A Guide to Bus Travel in Mexico

A Guide to Bus Travel in Mexico.

Bus travel in Mexico is great, it’s the best I’ve seen anywhere and better than anything you’ll find in the United States or Canada. I’ve travelled to Mexico every year for the last 10 years and have explored much of the country: all by bus.

In this post I tell you about the major bus companies and the regions and routes they cover. I’ll give you a sampling of how much they cost. I’ll tell you about Mexican bus terminals and also give you some tips/advice on travelling around Mexico by bus.

First a short video to show you what you can expect from Mexican buses:

I’ve detailed 3 of the biggest Mexican bus companies in the video:

ETN

ETN is the most luxurious, the best bus company in Mexico. Most of their buses are double-decker buses. The seat configuration is 2 seats on one side, 1 seat on another. So if you’re travelling solo you can sit by yourself with nobody next to you. Leg room is absurdly spacious, you get your own TV screen, USB ports, Wifi, there are 2 bathrooms, there’s of course AC (bring a sweater in case! I recently took a 4 hour ETN bus and the AC was really pumped up). There are 2 toilets, one for men, one for women. ETN might be the best bus you take anywhere and it’s always my first choice. And although it’s more expensive than other bus lines, it’s not significantly more expensive than the competition (usually about 10% more expensive).

ETN operates mostly in Central Mexico (although they do have a few routes outside of this core area). I’ve taken it between Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City and Queretaro, Guadalajara – Morelia, Aguascalientes – Zacatecas, Puebla – Leon…these are just a few sample routes. ETN covers a lot of routes but not as many as Primera Plus (the company that I cover next). It’s the only negative I can think of when it comes to ETN – I wish they were everywhere.

The ETN website. Very easy to navigate, payments can be done by credit cards, debit cards and even Paypal.

Primera Plus

My 2^nd favorite bus line after ETN. Not the same kind of luxury as ETN but still very good: leg room is generous, your own TV screen, USB ports, WIFI, 2 bathrooms in the back for women and men. Seat configuration is 2 seats on one side, 2 seats on the other.

Primera Plus has a very comprehensive network in Central Mexico, extending slightly into Northern Mexico. If you’ve just arrived at the airport in Mexico City, you can take direct buses from there to Queretaro, Guadalajara, Celaya and Leon. From Mexico City Norte, you can take direct Primera Plus buses to places like San Luis Potosi, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Puerto Vallarta, Colima and Mazatlan. Again, these are just sample routes.

The Primera Plus website. Very easy to navigate, payments can be done by credit cards, debit cards and even Paypal.

ADO

Ado covers Southern Mexico (starting below Mexico City) and the Yucatan. I’ve taken it to go from Mexico City to Puebla, from Puebla to Oaxaca, from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas. It covers the state of Veracruz and destinations all over the Yucatan Peninsula. If arriving at Mexico City airport, ADO has direct buses from there to destinations such as Acapulco and Puebla.

Honestly, I find Ado very basic as far as buses go. Seats can be tight, you don’t have your own screen, they have a toilet in the back but (in my experience) just one and not two. They DO have different classes of buses – AU is their budget line and there are no bathrooms onboard, ADO is the standard service (which I show in the video), and ADO GL and ADO Platino are their luxury option (ADO Platino being the highest end). But both of those more high-end options are limited and never been available for the destinations or times I’ve ever wanted…

Note: ADO has a lot of buses departing from TAPO bus terminal in Mexico City. If heading south, it’s best to book from TAPO: it’s convenient being close to downtown, you’ll cut time on your journey to the south (vs. Mexico Norte which is, as the name implies, north of the city center and which adds about 45 minutes to your trip).

The ADO website. It’s a bit slow and sometimes glitchy. Other times it won’t work at all.

As I say, I’m not a big fan of ADO but they have the biggest network in the East and South so travellers to these parts of Mexico will invariably find themselves on an ADO bus.

There are tons of bus companies in Mexico and I’ll mention a few to fill in the gaps that the ones I’ve mentioned above don’t cover.

ABC. Gets great reviews and covers mostly the Baja Peninsula.

Senda. A large bus company that includes Northern Mexico and destinations across the border in the USA.

Estrella del Norte. This is a big umbrella of different companies that covers mostly Northern Mexico (various companies include Estrella Blanca, Futura, Chihuahuenses, Elite, Frontera, Alta Mar, Anáhua…). But the website I’ve linked incorporates all these bus lines with destinations all over Northern and Central Mexico.

Autovias/La Linea. These companies serve Southwestern Mexico (Michoacan, Guerrero, Jalisco) into Mexico City and further north to Guanajuato and Queretaro. Again, an umbrella of companies that include Autovias, La Linea, Pegasso and Sur de Jalisco. I’ve taken Autovias from Morelia to Patzcuaro and the bus was a fancy double decker (although that can vary…on the way back it was a very ordinary bus).

The above bus companies will cover most of the longer bus routes in Mexico. Then, as I mention in the video, you have smaller bus companies like Flecha Amarilla, Coordinados, Flecha Roja etc which do shorter routes, often stopping along the highway and in small rural communities. They’re basic, have no bathroom, and you’ll often have people standing up in the bus.

Between all the bus lines I’ve listed above you basically have Mexico covered.

How to Book your Tickets

I’ve provided you with links to the various websites above so it’s very easy to book your trip online. In all cases I haven’t had any issues paying with my Canadian credit card. In a few cases I’ve also paid with PayPal without an issue. You buy your ticket online, download the ticket (but they’ll also send you an email with your electronic ticket) and you just show the downloaded ticket when you take the bus (no need to print it out). If you want to pay in person, bus terminals also have counters where you can go, pay, and get a physical ticket. Note however that you usually save 10% off the price by buying your ticket online.

When you book your tickets, you’ll be asked to choose your seat. Unlike a plane, there’s no extra charge for that.

Tip on entering destinations on the websites: there are often different bus stations to consider, especially in big cities so it’s important to know where you’ll be leaving or arriving. The bus companies I’ve mentioned above (because they’re the major companies) will always leave/arrive at the main bus stations which are almost always called ¨Central de Autobuses de______” (ie. Central de Autobuses de Morelia, Central de Autobuses de Querétaro, Central de Autobuses de Guadalajara, etc).

The most confusing place is Mexico City which has several bus stations. It is especially confusing if you’re buying your tickets on the ADO website. There are 4 main stations and the one you choose should depend on where you are heading or coming from.

Terminal del Norte. Located at Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas. On the north side of the city (It’s the one I show in the video at the top of this post).
Terminal Central del Sur, often just referred to as “Taxqueña”. On the South side of the city.
Terminal de Autobuses Oriente (TAPO). This is located downtown, near the historic center and is owned by ADO. Note: On the Puebla – Mexico City bus I took the final destination was “Terminal del Norte” but the bus stops before at TAPO. I recommend you get out here if your destination is anywhere in the center. Continuing on the Terminal del Norte just takes you further from the center.
Terminal Central de Oriente, also known as “Observatorio”. This is for all West bound buses.

How much does it cost to take a bus in Mexico?

The costs below are from my most recent trip in November of 2024 (Adult fares indicated. My mother, who gets a Senior’s discount as a Mexican resident, gets about 45% off the adult fare).

Mexico City Airport to Queretaro (a 3 hour ride) on Primera Plus: 592 Pesos…or $29 USD

Queretaro to San Miguel de Allende (a 1 ½ hour ride) on ETN: 158 Pesos…or $8 USD

San Miguel de Allende to Morelia (a 3½ hour ride) on Primera Plus: 446 Pesos…or $22 USD

Morelia to Guadalajara (a 4 hour ride) on ETN: 770 Pesos…or $38 USD

Guadalajara to San Miguel de Allende (a 5½ hour ride) on ETN: 999 Pesos…or $49 USD

San Miguel de Allende to Mexico City Norte (a 4½ hour ride) on ETN*: 766 Pesos…or $38 USD

*PS, for comparison’s sake, the same with Primera Plus is 671 Pesos, or $33 USD

A few other sample fares:

San Cristobal de las Casas to Oaxaca (12½ hours) on ADO: 1,112 Pesos…or $55 USD

Oaxaca to Puebla (5 hours) on ADO: 766 Pesos…or $38 USD

Puebla to Mexico City on ADO (TAPO, 3 hours): 294 Pesos…or $15 USD.

The above are just meant as a helpful indicator of what you can expect.

Bus Terminals in Mexico

In the major cities, bus terminals (“Central de Autobuses de ________”) are almost like airports. They’re very civilized places with restaurants, stores, ATM machines, bathrooms etc.

What you’ll find:

Bus company ticket counters: All the companies represented at the bus station have ticket counters. If you haven’t pre-bought your ticket online you can come and buy them here. They’ll usually have a board behind the counters with the destinations that they go to, the time of departure and the cost. If you’re unsure, you can go to a few companies and compare.

Toilets. Bus stations have toilets which you have to pay for (usually 7 or 8 pesos). You put your coin into a machine and go through a turnstile. Toilets are usually kept clean and tidy.

Authorized Taxis. At most big city bus stations you’ll have authorized taxis (sometimes called “taxi Seguro”). You buy your taxi tickets here. Prices are fixed for different parts of the city. You take your ticket, present it to the taxi driver and he takes you to your destination.

Security. Like at an airport, many of the large bus stations require you to pass through a security perimeter to the boarding gates. Usually it’s very casual, and they’ll barely look you over.

Waiting rooms. The fancier bus lines (ETN, Primera Plus etc) usually have their own waiting rooms and if you wish to sit down you can wait in there for your bus.

Baggage Check. This is rare, but some bus companies have a baggage check where they’ll take your baggage at a counter in advance of boarding. In my experience that’s only happened when going from/to the airport. Most of the time you’ll only check your baggage when you board the bus. If there is any piece of advice I can give: when you check in your bag, they’ll give you a little slip showing your bag number. Make sure to put it somewhere safe. If you lose it, it can be a hassle getting your bag when you’ve reached your destination.

Boarding and Baggage Check (2). Buses usually board 15 minutes before departure. You line up with your ticket, show your ticket, and go to your assigned seat in the bus. If you have a bag you want to check, there’s always a man by the luggage compartment. Bring him you bag and tell him your seat number. He’ll indicate that on your baggage ticket. He’ll give you a slip which – as I say above – you should hang onto. It’s good to give these baggage handlers a little tip.

Pets. I get this question a lot. In Mexico, rules are that all domestic animals travel must be put in a pet transporter in the luggage compartment. Not only that, they should be sedated before travel. Only guide, official or rescue dogs are accepted on board the vehicles (and they must be small and you must present medical certificates).

For most people the above is an immediate “No way, screw that”.

ETN has a pet friendly option where a pet can sit next to a passenger but when I tried it out on their website I was told the route that I had chosen did not have the pet (mascota) option. So you can ask your favorite bus company but chances are you cannot bring your pet aboard the bus.

Tips on bus travel in Mexico

Bring a sweater. Some of the buses really blast the Air Conditioning.
Pre-covid, the better bus lines such as ETN and Primera Plus would give you a complementary sandwich and drink when you boarded. No more. So makes sure to bring your own food and drinks. There are always stores selling something in Mexican bus terminals, even the smallest ones.
Always check how long a trip will take and weigh that against taking a plane. Mexico to Oaxaca may not seem so far when looking at a map but the route to Oaxaca is surrounded by mountains. Air travel in Mexico is not expensive so you should in some instances consider flying instead. Using my example: Viva flies Mexico City – Oaxaca and costs about $100 USD. The flight takes an hour. An Ado bus takes 7 hours and should cost about $50).
If you ever, for whatever reason, have an issue buying a bus ticket online using the website of a bus company, consider using Busbud.
When you buy a bus ticket online, you may be asked if you want to buy insurance for 15 Pesos. As I found out when I missed my bus on the last trip, this only covers you for things that happen on the bus, like losing your luggage or an accident. It does not cover you for a missed bus.
Is it safe to travel by bus in Mexico? I’ve been on over 100+ bus trips in Mexico and nothing has ever happened. Still, I always recommend travelling during the day and not at night.

Conclusion

Travelling by bus in Mexico is fantastic and likely much, much better than anything from where you come from. Don’t worry about it and enjoy the ride.