I like to use public transport in foreign cities. You get to know the local culture a bit more and of course you save money too.

But the public transport system in CDMX already seemed a bit complicated when planning a trip, so I always just ended up searching how reliable Uber is here anyway.

And in the end, we really only used Uber about 80% of the time.

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Quick answer.

How to get around Mexico City	How often have we used
Uber	80 % For most longer trips around town
On foot	15 % Ideal in Roma Norte, Condese, Polanco and downtown
Metro	5 % Extremely cheap, but mostly off our route
Metrobús	we only used it on a trial basis a bit of a confusing system, but it runs very frequently
Cable cars	we didn't manage to get on even once more for locals from the outskirts than a practical thing for tourists
Taxi	Never Prices always overpriced against Uber

💡 If you're going to Mexico City for the first time, you'll probably get by with Uber, walking and the occasional metro.

I would also recommend my other 2 articles before your trip:

• 👉 Tips for safe places to stay
• 👉 O ur 5-day itinerary in Mexico City

Uber - reliable, safe and affordable

If I had to recommend one way to get around Mexico City, it would be Uber.

We used it several times a day, day and night, and never encountered a single problem.

Paying through the app always worked, we didn't have to deal with cash or haggling over the price, and booking a ride in advance worked without a problem.

• You can download Uber on Google Play / App Store

To use Uber, you need to have a cell signal.

I use Airalo's eSIM for all my trips.

Get a Mexican eSIM and stay online

Car availability 24/7

This is Uber's biggest advantage in CDMX.

Cars are available everywhere at any time of the day or night.

The longest we waited was about 10 minutes for confirmation from the driver + the arrival of the car.

We also traveled by Uber more than 50 km outside of Mexico City to Teotihuacan at 4:30am - I made reservations ahead of time instead and that went smoothly as well.

How safe is Uber in CDMX?

We have not encountered any safety issues at all.

The drivers always took us where we wanted to go without any hassle or added fees.

Sometimes the cars are older and sometimes there are no seat belts available on the back seats.

Uber prices in Mexico City

Uber was a little more expensive than I expected, but still nothing that would have ruined our 5-day stay.

These are the prices we paid in CDMX in May 2026 (I'm just giving examples of some of the routes):

• Historic Center -> Pyramids of Teotihuacán (55 km): 490 mxn
• MEX Airport -> Historical Center (12 km): 150 mxn
• Basilica of Guadalupe -> Palace of Bellas Artes (8 km): 140 mxn
• Historical Centre -> Roma Norte (4.5 km): 100 mxn
• Frida Kahlo Museum -> Soumaya Museum (13 km): 220 mxn

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How fast is Uber?

This is a pretty major drawback: transportation in Mexico City is often quite difficult.

Traffic jams, traffic lights and lots of cars are the order of the day, so a journey that seems short on the map can take up to 3 times longer than you'd expect in reality.

We have only ever had trouble-free trips in the morning until about 8:30am.

If you will be traveling on a route with a parallel metro, I would use the metro. If time is your main concern.

If you prefer convenience, safety and cleanliness, take Uber.

Does Uber work for airport travel?

Yes.

You can use Uber to both MEX and NLU airports. It works on the way to and from the airport.

Other ridesharing apps

The following other apps work in Mexico City:

• Cabify - more expensive better cars, poor availability
• DiDi - similar principle to Uber, often cheaper, but older cars and availability worse
• InDrive - you offer the price you want to drive, availability good but worse than Uber

Taxi

Although regular taxis in Mexico City operate without problems (and there are perhaps even more of them than Uber cars), we didn't use them once during our stay.

The reason was simple. Whenever I compared the price with Uber, the taxi was about 2-4x more expensive.

If you already have Uber on your phone, I don't see much reason to use a regular taxi.

While there are only official pink and white taxis in Mexico City, it's absolutely rare to use the meters.

And that's a stumbling block.

You can only price match the amount you'd pay for an Uber with perfect Spanish, and only if you can give the impression that you know Mexico City very well.

On foot

Surprisingly often we got around the city on foot.

We spent most of our time in Roma Norte, Condesa, Polanco and the historic centre, where walking is the fastest mode of transport.

Roma Norte and Condesa in particular feel much more compact than one would expect from Mexico City.

Instead of constantly moving through traffic, we simply moved between restaurants, cafes and individual sights on our own.

• 👉 In the article Safety in Mexico City, I describe more about where it's okay to walk and where it's not.

Metro

Mexico City has one of the largest metro systems in Latin America and many guidebooks present it as the main mode of transport around the city.

Having experienced it myself, I would be more cautious.

The metro is great for locals, but the average tourist uses it less than they would expect.

The main tourist areas are not always on the most convenient routes.

Nevertheless, the metro is useful for example when travelling to the historic centre or for longer distances.

The advantage is the extremely low price (only 5 pesos per ride).

• 👉 How to pay in the Mexican metro? How safe is it? Where can I find a map of the lines? Read more in my article Metro in CDMX

Metrobus, buses and trolleybuses

Public transport in Mexico City is not only made up of the metro.

The most important bus network is the Metrobús, a system of red express buses running in designated corridors where cars are not allowed.

Although buses do not stop as often as cars in traffic jams, they are still slowed down considerably by the very frequent traffic lights.

However, other buses (trolleybuses) of the carriers RTP, Trolebús, purple triangle buses or minibuses also operate in CDMX.

Line numbers and how to find my route?

Even if the individual stops, line numbers and departure times are marked on Google Maps, the reality is often different.

In fact, buses don't actually display a line number at all (just the registration number of the bus, like a number plate).

You are mainly oriented by the destination stops and the streets the bus is travelling on.

Still, Google Maps Transit is the only at least somewhat reliable way to find out what's going where.

Where have we used the bus?

For us, the only meaningful bus options were these routes:

• Metrobuses along Passeo Reforma (from Chapultepec to the northwestern edge of the historic center, but also further north towards the Basilica of Guadalupe)
• Special airport bus to MEX airport
• Suburban bus from the pyramids of Teotihuacán to the centre

How to pay for the buses?

Different transport companies accept different forms of payment.

• Metrobús - modern big red buses
  • flat fare 6 mxn per 1 ride
  • ✅ yes - own contactless card (just attach to the reader when boarding or entering the station platform)
  • ✅ yes - Tarjeta Mobilidad Integrada (MI) transport card
  • ❌ no - cash

• Suburban buses - mostly large older buses, sometimes with air conditioning, sometimes without air conditioning
  • for example from the pyramids of Teotihuacán
  • fares according to distance, from the pyramids you pay around 85 mxn
  • ➖ sometimes - own contactless card (for example, when travelling from CDMX to Teotihuacán you can pay at the ticket office with a card, but only cash at the driver)
  • ❌ no - Tarjeta Mobilidad Integrada (MI) transport card
  • ✅ yes - cash (to be paid to the bus driver)
• Trolebús - modern blue trolleybuses
  • flat fare 4 mxn per 1 ride
  • ✅ yes - own contactless card (just attach to the reader when boarding)
  • ✅ yes - Tarjeta Mobilidad Integrada (MI) transport card
  • ❌ no - cash
• RTP - modern green buses
  • most often 4 mxn or 8 mxn depending on the type of route
  • ❌ no - own contactless card
  • ✅ yes - Tarjeta Mobilidad Integrada (MI) transport card
  • ✅ yes - cash (to be paid to the conductor inside the bus)
• Purple triangle - older purple and white buses
  • most often 8 mxn
  • ❌ no - own contactless card
  • ✅ yes - Tarjeta Mobilidad Integrada (MI) transport card
  • ✅ yes - cash (paid to the conductor inside the bus)
• Minibuses - often very old buses on routes that don't even show up on Google Maps
  • ❌ no - own contactless card
  • ❌ no - Tarjeta Mobilidad Integrada (MI) transport card
  • ✅ yes - cash (to be paid to the conductor inside the bus)

Where to buy an MI transport card?

It is only worth buying if you want to travel on a lot of buses or trolleybuses on which payments with your own contactless card are not possible.

The MI card costs 15 mxn and you have to load any amount on it, which will be charged gradually.

• at the machines at some Metrobus stations.
• at vending machines or ticket offices at all metro stations
• via the mobile app App CDMX on Google Play / App Store (you do not need to pay the 15 pesos fee for the plastic card in this case)

Cablebús - suspended gondolas

One of the most interesting pieces of transportation in Mexico City are the Cablebús cable cars.

Unlike most similar systems in the world, they were not created as a tourist attraction, but as a regular part of the city's transport.

The lines run mainly to the outskirts of the city, where travel used to be very difficult.

We didn't manage to try Cablebuses during our visit, but if you have more time, it can be an interesting trip with unusual views of the city.

How to pay for Cablebús?

There is a single fare on all cable car routes 7 mxn.

You can pay in the following ways:

• ✅ yes - your own contactless card (just attach it to the reader when boarding)
• ✅ yes - Tarjeta Mobilidad Integrada (MI) transport card (just attach it to the reader on boarding)
• ✅ yes - cash (pay at the ticket office before boarding)

Tourist attraction cable car routes

If I have an extra half day in CDMX, which line should I take and why?

The cable cars offer nice and, above all, unusual views of Mexico City, and you'll get to know much more about the local life of the poorer classes.

Cablebús Línea 3 (Chapultepec)

This is a line I would recommend to just about any tourist.

The reason is simple:

• ✅ it runs through the Bosque de Chapultepec (the largest park)
• ✅ it was built partly with tourist and cultural use in mind
• ✅ it is the most accessible of the tourist areas
• ✅ you don't have to travel to the distant outskirts of the city
• ✅ leads to safer areas
• ❌ views only of parks and greenery, but not so interesting views of the city

Moreover, it is the only line that locals themselves often recommend to foreign visitors.

Cablebús Línea 2 (Iztapalapa)

If you're interested in the "real" Mexico City rather than the tourist attractions.

The line runs through the vast residential areas of Iztapalapa and offers a very interesting view of daily life in the city.

The views are impressive, this line is particularly popular because of the colourful Iztapalapa houses, which are beautifully visible from the cable car.

• ✅ The most interesting views
• ❌ furthest from the centre (realistically 60 minutes there + 40 minutes by cable car + 60 minutes back)
• ❌ Iztapalapa is one of the relatively dangerous parts of the city - frequent thefts and the neighbourhood is run by drug cartels

Cablebús Línea 1 (Indios Verdes)

Most "off the beaten path".

If you want to get an idea of the real size and density of Mexico City, it is fascinating.

• ✅ The most local atmosphere
• ✅ interesting views of densely built suburbs on many hills
• ❌ the longest and most of the time you go there and back again (the total cable car ride can be over 1 hour)
• ❌ least tourist attractions, it's more about the local atmosphere

My final recommendation for transport on the CDMX

If I came to the city again, I would do it exactly the same way.

• Uber between neighborhoods
• walking around Roma Norte, Condesa, Polanco and the historic centre
• Metro only on selected routes (for example, between Roma Norte and the southern part of the historic centre or to the Norte bus terminal)
• Metrobús as a complement (mainly after Passeo Reforma)
• Cablebús as an interesting excursion
• Taxis and buses (except Metrobus) in general

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For most tourists, I think this is the easiest, fastest and most convenient way to get around Mexico City.