eastern Mexico, Yucatan region.

Website: www.ado.com.mx

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Aguila

Regions Covered: Central and Southern Baja California.

Website: www.autotransportesaguila.net

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Autovias

Regions Covered: Mexico City, Michoacan State and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo on the Pacific Coast (west of Mexico City), Colonial Heartland including San Miguel de Allende.

Website: www.autovias.com.mx

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Cristobal Colon (OCC)

Regions Covered: Mexico City,Puebla, south and south-eastern Mexico

Website: www.ado.com.mx

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Estrella Blanca

Regions Covered: Largest bus group includes companies called Elite, Flecha Roja, Futura, Turistar and Transportes Chihuahuenses; The buses cover many regions including Mexico City, west, north and north-west, colonial heartlands, southern and south-western Mexico. The only regions this group does not cover well are Baja, south-east Mexico and the Yucatan region.

Website: www.estrellablanca.com.mx

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Estrella de Oro

Regions Covered: Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Taxco, Acapulco, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo.

Website: www.estrelladeoro.com.mx

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Estrella Roja

Regions Covered: Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Puebla, colonial heartland cities, some Pacific coastal destinations.

Website: www.estrellaroja.com.mx

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ETN (Enlaces Terrestres Nacionales)

Regions Covered: Mexico City, Michoacan State (west of Mexico City), north-west Mexico, colonial heartland cities, Guadalajara, and Puerto Vallarta

Website: www.etn.com.mx

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Flecha Amarilla

Regions Covered: Mexico City, Michoacan State (west of Mexico City), Manzanillo (Pacific Coast), colonial heartland cities.

Website: www.flecha-amarilla.com

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Maya de Oro

Regions Covered: Mexico City, south-east and the Yucatan region.

Website: www.mayadeoro.com

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Omnibus de Mexico

Regions Covered: Omnibus operates one of the most extensive bus networks in the country and has routes in about two-thirds of Mexico’s states, principally those north, west and east of the capital. Omnubus does not operate in Mexico’s southern states nor in the Yucatan or Baja regions. Principal routes include Mexico City, the Pacific, the Gulf Coast, the Colonial heartlands, and the north of the country.

Website: www.omnibus.com.mx

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Primera Plus

Regions Covered: Mexico City, colonial heartland cities, Pacific destinations including Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta

Website: www.primeraplus.com.mx

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Pullman de Morelos

Regions Covered: Services between Mexico City, Cuernavaca and other towns/cities in the State of Morelos

Website: www.pullman.com.mx

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Useful Spanish words for bus travel

Staff at Mexico’s bus stations and bus companies generally do not speak English, so you will need to be able to get-by in Spanish to travel by bus in Mexico. Here is a list of Spanish words related to bus-travel in Mexico:

See Also: Learning Spanish

Buying Tickets

Taquilla – Ticket Booth

Comprar Boleto(s) – Buying Ticket(s)

Horario – Schedule

Hora de Salida – Leaving Time

Hora de Llegada – Arrival Time

Destino – Destination

Ruta – Route

Pasajero(s) – Passenger(s)

Tarifa – Fare

Asiento(s) – Seat(s)

Ventanilla – Window Seat

Pasillo – Aisle Seat

Viaje Redondo – Round Trip

Viaje Sencillo – One Way Trip

Paradas or Escalas – Number of Stops

Clase Ejecutiva – Executive Class

Primera Clase – First Class

Segunda Clase – Second Class

At the bus station

Terminal de Autobuses – Bus Station

Anden – Platform (for boarding)

Equipaje – Baggage

Facturacion de Equipaje – Baggage Check-in

Guarderia de Equipaje – Baggage Storage

Baños Publicos – Public Restrooms

Taxi Autorizado – Authorized Taxi

Salida – Exit

Aboard the bus

Abordo – Aboard

Abordando – Boarding

Asiento – Seat

Baños – Restrooms

Ocupado – Occupied (restrooms)

Conductor – Driver

Monitor or Television – Monitor or Television

Audifonos – Headphones

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