Leave the Driving to Them: Long Distance Bus Travel in Mexico

Santo Domingo Church in Oaxaca, Oaxaca.

Many expatriates living in Mexico have a strong desire to see parts of the country both near and far from their homes. We hear tempting stories about the beauties of Oaxaca, the high desert countryside near San Miguel de Allende, lovely Zacatecas (see last week's post!), and the glories of colonial Morelia. We're left with our mouths watering to see all these places—and a hundred more—and then we realize that driving in Mexico is not always easy. Toll roads are expensive, traveling the free roads seems to take forever, and many of us don't know how to read the road signs—and never mind understanding when someone give us directions! There is a solution, and it's not an option most of us would think of in the United States or Canada: the long distance bus.

Bus travel in Mexico is a lot better than what some folks imagine. Long distance bus service is far better than the stereotypical chicken bus, loaded to the gills with more passengers than could possibly be safe. We envision every woman with a baby on her lap and another clinging to her skirt and each man carrying bags and bundles of everything from groceries to live chickens.

I must say that in all my years here in Mexico, the only person with live chickens I ever saw on a bus was me: I bought a dozen baby chicks when I first lived in Tijuana and brought them home in a cake box on the city bus. To all the passengers' great amusement, their peep-peep-peeping sounded loud and clear through the vent holes I'd poked in the box.

Bus travel has traditionally been the choice for Mexican travel. It's usually convenient, very inexpensive compared to air or automobile travel, and compared to long distance bus experiences in the United States or Canada, quite luxurious.

Two friends and I recently spent several days in Mexico City. We took the ETN (Enlaces Terrestres Nacionales) bus from Guadalajara and were extremely pleased with the service. Here's a brief comparison of our bus trip time and cost versus a similar trip by plane.

ETN Round Trip by Bus	Mexicana Round Trip by Air
Price: $1090 pesos*	Price: $3800 pesos*
Check in Guadalajara Bus Terminal: 9:45 AM	Check in Guadalajara Airport: 8:00 AM
Depart: 10:15 AM	Depart: 10:00 AM
Arrive Mexico City: 4:45 PM	Arrive Mexico City: 11:10 AM
Taxi to Accomodations: $100 pesos	Taxi to Accomodations: $200 pesos

*The peso exchange rate as of this writing was 11.3 pesos per dollar. Note: bus fares are subject to change without notice.

Not only is the bus terminal more comfortable than the airport, the bus is far more comfortable than the plane. The executive-class bus has only 24 seats. Each seat has a leg rest that allows the passenger to stretch out almost full length. For less than one-third the cost of the plane we traveled in luxurious comfort.

We weren't troubled by the longer travel time on the bus, as we were able to see close-up the natural beauty of the states of Jalisco, Michoacán, and Mexico prior to arriving in Mexico City. We enjoyed a terrific movie—Bend It Like Beckham—in English. We socialized with a marvelous group of women who were going to Mexico City for a high-society bridal shower. Had we needed it, there was a bathroom on the bus, which traveled non-stop all the way.

We lunched on the sandwich, cookie, and soft drink that the bus company included in the price of each ticket; coffee service was available at no extra charge. We napped a bit, snacked on some fruit and cookies we'd brought along, and then we were thrilled by the late afternoon sights and sounds of Mexico City as we drove into and through the city.

At the Mexico City western bus terminal, we quickly claimed our baggage and prepaid for a taxi at the booth inside the terminal. We were soon deposited at our destination in the southwestern part of the city.  After a quick pause to freshen up, we were ready for an evening on the town.

The money we saved on travel transportation paid for a huge portion of the fun we had while in the city.

La Central Camionera Nueva
(The Guadalajara long distance bus terminal)

La central camionera nueva (the Guadalajara long distance bus terminal) is actually located in Tonalá, at the southeast edge of the city. It's a huge complex. There are seven and one-half individual módulos (terminal buildings). Each terminal building is host to the arrival and departure of one or several different bus lines.

TIP: It's crucial to know your departure building number, and equally crucial to know where to meet an arrival. If you don't have the building information, you will not be able to locate your bus.

The terminals handle the bus lines as follows:

Módulo (Terminal)	Bus Lines
Módulo 1	Primera Plus, Flecha Amarilla, 6 other small bus lines
Módulo 1 1/2	Transportes Autobuses del Pacífico (TAP)
Módulo 2	ETN, La Linea Plus, Transportes Autobuses del Pacífico (TAP), Omnibús de México, Autobús del Occidente, Sur de Jalisco
Módulo 3	Elite, Turistar Ejecutivo, Futura, Norte de Sonora (TNS)
Módulo 4	Pacífico, Elite, Norte de Sonora (TNS)
Módulo 5	Oriente, Linea Azul, Rojo de los Altos
Módulo 6	Transportes Autobuses del Pacífico (TAP), ETN, Omnibús de México, Autobuses Americanos
Módulo 7	Transportes Chihuahuenses, Estrella Blanca, De Los Altos, Turistar Ejecutivo, ETN

Turistar Ejecutivo

It's quite inexpensive to take the bus from Guadalajara to the nearest cities along the Mexican border with Texas. The most luxurious bus, Turistar Ejecutivo, costs approximately $1200 pesos (approximately $100 U.S.) one way to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico (across the border from Laredo, TX). It costs $950 pesos (approximately $85 U.S.) one way to Reynosa, Mexico (across the border from McAllen, Texas). The bus has 24 seats, two across along one side and single seats along the other side. Two drivers share driving duties. Buses leave the Tonalá terminal at 6 PM and at 7 PM every evening, arriving in either Nuevo Laredo or Reynosa approximately 14 hours later. The bus has air conditioning, bathrooms, luggage check-in service, and videos on board.

Our friend JoAnne, a self-described princess, recently chose Turistar Ejecutivo for a trip to the border. She describes the Mexican side of her trip in glowing terms.

            "This story has to start by telling you upfront that the information is coming from a person                    who is as close to being a princess as a commoner can be. Picky is my middle name. My decision
             to travel north by bus stunned all my friends, who were dying to hear whether I would survive
            or not. They were betting not. Earlier, my retirement to Mexico had those who know me well
            shaking their heads in disbelief, so you can see that what is being reported here is from the
            perspective of a truly spoiled and whiny gringa.

"My husband and I had heard great things about bus service in Mexico. With nothing but time on our hands, we decided to give it a try—we'd go by bus to the border. We had been told that the Turistar Ejecutivo luxury class bus was the top of the line, so we took our chances, drove up to the bus station, and purchased our tickets. During the remaining days until our departure, I was biting my carefully manicured fingernails to the quick just thinking about the possibilities for disaster; the what-ifs were driving me crazy.

"As we boarded the early-evening bus we were given a choice of soft drinks and a package of cookies. The sparkling clean bus was completely booked. There are two seats on one side of the bus and a single seat on the other side, 24 seats in all.

"The seats are the same size as those in first class on a commercial airline and are complete with seatbelts. Overhead video screens held the promise of entertainment during the night. We were able to put our seat backs into a fully reclining position. There was a full leg rest that popped forward from the seat back in front of us so we could be as horizontal as possible. Such comfort for us as we hit the road to the north of Mexico!

"We have driven to the border several times. The trip is stressful and we always pray that our car does not break down, that we have no flat tires, and that all goes well as we drive the miles and miles of often deserted stretches of highway. On our bus trip, as we approached the first toll booth I realized just how relaxing it was to have someone else figuring out the turns and the tolls. I snuggled deeper into my roomy seat and reflected on the pure pleasure of not having the strain of being on the road in Mexico.

"We had packed sandwiches and at around 7 PM we enjoyed munching while watching a movie, which to our surprise was in English with Spanish subtitles. Shortly after the first film they showed another, which was also in English.

"By this time I had to make my first trip to the restroom. The facilities weren't great, but they weren't as bad as some gas stations I have been in. It's really important to be steady on your feet, as the curves and uneven roads make navigating to the back of the bus a little bit difficult. I worked my way back by hanging onto the seatbacks of our fellow travelers. A word to the wise: don't wait to go till it's almost too late—you don't want a sudden jolt or sway of the bus to cause you to make a puddle before you reach the WC.

"A third movie was shown; this time it was in Spanish and had no subtitles. That was no problem as I was dozing off anyway.

"At 11 PM we stopped somewhere north of Zacatecas and were able to stretch our legs and use a non-moving bathroom. We climbed back onto the bus and made another stop at around 4:30 AM in Monterrey. At 7 AM we pulled into the station at Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, just across the border from Laredo, Texas. The trip to the border was accomplished with very few complaints from the princess.

"After we crossed the border, we boarded a Greyhound bus to Austin. That's where the fun of the trip ended. There is no comparison between the Turistar Ejecutivo buses in Mexico and the shabby and dirty buses in the U.S. The princess immediately became disenchanted with bus travel on the United States side of the border. Picky is definitely not Greyhound's middle name.

"The return trip on the Mexican bus was pleasant and without any hassle. I am currently researching the possibility of traveling by Mexican bus to McAllen, TX, and then flying on Southwest Airlines to Austin or Houston, which are ordinarily my two U.S. destinations.

"If you want to go to the border for shopping, to visit friends or for medical reasons, by all means go by bus. We were thrilled with the Turistar Ejecutivo service and will travel with them again. We'll simply avoid any travel by bus in the U.S. as it is exactly what we have always imagined."

"This trip really made me wonder about priorities in the United States. Mexico, a third world country, has certainly surpassed the U.S. in long distance bus travel."

I have frequently taken the Turistar Ejecutivo bus to McAllen, TX, and agree wholeheartedly with JoAnne's assessment of the line's services. I've also taken other bus lines from the border cities back to Guadalajara (when Turistar was sold out) and believe that Turistar is indeed the cream of the crop. Some folks think that it's best to travel to the border on Wednesdays, as the midweek bus is usually carrying fewer passengers than it does closer to the weekend.

Autobuses Americanos
If you prefer to take a bus that leaves Guadalajara and travels all the way to destinations within the United States, take Autobuses Americanos from Módulo 6. The line is not as luxurious as Turistar, but it will take you directly to Laredo (14 hours), San Antonio (19 hours), Houston (21 hours), Dallas, or El Paso in Texas. It also runs to Kansas City (37 hours), to Chicago (44 hours), to Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque. The line connects with Greyhound service to Atlanta, destinations in Florida, and both North and South Carolina.

The bus carries 44 passengers and doesn't offer the little extras like the soft drinks and cookies. The seats are smaller and don't recline as much as the Turistar seats do and the foot rests aren't full leg supports. While Autobuses Americanos are not the bottom of the heap, they are probably not for the truly picky.

Should you decide to travel via Autobuses Americanos, be advised that you and all of your luggage will have to leave the bus at the U.S. Customs station at the border. Once the bus is examined and you and your luggage have cleared customs, you will re-board the same bus to continue your journey in the United States.

Getting Around By Bus in Mexico

What about bus travel within Mexico? There are so many wonderful cities and towns to visit in this country, and there is easy and inexpensive bus access to most of them. Many Mexican destinations are accessible directly from Guadalajara; some, particularly in the far south of Mexico, require a change of bus in Mexico City.

Bus Line	Destination	One Way Cost*	Travel Time	Departures
ETN Módulo #6	San Miguel de Allende	$550 pesos	Approx. 5 hours	9 AM, 3:15 PM
ETN Módulo #6	Morelia	$299 pesos	Approx 4 hours	7:30 AM, 9:20 AM, 11:40 AM, 1:30 PM, 4:30
ETN Módulo #6	Puerto Vallarta	$430 pesos	Approx. 5 hours	12:30 AM, 6:30 AM, 8:45 AM, 10: 30 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:30 PM, 6:30 PM, 11:30 PM daily
ETN Módulo #6	Mexico City	$575 pesos	Approx. 7 hours	Frequent departures every day
Elite Módulo #7 01-33-3679-0404	Zacatecas	$255 pesos	Approx. 5 hours	Call for information
Futura Módulo #7 01-33-3679-0404	Puerto Vallarta	$335 pesos	Approx. 5 hours	Call for information
Elite Módulo #7 01-33-3679-0404	Mazatlán	$340 pesos	Approx. 4 hours	Call for information
Transportes Chihuahuenses Módulo #7	Puebla	$600 pesos	Approx. 10 hours	10:15 PM daily

*The peso exchange rate as of this writing was 11.3 pesos per dollar. Note: bus fares are subject to change without notice.

ETN,  Elite, and Futura offer excellent and comfortable service within Mexico. ETN advertises itself as la linea más cómoda (the most comfortable line). My long years of experience traveling with them make me agree that indeed they are exceptionally comfortable.

ETN takes credit cards and will make reservations for you over the phone.  Tickets are also available at many travel agencies in Mexico.

These long distance buses within Mexico normally depart punctually to the minute and offer lots of little extras—bathroom on board, soft drinks, water, coffee, sometimes a sandwich and a cookie. Most other lines will make a seat reservation by telephone but require you to come to the bus station to pay in person at least 24 hours prior to your trip.

There are many other bus lines which travel to other destinations in Mexico, some to places less frequented by foreigners. Most of these other domestic lines are not nearly as luxurious as either Turistar or ETN, but they will definitely get you where you want to go.

I've often traveled on the Primera Plus line (Módulo #1) and recommend it highly for travel to Uruapan, Guanajuato, and other wonderful locations. La Linea Plus (Módulo #2) also travels to Uruapan, Morelia, and many other destinations.

Long distance bus travel in Mexico is a relaxing and stress free way to get around. Riding the bus gives you the opportunity to see the countryside along the way and have rich experiences of real Mexican life.

Next time you decide to travel, you might just see one of us on your bus.

Comments

[Robert B.]

I live in Valladolid, Yucatan and use the INAPAM card for all my bus travels. The 50 percent discount is available on all buses from second class to luxury. However the areas largest carrier ADO does restrict the sale to 5 seats on first class and 3 on the luxury buses--so I try to buy early and have never been disappointed.
I have used Americanos several times and find them to be a huge disappointment when compared to most Mexican buses. They are almost as bad as Greyhound--but nothing is really that bad!

[Mr B]

I read your article regarding the Autobuses Americanos. I went to their web site, but cannot locate a fare schedule. Are you familiar with their pricing to Houston from Guadalajara? Thanks for the great web site. Mr B

Mr. B, thanks for your kind words. I wish I had information about Autobuses Americanos fares from Guadalajara to Houston, but I don't.

The Autobuses Americanos website (http://www.xkproductions.com/AASA/servrutas.html) includes a map of its routes; the map appears to show that you'd have to take a bus from Guadalajara to Monterrey and change there for Laredo, San Antonio, and Houston. The website is unfortunately not very useful.

[john miller]

Mexican citizens and foreigners living in Mexico with an FM3/2 who are 60 years old or older can get an INAPAM card and only pay half price for bus tickets.

[Anita]

Last spring I took the Estrella bus between Mexico DF and Puebla and was shocked at how wonderful it was, especially (but not because of) the amazing price. It was easy to navigate the system even with limited Spanish; I highly recommend it.