Twenty Years of the Metrobus

 It was twenty years ago this summer that Mexico City's Metrobus system was inaugurated.

The Metrobus is an articulated double bus that travels along its own dedicated lanes and which stops at platforms usually situated in the middle of the avenues along which the buses run.  Because they have their own special lanes, they are often faster than traveling by car, taxi or Uber.  They have replaced hundreds of polluting standard buses and microbuses along their routes.  The newest models are electric.

If you have read this blog over the years, you know that the Metrobuses are my preferred means of transportation.  Although they can be packed like a can of sardines during rush hours, if I time the hour of my travel correctly, the buses are not uncomfortably crowded, and many times I have a seat.

The cost of a ride on the Metrobus is 6 pesos (about 32 U.S. cents), making it one of the cheapest forms of public transportation in the world.  Transfers from one line to another are free.  To ride the Metrobus, you need to have a rechargeable card to pass through the turnstile.  The cards are also used for the Metro (subway), the trolleys, and the aerial "cablebus" lines.

My card

The first Metrobus line was opened in June of  2005. It is the line I use most frequently since one of the stops, "Polyforum" by the World Trade Center, is just a couple blocks from the apartment.  Line 1 travels north and south along the entire length of Insurgentes Avenue.  It runs about 19 miles from the northern limit of the city all the way to the south where Insurgentes becomes the federal highway heading to Cuernavaca and on to Acapulco.  From Line 1 I can connect to several other Metrobus and Metro lines.

Line 2 was completed in 2007.  It runs over 12 miles in an east - west direction.  A spur of Line 2 runs a short distance along Insurgentes, including the "Polyforum" stop.  I can use it and then transfer to another line and reach the heart of downtown.

Line 3 was inaugurated in 2011.  It also runs about 12 miles, beginning at the northern city limits and heading southward.  From Line 2, I can transfer at the "Etiopia" station and take Line 3 downtown.  It is the route I often take when I want to go to the city center.

Line 4 was opened in 2012.  It starts at the former Buenavista Train Station and goes all the way to Mexico City International Airport.  It used to be a good option if I wanted to meet someone at the airport, but then they changed the route.  You now have to get off and transfer to another bus to go on to the airport, making it no longer a very convenient route.

Line 5 was opened in 2013 and extended in 2017.  It runs about 17 miles in a northwest - southeast direction.  It is a line that I have used infrequently to reach some places off the beaten track.

Line 6 was opened in 2016 and runs 12 miles in a east - west direction in the northern part of the city.  It has proven to be useful to me, because I can transfer to it from Line 1, and it will take me to within a couple blocks of Alejandro's family's house.

Finally, Line 7 was opened in 2018, and it is the only route to have air conditioned, double-decker buses.  It begins in the far north of the city, passes near the Basilica of Guadalupe, and then heads down Paseo de la Reforma to Chapultepec Park.  It is a route that I would recommend to visitors since it gives you a elevated view and connects with many tourist destinations.

Although some of the lines have been extended, there have been no new routes added to the Metrobus system since 2018.  Most of the new work on public transportation seems to be concentrated on trolley routes and the "cablebus" system, the cable cars that travel high above the city.