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Bus travel in Mexico
Wikivoyage guide · 12 sections
▸Introduction325 chars
Long-distance bus travel can be an interesting, inexpensive, and convenient way to see Mexico. This article describes only the long-distance inter-city bus services as well as inter-city buses that cross international borders. All major cities have their own urban bus transit systems that are described in the City articles.
▸Understand1,275 chars
Mexico has a world-class bus system, and service efficiency is on par with trains in Europe and East Asia. The route density of Mexican nationwide bus system surpasses the counterparts in the United States, Europe, and East Asia.
Buses are without a doubt the backbone of personal intercity transport in Mexico because as of 2024 only 40% of Mexicans own a car, there is no high-speed rail in Mexico, trains mostly serve cargo and tourism purposes. Contarary to North America, buses also serve smaller villages.
For going from one city to another, the apps of CheckMyBus and Busbud show the departure times and the bus company.
Apps may be used to buy tickets on your cell phone. Larger bus companies have their own apps that can be used to buy tickets, check schedules, and more. It is often less hassle to buy tickets in person in the bus station, particularly if trying to make a bus connection from an arriving flight or traveling during peak travel periods like Christmas or the week before Easter. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or using the app, but tickets within 2 hours of departure must often need to be purchased in the bus station. Fares can also be paid in cash to the driver if you get on a bus along the way (rather than at the start of a route).
▸Classes1,282 chars
Buses offer different levels of quality and comfort. Companies may use different terms for these classes, but there are generally three broad levels of service:
Ejecutivo (or Lujo) - the newest, cleanest, most full-featured buses that a company has. Buses often have 1/3 fewer seats than first-class buses, offering more legroom and 3 seats per row (2 on one side of the aisle, 1 on the other). Perks may include personal entertainment choices, snacks or bottled water on the bus, and access to VIP waiting lounges in bus stations. Ejecutivo class buses usually travel on toll highways. Bus lines include ETN and ADO Platino or ADO GL.
First-class (Primera clase) - clean, late model buses with plush seats, air conditioning, entertainment systems and on-board restrooms. Routes labeled Directo are usually faster with few (if any) stops. First class buses usually travel on toll highways.
Second-class (Economico, Ordinario, or Local) - buses are sometimes older buses or may operate on a strictly regional basis, but are often clean, late-model buses with air conditioning and on-board restrooms. The biggest difference is that they will stop in many small towns along the way and often anywhere requested. Second-class buses often serve shorter routes and may require transfers.
▸Overnight buses1,406 chars
Some travelers avoid buses at night for security reasons or because they prefer to see the scenery as they travel. Some travelers though prefer night buses because they can sleep on the bus (saving the cost of a hotel room for a night), because they often cost less than buses departing during the day, or sometimes because they don't have much choice because they have a long journey or the only bus serving a route leaves at night.
Many of the bus lines operate fewer (or sometimes no) buses at night, but others serve the night-traveling public with very comfortable buses that are often even more luxurious than their regular executive class buses. Although buses with true sleeper compartments are not common in Mexico, there are some excellent night buses. Omnibus de Mexico has some double-decker overnight buses with huge reclining seats that almost lie flat and that can provide a good night's sleep (especially on routes over 10 hours). The buses also feature individual screens for entertainment, jacks for headphones, and USB slots for keeping devices charged. ETN also has some very nice buses for overnight routes, like trips from Mexico City to Oaxaca or Puerto Escondido. Their big reclining seats have leg rests that pop up, making you feel almost like you're lying down flat.
While daytime buses may still work best for you, there are some definite advantages to overnight buses as well.
▸Bus stations1,991 chars
Bus stations in Mexico can be large or small, modern or dated. They are typically called Central de Autobuses or Terminal de Autobuses. Small towns may have one or more company-owned terminals. These will typically have a small waiting room and are likely to have a taco vendor with a stand outside the terminal. In all bus terminals expect a small fee to be charged (typically M$5 to M$10) to use the rest rooms.
Large bus stations serve multiple bus companies, serve as transfer points more often than as final destinations, and may have dozens, or even hundreds of departures at any hour of the day. They often feel like a modern airport with large ticketing areas, waiting areas, and boarding areas. A large bus station typically offers ATMs or currency exchange service, food services and baggage check. Bus companies usually offer package delivery services in addition to passenger transport. Most bus stations have a counter where packages can be dropped off and picked up, though this service is sometimes substantial enough to be in its own building.
Connections to local urban transportation varies. All bus terminals in Mexico City have an adjacent Metro station, and is useful, fast, and cheap for those passengers who travel light. Guadalajara and Monterrey also have Metro stations adjacent to the main bus station (Central de Camiones). Passengers with baggage will want to use taxis because Metro rules prohibit carrying large, bulky items. In Mexico City and other major bus terminals, taxis are regulated and authorized and only vetted taxis can pick up passengers. Arriving passengers who want a taxi will pay and provide destination information to someone at a central booth (or increasingly, at automated kiosks). You will be given a taxi ticket that you take outside to the taxi queue. (Uber and similar ride-hailing apps are often prohibited from picking up at the bus terminal, but you can get around that by walking down the street and using the app somewhere else).
▸Airport bus terminals1,915 chars
Many of Mexico's busiest airports have their own bus terminals, making connections between cities easy and affordable.
MEX - Mexico City - there are two bus stations in the Benito Juarez International Airport (AICM), one in Terminal 1 and one in Terminal 2. Several bus lines, including Primera Plus and Pullman de Morelos, have routes to nearby cities including Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Toluca and Puebla.
NLU - Mexico City - a bus terminal is in the Terminal Intermodal de Transporte Terrestre (TITT) at Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), bus services are operated by Conexión to Autobuses del Norte and by Costa Line to Autobuses del Sur (Taxqueña). Additional buses operate as Viva Bus (connections to Viva Aerobus flights).
CUN - Cancun - there are bus terminals in each of the three main terminals used by commercial airlines. ADO operates routes from the airport to the downtown area of Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Chetumal, and Mérida.
GDL - Guadalajara International Airport - has a small bus terminal for the Chapala bus line, with departures to downtown Guadalajara and to Lake Chapala, including the towns of Chapala and Ajijic. The airport is also served by buses from Primera Plus and Autovias.
MTY - Monterrey International Airport - has a small bus terminal for the Noreste bus line, with departures to the downtown Central de Autobuses and to the city of Saltillo. The Noreste bus also provides service to passengers who bought tickets via Viva Bus.
TIJ - Tijuana International Airport - has a small bus station next to the airline terminal for bus departures to Mexicali, Ensenada, Puerto_Peñasco, Los Angeles, San Diego/San Diego International Airport, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, and various cities and towns in California (USA) and Baja California Norte (Mexico). The airport also include a direct foot traffic access to the USA from the Tijuana Airport via a bridge over the border.
▸Mexico City1,834 chars
Mexico City is the de facto hub for bus transportation throughout the country. Journeys from virtually anywhere in Mexico can be made to anywhere else by building an itinerary with connections in Mexico City. The most important thing to know about using a long distance bus from Mexico City is that the city has four major bus stations (one for each point on the compass) and several less formal or company specific stops. All major stations have an adjacent Metro stop (though Metro rules prohibit carrying bulky baggage, so plan to use a taxi or Uber if you're traveling heavy). The major bus stations are:
1 Terminal Autobuses del Norte, serves all destinations north of Mexico City, Metro: Line 5 to Autobuses del Norte
2 Terminal de Autobuses del Pasajeros Oriente, serves all destinations east of Mexico City, known as TAPO, Metro: Line B to San Lazaro
3 Terminal de Autobuses del Sur, serves all destinations south of Mexico City, known as Taxqueña, Metro: Line 2 to Tasqueña
4 Terminal de Autobuses del Poniente, serves all destinations west of Mexico City, known as Observatorio, Metro: Line 1 to Observatorio. Train station serving El Insurgente trains to Toluca and western Mexico State).
The following table contains recommended terminals and bus lines to use for various inter-city destinations. The table includes only practical destinations within 12 hours of Mexico City (i.e., you could comfortably do it in one day). It does not include itineraries that would be stupid. For example, ADO has buses going to Cancun, but the journey takes over 24 hours and costs more than twice as much as a 90-minute flight on Viva Aerobus. Similarly, Cabo San Lucas would be a foolishly long bus trip involving either a trip around the Sea of Cortez or an overnight ferry ride between separate trips on different bus lines.
▸Major bus companies6,620 chars
The companies listed below are some of the larger companies providing inter-city bus travel in Mexico. Some operate nationwide while others may focus on a specific region. No company holds a dominant market share, though some are dominant in a certain region. Several other small companies provide long-distance or regional bus travel. These are often listed in articles for a region, city or town.
ABC (Autobuses de Baja California). Bus services up and down Hwy 1 in the Baja California Peninsula in both Baja California and Baja California Sur states as well as areas of Sonora. (updated Jan 2025)
ADO (Autobuses Del Oriente), ☏ +52 55 5133-5133, toll-free: 01 800-009-9090. They operate the ADO, ADO GL, AU (Autobus Unidos), OCC (Omnibus Cristobal Colon), Platino, Texcoco, Diamante, Estrella de Oro, Cuenca and Pluss bus lines and the ClickBus booking site (formerly Boletotal & Ticketbus). They are a major bus company in the eastern and southeastern part of the country towards the Guatemalan border in the states of Guerrero, Puebla, Veracruz, Chiapas, Tamaulipas, Tabasco, and the Yucatan Peninsula (Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche). Travel towards Guatemala via Tapachula or Tuxtla Guttierrez; to Belize through Chetumal and the United States border through Matamoros. They only offer cross border buses to Belize City from Cancun and Merida via Chetumal.
Autobuses Coordinados de Nayrit (ACN), toll-free: 01800 026-73-73. They serve mainly in the western and northwestern states of Baja California Norte, Jalisco, Michocoan, Nayrit, Sinaloa and Sonora in Mexico and California (historically 'Alta California') in the U.S. (updated Jul 2017)
Autovias, toll-free: 01 800-622-22-22. serving Colima, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, Mexico DF, Mexico State, and Queretaro. Other subsidiary brands include Allegra, La Linea and the Pegasso brands. (updated Aug 2017)
Costa Line AERS, ☏ +52 55 5336-5560, toll-free: 01 800-0037-635. Serves mainly in Mexico state, Morelos and Guerrero from Mexico City. They also operate the Turistar, Futura and AMS bus lines.
ETN (Enlances Terrestre Nacionales), Turistar Lujo. They offer a 'deluxe' or 'executive' class seating with 2 seats on one side of the aisle and one on the opposite side with more leg room and an ability to recline into a lying position. They go to Aguascaliente, Baja California Norte, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexico City DF, Michocoan, Morelos, Nayrit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca (coast), Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Veracruz (Poza Rica, Tuxpan) and Zacatecas states
▸Cross-border buses83 chars
You can use buses to travel beyond Mexico to destinations in neighboring countries.
▸Between Mexico and United States3,588 chars
Some Mexican bus companies offer cross-border transportation between U.S. and Mexico as far north as Chicago and far south as Mexico City from the U.S./Mexico border areas. Some of the cross-border buses are subsidiaries of a larger Mexican bus company while others are smaller American- or Mexican-owned companies serving the regions near the border on one or both sides.
Connections from Texas hubs to the Midwest including Chicago, the Southeast and Mexico are offered by Tornado Bus, El Expreso, 'and Omnibus Express. Service in and out of Florida is offered by the Chilean JetSet, Argentinian RedCoach, and Cuban-American La Cubana. In California and the Southwest operators include FuturaNet, Tufesa, [ InterCalifornias] and El Paso-Los Angeles Limousines, which may have tickets starting from $1.
El Expreso, (company office) 812 Delano St, Houston, TX, toll-free: 1 800 601-6559. They operate buses to Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North and South Carolina and Alabama and within Texas from Houston. At the US/Mexican border they serve Laredo/Nuevo Laredo; Matamoros/Brownsville; Reynosa/McAllen and more along the Rio Grande (where Texas borders Mexico). El Expreso partners with Grupo Estrella Blanca, ADO and other Mexican bus companies for onward services south of the border. They also operate the Tornado Bus brand to compliment El Expreso. (updated Jun 2016)
El Paso Los Angeles Limousine Express, ☏ +1 213 623-2323, +1 915 532-4061. Travels across the southwest, along I-10 from El Paso to Los Angeles via Phoenix; I-10/I-25 to Denver via Las Cruces and Albuquerque; and from El Paso towards Torreon via Cd Juarez, Chihuahua (City) and Delicias along Mex Fed Hwy 45 as Los Limousines. They also have additional routes to Las Vegas from Los Angeles & Phoenix. (updated Apr 2016)
Omnibus Express, toll-free: 01 800 765-66-36 (MX), +1-800-923-1799 (US). A subsidiary of the Mexican bus company, Omnibus Mexicanos, provides transportation from Texas towards Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana in the U.S. and to Aguascaliente, Colima, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, DF, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michocoan, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas states in Mexico. They also offer intrastate travel within Texas. (updated Jun 2016)
Tufesa, ☏ +1 213 489-8079. Connects Los Angeles to Sacramento (via Bakersfield, Fresno, etc.); to Salt Lake City (via Barstow, Las Vegas, St George, etc); to Hermosillo (via Phoenix, Tucson, Nogales); San Francisco Bay Area; to Salt Lake City via (Las Vegas, St George, etc.) and to Tijuana (via Santa Ana, San Diego/San Ysidro). From Hermosillo it travels north towards the US state of Arizona and south towards Mazatlan along the Hwy 15 corridor in Sinaloa & Sonora states. Prices vary depending on your destination.
▸Between Mexico and Central America1,662 chars
Onward connections to/from Guatemala through Tapachula and to Belize through Chetumal. There are additional connections (by shuttle) between San Cristobal de las Casas and Antigua Guatemala (via Comitan, crossing through Ciudad Cuauhtémoc/La Mesilla). The tickets on these shuttles are purchased from one of many agents in San Cristobal de las Casas. Passengers typically change vehicles at the border. The following offer regular first class pullman services out of Tapachula to Central America:
Ticabus, La Terminal OCC 17a Calle Ote #45 (Along Calle 17a Ote between 1a Ave Nte y 3a Ave Nte), ☏ +52 962 625-2435. (Ticket office) M-Sa 06:00-14:00. International bus company going across the Central American isthmus between Panama City and Managua. From Managua one route goes to Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula in Honduras while another continues along the Pan American Hwy to San Salvador, Guatemala City and Tapachula in Mexico. They also have another north-south route connecting El Salvador to Honduras. (updated Apr 2026)
Linea Dorada, ☏ +502 2415-8900. Goes east towards Guatemala City via Huehuetenango and/or Quetzaltenango. Passengers transfer in Guatemala City to go to Flores (nearest city to Tikal). Phone number is the Guatemala number. (updated Jun 2018)
Trans Galgos Inter., ☏ +502 2220-6018. departs 13:00 Check schedules.. International services to Tapachula from Guatemala City via El Carmen, Retalhuleau and Coatepeque on one route and twice daily to San Salvador on another. They also operate a third domestic route to Quetzaltenango from Guatemala City. They also book onward travel all the way to the U.S. border through Mexico. US$17.
▸Safety1,720 chars
First-time visitors to Mexico might wonder if it's safe to ride the buses in Mexico. These visitors sometimes come from countries where bus travel is a risky proposition, or they might come from a country with too many loud-mouth xenophobes spreading misinformation through their social media apps. Either way, a basic truth in Mexico is that long distance buses are among the safest means of getting around the country.
Although incidents of buses being waylaid or passengers getting robbed have occurred, they occur on second-class buses that stop everywhere, let anyone on, and travel on secondary highways and back roads. Incidents do not usually happen on first-class or executive-class buses (which are the ones described in this article, and are the best choice for international travelers.)
First-class and executive-class buses always use toll highways between major cities. These are modern highways with limited access similar to autobahns in Germany or interstate highways in the United States.
First-class and executive-class buses are usually Directo and Sin escalas. They only stop at their scheduled destinations.
First-class and executive-class buses issue baggage check tags when you store luggage beneath the bus. Drivers look at your claim check to make sure you're not walking off with somebody else's bag.
First-class and executive-class buses are more likely to travel during daylight hours (and you can exercise common sense by preferring those that do and by using planes if the bus trip cannot be completed within a few hours).
Millions of travelers criss-cross Mexico by bus every year. Doing so is far safer than driving a private car, cheaper, and usually more comfortable and convenient.
Facts
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Source
WBP almanac