Bus Stations in Mexico

Stark. Uninviting. Not well lit. Grubby. Located in seedy parts of town. Monopolistic in services offered. Lacking in amenities. Uncomfortable. Not enough seating. Unsanitary rest facilities. Understaffed. Unsafe, real or imagined. “Home” to derelicts and the less fortunate. Inaccurately posted schedules. Providing transportation to primarily low-income consumers. Non-user friendly.

All of the above describe my cumulative experiences and impressions of major city long-distance bus stations. That is, in cities located in the United States such as Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose. However, none of the above could be said about the bus stations in Mexico’s major cities.

Even though Mexico’s middle class continues to grow and car ownership is on the rise, traveling by bus in Mexico is the mode of transportation, regardless of social class, chosen by a very high percentage of Mexicans due to a variety of factors: the inter-city network of buses is exceedingly extensive; it is very efficient and relatively economical; airfares are disproportionally expensive and air routes do not adequately cover the entire country; gasoline is expensive; the only one of the few remaining passenger trains in the country that has any substantial ridership is the Copper Canyon Railway/”El Chepe” that goes from Los Mochis to Chihuahua; and traveling on the free/libre highways can be slow and, sometimes, unsafe, while the use of the faster toll roads/autopistas is expensive.

Therefore, to serve its large bus using population, every major city in Mexico (and many medium sized-cities) has at least one bus station with the nation’s federal district/Mexico City having four. They are known as Central de Autobuses (called “central” for short). Somewhat confusingly and more colloquially, they may also be referred to as Central de Camiones.

Most often, due to the high volume of business and the traffic that they generate, “la central” (not to be confused with “el centro” which means downtown), is located a few miles from “el centro” and easily accessible by car, public transportation, or taxi. These stations typically provide three types of bus service: luxury/ejecutivo; first class/primera clase; and second class/segunda clase. While the majority of the major cities’ centrales host all of the different classes of buses in one terminal building, with at least 15 and often even many more bus companies operating in them, some, like those in Morelia, Michoacan and Queretaro, Queretaro, have three separate terminals, one for each class. Sometimes, in cities like Guadalajara, certain bus companies will have their own building from which they operate. Interestingly, it has been my observation that the first class providers consistently have far and away the most clientele.

Overall, these bus stations are spacious, well lit, well maintained, well staffed including security personnel, and with more than adequate seating; some luxury and first class carriers have their own private waiting areas equipped with televisions. Schedules and fares are normally clearly posted and all tickets are computer generated.

Most have such amenities as cafeteria-style food outlets, magazine/book stands, shops or stands selling regional crafts/souvenirs, local specialties like candies, cookies, pastries, and breads, and, of course to fulfill many Mexicans’ cravings, snacks and sodas, ATM machines, public telephones in working order, guarded 24 hour baggage storage facilities, tourist information kiosks, and taxi booths selling fixed priced fares based on travel zones; some provide internet service and amusements for children-the prices of the items for sale, although more expensive than those that could be obtained elsewhere, are definitely not “ripoffs” as they are in US airport terminals. The rest rooms are large and clean/sanitary although they cost around thirty cents to enter. There is normally a security guard checking tickets and, sometimes, inspecting baggage and personal belongings just before you are granted access to the platform area. Consequently, not surprisingly, the quality of these bus stations oftentimes have been compared quite favorably with that of the train depots in Europe. I almost forgot to mention another “feature” of these stations- they all have one or more Catholic shrines on their premises and once in a while, even a small chapel.

Having lived in Mexico for over four years and having traveled quite often by long-distance bus to and from many of Mexico’s major cities, I am quite impressed with their bus stations. I do have one minor complaint or shall I say, pet peeve. On three occasions, the ticket seller in three different cities, realizing that I am not a native speaker (ok a “gringo”), when giving me change- let’s say I gave them a 200 peso bill for a 120 peso fare and they were supposed to give back to me 80 pesos- instead of giving me paper bills or 10 peso coins, gave me a handful of one or two peso coins deliberately shortchanging me by 10 pesos (about .80) or so. Although those very infrequent attempts in the past to scam me really irks me, I still hold Mexico’s Central de Autobuses in very high regard. To prevent that scam from ever happening again and to keep my thoughts about my experiences at the bus stations pleasant, now I have learned to always pay with the correct amount! No mas y no menos!