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México City’s TAPO Bus Terminal

As the transportation starting-point for trips to Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz , Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatán Peninsula . . . and on to Guatemala and Central America, many of the questions asked on the this branch involve travel to/from the city’s busy eastern bus terminal – Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente – commonly referred to as TAPO.

I went to TAPO today (2/4/04) and had a look at recent improvements and to look for a nearby hotel that had been recommended by a regular contributor a year or two ago (but the information for which was incomplete). Here are my comments about getting to/from TAPO, about the terminal and about lodging possibilities in the area.

Getting there from Benito Juarez International Airport:

There are two options: 1) Taxi, and 2) Metro.

*Taking an “authorized” (often referred to as “Official”) taxi * from the airport is easy to do. Once you exit the Customs inspection area turn to your left and you´ll see a counter with a sign overhead that reads “Sitio 300” from which you’ll prepay your fare to your destination. Fares are fixed and determined by the zone into which you´ll be traveling. Next to the counter where you’ll prepay your fare is a map detailing the zones, in case you want to verify that you’ve been charged the accurate amount. The fare to TAPO is approximately US$10. After you purchase your ticket you walk outside to the line of authroized taxi’s (“Taxi Terrestre”), let the driver stow your luggage in the trunk, enter the taxi and then hand your prepaid ticket to the driver who will hand you back your receipt portion. These taxi’s are considered safe to use as opposed to any of the other city taxies that roam the airport area seeking to pick-up fares (to take one of these taxi’s is considered risky).

There are two Metro lines which you can take directly to the San Lazaro station(s) outside which is located TAPO. Whether or not the Metro is a good option for you to consider depends upon the amount of luggage you’re traveling with. Travelers with lots of luggage, or big luggage, have been refused entry to the Metro system at the airport during peak travel hours or, if they did pass the turnstyle . . . they found it very difficult to maneuver the packed conditions. Theft aboard the Metro is also a common occurrence, and travelers should consider this, also. So, if you do decide to take the Metro to TAPO, walk through the entire terminal until you reach the exit at the far end of Terminal A and continue to walk for about a long city block until you see the stairwell leading down to the Metro – station Terminal Aérea. It’s at this point you´’ll have to make a decision as to which Metro line you want to take to TAPO. Personally, I prefer heading northwest on Line 5 Pantitlan > Politécnico one stop to Oceanía where you change to Line B Ciudad Azteca > Buenavista after which you get off the Metro at the third stop – San Lazaro; personally, I find this the quickest route. An alternative is to travel from the airport on Line 5 - * Politécnico > Pantitlan*. At Pantitlan you leave the Metro (it’s the end of the line) and change to Line 1 – Pantitlan > Observatorio after which you get off the Metro at the sixth stop - San Lazaro. The walking distance from the Metro to the inside of TAPO varies by Metro line you take, from 5 to 15 minutes from what I’ve experienced. The various Metro lines are occassionaly under repair, and, during certain hours of the day, service is restricted . . . so, before making your decision, you might want to ask the ticket seller in the Metro station about the current situation. The Mexico City Metro does not operate around-the-clock, and if you’ll be attempting to transit between the airport and TAPO via Metro after 11:00 p.m., you may want to consider making the trip by taxi in order to avoid the risk of becoming stranded somewhere along the way. The cost of a Metro ride is MX$2.

If you´ll be traveling from TAPO on one of the ADO-affiliated busses you might want to inquire ahead of time as to any shuttle service ADO might be offering between the airport and TAPO. The bus company has offered this service, for a minimal cost, from time-to-time, but I don’t think it’s been something travelers can rely upon (and, the hours of operation were restricted).

What’s Inside the Terminal:

The approximately dozen bus companies that operate out of TAPO maintain boards upon which the schedules/fares are posted for all to see and there are ticket agents to accept reservations and take your money. Most activity in TAPO takes place between the hours of 6 a.m. and Midnight.

In addition to the ticket sellers and baggage check-in counters, TAPO provides a wide variety of services to travelers, including: a dozen or more fast-food restaurants (including: Taco Inn, Church’s Chicken, Domino’s, Gorditqas Norteñas, Helen’s Ice Cream and El Cafetal Express), ATM machines, a bank branch (Santander), convenience stores, a Fuji film outlet that develops film in 30-minutes, a barber/beauty shop, a men’s clothing store, a dry cleaners (not same day service), a pharmacy a record/CD shop and, a checked-luggage room. However, these conveniences are not open and available to the public around-the-clock . . . I think the hours of operation, generally, are 8 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. Not all that long ago there was an internet café in the terminal, but I didn´t see it on my last visit; perhaps it’s being remodeled and will reopen in the future.

A recent comment posted to this branch by someone who traveled through TAPO reported that the main terminal building closes-down for certain hours overnight, and that waiting passengers are asked to either leave the terminal or move to an adjacent, small, waiting room. I've spent the night in the terminal without experiencing the moving requirement, but that was 6 years ago. So, be prepared to be moved to another building if so requested.

Luggage Storage Room – Lockers:

If you want to store your baggage before your departure, you can do so, and you can leave luggage for more than one day. To find the luggage storage service look around the saucer-shaped terminal building (you’ll be in a huge rotunda inside) for a large lighted sign along the wall that reads: “Autobuses México – Puebla – Estrella Roja” where you’ll see a stairway/hallway leading to the Commercial Zone. Enter that wide tunnel and you’ll find the luggage storage service beyond the men’s clothing shop and barber/beauty shop, the name is Guarda Plus. Short-term rates vary between MX$4 – 11 pesos per hour, and daily rates vary beween MX$40 and $110. Small lockers are available for MX$24 per day (same price for 1 hour or for 24 hours). The service is attended 24 hours a day (according to the attendant I spoke with).

Hotels Near TAPO:

There aren’t many hotels located near bus terminals in México City, and the area near TAPO probably has fewer hotels nearby than the other major terminals do. However, there is a nice hotel located about two-blocks from TAPO – Hotel Faja de Oro. Here’s the address and contact information:

Hotel Faja de Oro
Ferrocarril Interoceanico No. 9
Colonia Morelos
México, D.F.
Tel.: 5789-0752
Fax: 5789-7604
No e-mail or webpage
Rates: 1 or 2 persons in 1 bed: MX$230, 2 persons in 2 beds (one in each): MX$380, 4 persons in 2 beds: MX$430

This hotel is very close to the corner of Avenida Eduardo Molina and Héroes de Nacozari, diagonally across the street from the Archivo General de la Nación, and there’s a nice, medium-sized park across from the hotel, also.

To get from the airport to the hotel by taxi, give the driver of the authorized airport taxi the address and the intersection it’s close to.

To get from the airport to the hotel by Metro, take one of the two Metro options to the San Lazaro station. Walk to your right, outside the Metro station, to the street directly in front of TAPO – Eduardo Molina where you’ll see many micro busses and various city busses, just about all of which will get you to the corner nearest the hotel (if confused, just say you want to go to “los Archivos” and the driver will let you off . . . it’s less than a 5 minute ride at a cost of MX$2 to 2.50 (depending on the type of bus you get aboard). If it’s daylight, and you aren’t weighted-down by lots of luggage, you can easily make the two-block walk from TAPO (to your right, the second set of stop-lights) to the hotel in about 15 minutes.

The hotel is large, three floors of rooms, and there is a restaurant on the first floor. I’ll advise against venturing too far from the hotel after 10 p.m or so. If you find the hotel restaurant closed, or not to your liking, there’s a small sandwich stand just across the street from the front door of the hotel that’s in operation from late-morning until early-evening - and there’s, a block to the north, a full-service branch of the popular restaurant “Vips” which is likely to be open until about 11 p.m.

I walked a two/three block ring around TAPO looking for hotels, and found only Faja de Oro. There are several hotels to the south of the terminal, about a mile away, but my feeling is that the area too far for consideration and that it’s level of security is less than where Faja de Oro is located . . . so I chose not to gather information about them.

For travelers who’ve not yet visited TAPO, I think you’ll find the array of services offered, and the polished marble floors and saucer-like design a pleasant departure from many other bus terminals, both inside Mexico and abroad.

It’s possible I’ve forgotten to include something that might be helpful, or that I’ve misspelled a name or word or two . . . so additions and/or corrections may be offered by others. Hopefully, if the information proves helpful in answering the many TAPO-related questions we see frequently posted the Moderator will see fit to earmark the thread for a long-life.