By Bus in Cancún and Isla Mujeres

By Bus

The City of Cancún contracts bus services out to two competing companies. The result is frequent, reliable public buses running between the Zona Hotelera and El Centro from 6 AM to midnight; the cost is 75. There are designated stops -- look for blue signs with white buses in the middle along Boulevard Kukulcán in the Hotel Zone and along Avenida Tulum downtown. Ruta 1 buses will drop you off anywhere along Avenida Tulum in El Centro. Some also go to Puerto Juárez, where you can catch ferries to Isla Mujeres. However, make sure to check and see if Puerto Juárez is written on the front of the bus, as not all Ruta 1 buses make stops there.

Try to have the correct change and be careful of drivers trying to shortchange you. Also, hold on to the tiny piece of paper the driver gives you. It's your receipt, and bus company officers sometimes board buses and ask for all receipts. To get off the bus, walk to the rear and press the red button on the pole by the back door. If the bus is crowded and you can't make it to the back door, call out to the driver, La proxima parada, por favor -- The next stop, please.

Autocar and Publicar, in conjunction with the Cancún tourist board, has published an excellent pocket guide called "TheMAP" that shows all the bus routes to points of interest in Cancún and the surrounding area. The map is free and is easiest to find at the airport. Some of the midrange hotels carry copies and if you're lucky you may find one on a bus.

First- and second-class buses arrive at the downtown bus terminal (terminal de autobuses) from all over Mexico. Check the schedule, either at the terminal or online, for departure times for Tulum, Chetumal, Cobá, Valladolid, Chichén Itzá, and Mérida. Schedules may change at the last minute but the prices will stay the same.

Autobuses del Oriente, or ADO, is one of the oldest buslines in Mexico and offers regular service to Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen every 15 minutes from 4 AM until midnight.

Playa Express has express buses that leave from a small terminal across from the main bus station every 10 minutes for Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen. To go farther south you must transfer at Playa del Carmen. Mayab Bus Lines has first- and second-class buses leaving for destinations along the Riviera Maya every hour.

Contacts

Autobuses del Oriente (ADO) (998/884-5542). Playa Express (998/887-6782). Mayab Bus Lines (998/884-5542). Terminal de Autobuses (Avs. Tulum and Uxmal, Sm 23. 998/884-5542. www.ticketbus.com.mx).