Mexico City runs one of the busiest metro systems in the Americas — over six million rides a day — and once you have the one rechargeable card, most of the city opens up. The subway is famously cheap, the bus-lane Metrobús gets you through the worst traffic, and both connect straight to the airport.
The basics
The backbone is the Metro, run by the Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (STC): 12 color-coded subway lines and around 195 stations blanketing the city. Alongside it, Metrobús runs bus rapid transit in dedicated lanes on 7 lines, including the line that reaches the airport. The Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos (STE) runs the trolleybuses, the Tren Ligero light rail line down to Xochimilco, and the Cablebús cable cars that climb the hillside neighborhoods. RTP runs additional city bus routes. On top of all that, privately operated colectivos (minibuses, also called peseros) cover routes the formal network doesn’t reach — cash only, and you flag them down anywhere along the route rather than at a fixed stop.
How to pay
Nearly everything now runs on the Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada (MI). The Metro phased out paper tickets line by line starting in 2023, and the MI card is now the required way through the turnstiles. Pick one up at any Metro station ticket booth or vending machine, then tap it at the reader every time you board — including on Metrobús, trolleybus, Tren Ligero, and Cablebús, which all take the same card. Presenting your MI card also gets you a fee-free transfer onto those other integrated modes, instead of paying twice. You can reload it at station machines and ticket windows, or — if your phone has NFC — through the official App CDMX, holding the card against the back of your phone. Colectivos are the exception: pay the driver directly in cash as you board.
Fares
| Fare | |
|---|---|
| Metro, any distance or line | $5 |
| Metro, reduced (registered students, heads of household, or unemployed riders with a differentiated-fare card) | $3 |
| Metro, free (seniors, people with disabilities, children under 5, registered INJUVE youth, uniformed police) | $0 |
| Metrobús, any line except the airport | $6 |
| Metrobús Línea 4 to/from the airport | $30 |
The Metro’s $5 flat fare has been unchanged since December 2013 and covers a ride of any length or number of transfers within the subway network.
Getting from the airport
Mexico City’s airport (MEX) only has direct rail and BRT service at Terminal 1 — two official options:
- Metro Línea 5, Terminal Aérea station, a short walk from the Terminal 1 arrivals hall. It’s the same $5 flat fare as anywhere else on the network, and drops you straight into the rest of the subway.
- Metrobús Línea 4 (Ruta Norte), boarding at Terminal 1 gate 7 or Terminal 2 gate 2, running downtown toward the Centro Histórico and Paseo de la Reforma. It costs $30 and runs every day of the year — Monday to Saturday from 4:30am to midnight, Sundays and holidays from 5am to midnight.
If you land at Terminal 2, note that the free Aerotrén between terminals is only for passengers connecting onward to another flight (with that flight’s boarding pass) or airline crew — it’s not for general arriving passengers. Everyone else pays for the airport’s own inter-terminal bus: $16 pesos between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, or $6 pesos on the direct bus straight to the Hangares Metro station, one stop before Terminal Aérea on Línea 5. Neither agency publishes an official travel time for the ride downtown, so budget extra time, especially in traffic for the Metrobús.
Apps to download
- App CDMX — the official city app; recharge your MI card over NFC and look up routes.
- Google Maps — solid for general trip planning.
- Moovit — a local favorite for real-time bus and Metrobús arrivals.
When it runs
The Metro keeps a consistent schedule: Monday–Friday 5:00am–midnight, Saturday 6:00am–midnight, Sunday and holidays 7:00am–midnight. There’s no overnight service on any day.
The Metrobús airport line (Línea 4) runs Monday–Saturday 4:30am–midnight and Sunday/holidays 5am–midnight, every day of the year.
Accessibility
Metro fare rules give free entry to riders with disabilities. That said, the network is decades old and elevator coverage isn’t guaranteed at every station — check ahead for the stations on your route if you need step-free access.
Etiquette & local quirks
- Women- and children-only sections. The Metro reserves cars and platform areas (usually at the front of the train) for women and children under 12 — look for the floor markings. It’s a real rule, not a suggestion: men who ignore it can be fined or arrested under the city’s civic culture law.
- Colectivos are cash and hail-anywhere. Unlike the Metro or Metrobús, minibuses stop wherever you flag them down along their route — tell the driver where you’re headed and pay as you board.
- Rush hour is intense. With six million-plus daily riders, Lines 1, 2, and 3 especially get very full during peak hours — expect to let a train or two pass if you can wait.
Good to know
- The MI card is now essential, not optional — since paper tickets were phased out starting in 2023, you’ll need one to get through a Metro turnstile at all.
- Metrobús doesn’t take cash on board — you need a loaded MI or Metrobús card before you reach the platform.