Bus

We can say that the bus is the only real ground transportation that can connect the cities of Mexico. Bus goes absolutely everywhere, in totally variable comfort conditions, depending on the regions and routes.

In mayor cities, companies are usually grouped together in one Central Bus Station central de autobuses (or central camionera), often out of center area. It is therefore necessary to go there by taxi or, less expensive but less convenient, by urban bus. These bus stations often offer cafeterias, shops, toilets (sometimes with showers) and luggage lockers.
It gets complicated when companies have their own terminal … which is not so rare. Between both of them, there are also cities with a terminal for 1st class buses and another for 2nd class buses.

We can also talk about local buses, known as guajoloteros – which comes from guajolote: turkey – because in other times people used to travel (and still sometimes today!) between chicken cages, buckets filled with fish, bags of pork … what we could call the Popular Mexico!

Talking about ground transportation, some villages are served by minibuses called combis . They leave the station when they are full and stop wherever people wants it.

Taxi

This is a practical and economical conveyance. Anyway, Mexico City must be distinguished from the rest of the country.

– Outside capital, taxis almost never have a taximeter. Also, as you will often be mistaken for a gringo because it’s written roughly on your forehead, most of the times you will get twice the regular rate! Best option here is to learn in advance about the current rates, then we can be much accurate to negotiate in case of. In some cities, taxis have a list of rates.

– In Mexico City, taxis have a taximeter, so you will not have any problem on that side (as long as the driver starts it).

– To avoid scams, now all bus terminals and airports have an integrated prepaid taxi stop. . You buy your ticket at the counter inside the terminal and you pay a fixed price according to the length of the route. It is strongly recommended that you take these “official” taxis instead of picking one up on the street. Security is guaranteed.

Uber

In main cities, the safest and the cheapest is to download Uber app on your smartphone or tablet; no need to have a subscription or to be connected to a telephone network, you just need to connect to the wifi in your hotel or in a café, possibly in a public square (wifi is accessible practically everywhere of main mexican cities) and let you be guided.

With Uber , no money transaction is needed with driver as everything is paid in advance, 5even though there are some areas where you can actually pay in cash, but the best is to use your card; like that you can be sure that you will pay exactly what you have to; also no problem of language either (you can still talk to the driver if you want …); besides, drivers know exactly where you’re going because they receive the address in the very moment they accept your request through the app. Today is the most reliable and secure way to get around cities.

Colective

Very practical and economical , it is the most widely conveyance used with the biggest expansion in the periphery of cities and agglomerations, even if it is less used by tourists and also these collectives tend to disappear very soon because it is the most polluting transport …

Route is fixed and announced on the windshield. A simple wave of the hand is enough to stop it; to go down, the doorbell is pressed or the driver is notified of the place of our stop and he leaves you at the next street corner. We pay by amount in local currency (pesos). It is the most interesting conveyance whenever it is about short distances … only when you know the neighborhood well and always without venturing, especially at night.

Car Rental

Convenient, but obviously much more expensive than the bus. However, when you come in groups of 3 or 4, it may be worth it. In the same way, when you come in groups of six people, renting a minibus can be also a good idea. The gas is not very expensive (about $ 16 Me per liter, or € 0.80).

It is better to rent from USA or any country you are coming from , prices are more interesting than if you rent from Mexico. In general, Mexican companies do not rent cars to people under 25 years old, sometimes 22 years. Most of the companies require passport, driver’s license of more than one year (the national license is enough) and one international payment card for the deposit.
Have the insurance coverage (el seguro) clarified and take your time to check carefully the general condition of the vehicle before your departure (especially the state of the front bumper).
The state of the roads (without mentioning innumerable topes, the local speed bumps) and the configuration of the streets in the colonial cities (raised sidewalks) easily cause small damage to the bodywork and the rocker , not to mention the pebbles that stellate the windshield from time to time. Agents of the car rental office usually do not miss anything when returning the vehicle, so it may be wise to plan a deductible redemption at contract signing.
With some agencies, it is possible to leave your car in a different city than the one you used as departure, but this entails additional costs.

Some Driving Rules

There are countries where traffic is worse than in Mexico, others where it is much better regulated … Mexico is especially the kingdom of speed bumps (topes) , also called reductores de velocidad or vibradores ! There are lots everywhere across the roads. Little or badly advertised. Dreadful night. Designed to regulate speed limits, they mostly kill car’s suspensions!
Anyone can drive in Mexico, often without a license or insurance and as young as 14 or 15 years old.

– Be careful , the lights are placed AFTER the crossroads, as in the United States.

– At intersections without traffic lights, there is no stop nor priority. Then we have to go one by one, in the order of arrival.

– The white lines and panels are usually not respected. Beware of forbidden senses that are almost NEVER visibles.

– Be careful when using flashing lights . Indeed, if a truck or a slow vehicle ahead of you puts its flashing on the left, it can mean two things: it will turn left or you can overtake it. It’s for you to guess !!

– Parking: In main cities, there are many parking lots called ( estacionamientos), thankfully cheaper than in Europe or USA. They are indicated by an “E”. It is better to use them than to park on the street. Firstly, because you never know if it’s allowed or not. Secondly, you can never be 100% sure that you will find your car, because of theft.

In parking lots, you often have to leave your car and also the keys, the guards park it for you. In this case, Mexicans leave no valuables inside. The most common is to fall on a guy who has appropriated a piece of the street and that he “rents” with a propina (5 to 10 pesos). In exchange for what, he will have an eye on your vehicle.

– Around big cities: we come in and go out from big cities by a series of fast one-way roads, which sometimes intersections … a real headache. The panels are rare or nonexistent and often placed at the last moment.
In Mexico City, the traffic is particularly dense and with lots of traffic jams, the city has been elected the world’s 1st most bottled city in February 2017 in front of Bangkok and Jakarta (Paris only reaches 35th place of this ranking).

– Four-lanes and highways (autopistas and carreteras de cuota): they are variously frequented: pedestrians, cyclists, stray dogs …
Be careful also with trucks. They ride like crazy.

As for the highways with very numerous tolls ( con cuota ) they are damn expensive and therefore less frequented. Make sure you have enough cash for using the toll. Fortunately, they are often doubled by national routes ( carreteras libres ).

On single-lane roads , it is common to retreat in the emergency stop band or in the corridor to be passed.

– Night driving: Not recommended in some low-traffic areas.

Airplanes

The low-cost airlines have generated a small decrease in air rates, significant especially for trips between provincial cities. Using airplanes avoid long trips by bus and sometimes it is not that expensive as we could think, especially in the low season (you still have to add transfers between the airport and the city).

For connecting flights, allow at least 2 hours for transit.