TRAVELING BY
BUS IN MEXICO
by
Marita Adair
Buses are an excellent way to get
around Mexico. Sometimes, they're the only way to get from large cities
to other nearby cities and small villages. Since there's little English
spoken at bus stations, come prepared with your destination written
down, then double check the departure several times just to make sure
you get to the right departing lane on time.
Dozens of Mexican
companies operate large, air-conditioned, Greyhound-type buses between
most cities. Travel class is generally labeled first, second, and deluxe
and is referred to by a variety of names--plus, de lujo, ejecutivo,
primera plus, etc. The deluxe buses often have fewer seats than
regular buses, show video movies en route, are air-conditioned, and have
few stops. Many run express from origin to their final destination. The
few dollars extra you'll pay is worth it. Second class buses have many
stops and cost only slightly less than first-class or deluxe buses.
Whenever possible, it's
best to buy your reserved-seat ticket, often via a computerized system,
a day in advance on many long-distance routes. Schedules are fairly
dependable, so be at the terminal on time for departure. But beware that
routes and times change, and as there's no central directory of
schedules for the whole country, current information must be
obtained from local bus stations.
For long trips, always
carry food, water, toilet paper, and a sweater in case the
air-conditioning is too strong.
Below are some helpful
bus links:
TICKETBUS.COM
- This may be the first place to look when
you're planning a bus trip. It covers many bus lines. You select "from"
destination and "to" destination. Up pops your choices of
lines, with the cost of a ticket and
how long the trip will take. Then you click
to find out departure times on whichever line you choose. It also lists
the deluxe lines. Only experience will tell how often they update
this, but it looks very promising for the
bus travelers among us. Here are
several more options if the above doesn't work.
CRISTOBAL
COLON
ADO
ADO DELUXE
PRIMERA
PLUS
UNO
ABOUT THE WRITER:
Marita Adair has been writing about Mexico for many years. She's the
author The Hungry Traveler: Mexico, A Menu Translator and Food Guide.
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