Cancun Buses & Taxis
The
Cancun Bus System
The bus
system in Cancun is very convenient and cheap.
The fare
is about 7.00 pesos but it changes constantly, it's
better to pay with pesos than US dollars, because it
will cost you $1.00 US the equivalent of 10 pesos.
Make sure
to hand your fare to the driver rather than tossing
it in the fare basket, that way he has to acknowlede
how much you paid him, and will pay change if it's due.
The bus
driver will hand you a ticket. Usually this has a coupon
for some kind of mild discount. You must hold onto
the ticket during your ride. An inspector might jump
on the bus and ask to see it.
Some people
hand their ticket back to the driver as they get off.
This is apparently a tip to the driver who gets to re-sell
the same ticket to someone else.
Routes
When you
are going down into the hotel zone, you can hop aboard
any bus with the sign "zona hotelera" on the
front.
When you
are coming out of the hotel zone, only Route 1 and Route
2 go to the downtown area. Route 1 goes to Avenida Tulum
and goes down it. You will know you've reached downtown
when you see a round about with a huge Starfish on the
left. Route 2 crosses Avenida Tulum at the bottom and
you should get off at that point, sometimes the
driver will call attention to this spot, but don't rely
on it.
For short
trips within the hotel zone, you can use other
routes, just remember they are going to turn off somewhere
before getting downtown.
Don't panic
when you see signs with arrows indicating "Tulum", "Xel-Ha",
"Coba", and so on. These are the names of archaeological
sites a long way outside of Cancun, but they are also
the names of main streets in Cancun. (Refer
to the Cancun downtown Map).
There are 4 bus routes
R-1, R-2, R-15 & R 27.
R-2 & R-15 go to Wal-Mart & Mercado 28.
R-1 goes to Puerto Juarez, Wal-Mart, Plaza 2000, Mercado
23 and the Cancun bus station.
R 27 travels on Tulum Avenue and stops at Plaza Las
Americas shopping mall where you catch the collectivo
to go south down Highway 307 to Playa del Carmen - Tulum
and all points in-between.
Pick-up
and Drop-off
Buses come
along every few minutes, so you'll never be waiting
long.
Most areas
have frequent blue signs signalling bus stops. For areas
with no such signs (such as where a lane is blocked
off for road construction), you can signal the driver
to stop at a spot where there is room to pull in.
Buses will
wait a long time for you to reach them if you are approaching
a bus stop while one is there. Sometimes you would rather
just wait for the next one but they'll guilt you into
jogging to it.
If you are
not sure where your stop is, you can tell the driver
your destination in advance and they will call out when
you arrive.
The driver
may let you off between stops if traffic is light and
they can pull over safely.
Comfort
Route 1
has uncomfortable hard blue plastic seats. Take Route
2 if you have a choice, or one of the higher-numbered
ones if your trip is only a little way within the hotel
zone. All the other routes have softer cloth seats.
23:00 hrs
seems to be a popular closing time for businesses. Try
to avoid taking a bus out of the hotel zone around this
time as the bus may get very packed.
The
Cancun Taxi Service
The
taxi service in Cancun is just as convenient as
the bus service. Every second car on the road is a taxi,
and you find groups of them parked around hotels and
high-traffic areas.
Fares
One piece
of advice you will always hear is: Agree
on the fare before you get in the cab.
A Taxi ride
to anywhere in Cancun shouldn't cost more than be more
than 250 pesos, but there will always be the odd taxi
driver try it on, especially if you are drunk. Always
use the registered taxis (pictured above), do not be
temped to jump in with somebody that says they are cheaper
or you may find yourself in a lot of bother.
Should you
have any problems with a taxi driver, take the number
of the taxi, which is displayed on both sides and the
rear. You then have a good chance of identifying the
driver.
Fares to
different parts of Cancun are posted outside the hotels.
It is difficult to get the exact fare, but use this
table as a rough guide.
| From
- To |
Posted
Fare |
| Hotel Zone Km 4 - Party Zone Km 9 |
100 pesos |
| Hotel
Zone Km 17 - Plaza Kukulcan Km 13 |
180
pesos |
| Hotel
Zone Km 17 - Plaza Flamingo Km 10 |
190
pesos |
| Hotel
Zone Km17 - Plaza Caracol Km 8 |
210
pesos |
| Hotel
Zone Km 17 - Airport |
350
pesos |
| Hotel
Zone Km 17 - Downtown Km 0 |
250
pesos |
| Hotel
Zone Km 17 - Playa del Carmen |
1350
pesos |
Playa
del Carmen Taxi Rates
|
