How to Ride the ADO bus in Southern Mexico

by Fausto Chavez

ADO is the main bus company that services southern Mexico, serving the areas east and south of Mexico City. Many bus stations are called ADO stations though ADO is not the only bus carrier you'll find, it’s the most prevalent. ADO also owns OCC and many buses and stations have the OCC label, though operated by the same company. The ADO system is an efficient, affordable and safe way to travel and explore the far south reaches of Mexico, from CDMX all the way to Yucatan. 

Tip: ADO stands for Autobuses del Oriente, and is pronounced “ah-deh-oh” in Spanish. 

Cancun as Point of Entry / Exit

The popular resort city of Cancun can serve as a convenient point of entry and exit to Southern Mexico. Cancun gets a lot of flights, so it’s not hard to catch a flight that suits your needs, and those planes are flying at all times. There are many connecting flights to Mexico City, which serves as another hub to where you are going next. At the Cancun airport, there are ADO buses departing from morning to night to different locations. Approx. every 30 mins (8:30 am to 11:10 pm) a bus departs from Cancun airport to the downtown Cancun ADO station for just under 5$ where you can continue your journey, or stay at one of the many hotels in the area. You can also take the same route back towards the Cancun airport when leaving Mexico.

The First class or second class: When buying tickets, an important choice to make is whether to go first class or second class. First class buses cost more, will make fewer stops taking a more direct path and hence shorter ride time, often faster by several hours. The buses are newer, have a restroom, air conditioning, and TV entertainment. My biggest complaint with first class is the TV feature, where they show movies (which I’d rather not watch) it’s a torture you might have to endure. Once I was on a bus full of adults but the films being shown were children's movies!  

Tip: Look for volume knobs overhead, as well some of the screens can be put away if not being watched.

There are other upgraded class options Platina and GL which are luxury buses. Visit ADO’s webpage and this link for details https://www.ado.com.mx/marcas.  

Second Class buses will be older, might not have a restroom, will pass through more towns picking up people and dropping them off along the way. Thankfully, these buses are so old or basic that they are not equipped with TV screens so no movies are shown. For this reason, when traveling short distances, and not in a time rush, I much prefer second class. For a long distance trip however, the money saving will be meager for the hours lost making stops at small towns, you just have to put up with TV programming that’s not of your choice.

Make sure heavy and larger luggage are stored in the luggage cabin underneath the bus. Overhead compartments are not secure and placing heavy items up there can be dangerous. 

Buying your ticket: you can buy tickets at the station at the window/counter upto near departure time. Some stations will have screens showing bus line schedules and destinations. You can also buy tickets online, and have e-ticket sent to your email. (I was able to make purchases using Paypal, though I hear purchasing direct with foreign credit cards is not possible--again, use Paypal, or the 3rd party website Busbud.com). The e-ticket will be scanned from your phone at the time of boarding right before you step into the bus. You can also request a printed e-ticket at the station. If you buy tickets online several days in advance (compra anticipada) you can get steep discounts, and if you can’t make it to the scheduled bus after all, you can transfer the purchase to another bus route (sans savings).

Boarding: Getting on the bus can be tricky since there is usually no screen identifying your bus status. Also, there is no bus dock number, nor is there a visible bus number. Your ticket will have your departure time. Around departure time, just keep your ears and eyes alert: your the destination and departure time will be announced, then head for the door that leads to the buses, you may have to form a line before you enter the bus dock area, then seek the guidance of workers who will lead you to the appropriate bus, where your ticket will be scanned before entering the bus. If you have luggage to be stowed underneath, the person checking your luggage will give you a ticket to retrieve your bags at the destination.

Tip: Sometimes there will be more than one waiting hall to board the bus. If your bus departs from one hall and you are in another hall, you will miss the bus. Don’t hesitate to ask questions regarding the departure hall, and which bus is the one to board. Sometimes there are two busses heading towards the same town, departing at the same time! Double check.

Tip: At the town of Valladolid, Yucatan, outside the ADO station there are locals who sell tamales for 15 pesos, wrapped in banana leaf, big and tasty, and simply amazing. Two kinds are sold, and both are delicious. Probably the best tamales I’ve ever had!

When traveling long distances a direct bus route is not always available, or the best choice. For instance, from Merida to Oaxaca city, a direct bus will depart only once a week, at 7pm Fridays. So what to do the rest of the time? Basically, go to your destination in smaller increments. For instance, there are daily buses going from Merida to Villahermosa, from Villahermosa there daily buses going to Tuxtla, from Tuxtla there are daily buses to Oaxaca city. An easy way to figure your connecting itinerary is when viewing a potential ticket/route purchase at the ADO website, under the proposed bus, click on the link “ver detalle” (see detail) and you’ll see another link “ver maps” (see map), clicking this link will list the cities at which the bus will make stops. You can then cross check departure times from a given city of interest to pinpoint a good connecting bus to take, or whether a bus is connecting bus or point of origin departure, which ADO refers to as “de depaso” or “viaje local,” with the latter being origin departure, and the former being a bus making a stop having originated somewhere else. “Viaje local” will be reliably on time, while “de paso” can often be late. 

Once boarded and seated, individuals may board the bus to sell food, snacks and drinks. It’s a good choice to buy something, even at their higher prices, it’s still affordable if coming from the US or similar country.

Tip: When buying tickets, you will be presented with a screen where you can choose your seat. You can see which seats are chosen or available. Typically the middle seats will go first, then the back seats last. Other travelers will advise against choosing seats in the rear of the bus, citing proximity to the restroom, but I usually chose the rear seats since I was traveling alone and was more likely to get a seat without another passenger sitting next to me, and never had an issue with the restroom (though no guarantees).

Taking the bus for a long distance is a very common method of travel in Mexico. I found the Mexican bus drivers to be good and careful drivers, unlike other countries where bus drivers are reckless. Also, unlike the United States where bus drivers are seen as low status jobs, in Mexico bus drivers enjoy prestige, are respected by society, and take their job seriously.