Bus Travel Mexico, Border Crossing, Nogales Just Show Up

Visiting Cities, Ruins, or Beach Areas

Bus Terminals

The bus stations in the larger Mexican cities are open 24 / 7. You can arrive in
the morning and check your luggage for a small fee. You are then free to travel
the city, ruin, or beach with just your daypack. (the Mochila in Mexico)

Bus Station Taxis

Taxis are usually inexpensive ( $3 to $6 USD) except in Mexico City. ( 90 peso
to go from Mexico Norte Bus Station to Tapo Bus Station, $9-$10 USD, much
more at the airport)

You could also catch a local bus or collective taxi to the beach or ruin after a little
inquiry at the station or some web research.
Collectivos are shared taxis that charge per passenger and offer a better price.
Ask where the collectivo passes for your destination and you can save. See
addition info on the web at Mexico Transportation: Taxis, Collectivos, Travel.

Some Bus Travel Tips:

Keep your daypack with you and your essentials like sweater, computer,
camera, snack, water, etc in the pack in the overhead or under your leg rest.
Keep your passport, visa, money, credit cards, ATM cards etc on your person.
Don't wear flashy jewelry. Be discrete when counting money. Keep small bills
and change in one pocket and work out of that. Don't flash a large wallet full of
cash or a wad of bills.

Don’t share drink or food with strangers.

Tip, Taxi in the City:

Let the starter or concierge arrange for your taxi in Mexico City and in other
large cities. The price will be preset and there will be no surprises.
If you are on the street, ask for the taxi stand or go into a hotel and ask the clerk
to call a taxi. Let the starter at the bus station arrange for the cab. Always agree
on a price before entering. (Obvious) You avoid Pirate cabs if you let the starter
of concierge /desk clerk order the taxi.

Ask other travelers to join you and share the price, the taxis charge by the trip
not by the number of people.

Caution:

A large city could have more than one bus station; Mexico City Bus
Terminals Mexico City has four first class stations.
Write down the name of your station once you arrive and before you catch a taxi
to head into the Centro Historico of the city or to the beach or ruin site. These
stations might just be a three letter abbreviation (TAM, for instance for
Transportation Autobus Moralia, or ADO for the First Class terminal in Oaxaca)
Tapo in Mexico City)

save your ticket

You are apt to forget this after a day of touring or beaching. Write this on your
ticket stub and you have the station name and the bus line.
Do the same with your hotel or hostel. Ask at the desk for a card with the name
and address. Hand that to a taxi driver when you want to return to the station and
you will have no problem.

See Page Three

Bus Travel Mexico, Border Crossing, Nogales,
Tufesa Bus Service is Plentiful and Frequent

Bus Border Crossing,

Tufesa Bus makes a border crossing at Nogales, Mexico. Tufesa Bus runs a service from the US
that crosses the Mexican Border and continues south to Guadalajara.
This Cross Border Bus can make your bus trip through Mexico easier.

For European, Canadian, and US independent travelers and backpackers, who want to visit many colonial
cities and beaches in Mexico, the long-haul, first class buses of Mexico offer an alternative to the airliner.
The buses have more room and are more comfortable than an airliner.
The service in Mexico is plentiful and, other than being a longer trip in terms of time spent traveling, a much more
stress-free experience.

Several bus lines make cross border trips. Tufesa runs from Las Vegas, Nevada. Salt Lake City, and several
cities in California.

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Bus Air Conditioning

The Air Conditioning systems are blasting frigid air, bring
a sweater or jacket. Layer clothing for extremes.

Bus Movies

Mentioned earlier: bring earplugs for the movies; you will
get either cartoons, Cantinflas specials, or US action flicks
on North bound buses. Better movies on South bound
buses.

Bus Hub Cities

The great advantage of bus travel in Mexico over air travel is
that you can stop in the small colonial cities or beach
towns and resort areas along the way and tour for the day.
You can then Taxi back to the bus station, board a night bus
and sleep until you reach the next city or beach.
If you time it right, you arrive in your next city at dawn (7 am
in the tropics) and you start touring the city or you put into a
hotel or hostel for an overnight stop.

Bus Travel Through Mexico can start at the
Border Crossing in Nogales and includes frequent
and plentiful service. Just show up at the Tufesa
Bus terminal. Service by several bus lines runs
from the US or within Mexico.

See Buying tickets below

Buying Bus Tickets

If you are not fluent in the Spanish language, it is best to write your destination,
your name, departure time, and ticket price in a note book or piece of paper
and hand this to the ticket seller. Also designate your desired seat, between 1
and 20 perhaps, window (ventana)
The clerk will assign your seat and ticket with your name and seat assignment.
Otherwise the clerk will assign a seat too far in the back of the bus where wheel
noise and bathroom odors might be a problem.