Riding Public Transit in Mexico City

Here it is called the 'Metro'. The subway, LRT, Train - basically a series of fast moving trains that escape the traffic by moving around underground. Once in a while a train comes up for a bit of air like a killer whale breaching the ocean surface.  Decending to the core of Mexico City the temperature climbs and soon little beads of sweat are forming on your forhead and arms. I am peeling off the layers while some Mexicans are still wearing their coats and scarves. After some time my eyelids will start to droop, my heartrate slows down and I am searching for a place to sleep.

No sleeping at the station, you have to stay alert for your battle to enter the train. Its like a race with your tarps to the front of the festival space. Each to their own here. Rush hour is from 6:30am to 9am and again from 4pm to 8pm and if you ride in between, before or after these times then you can relax a little. Yes the metro can be very crowded and hot, but it is fast and generally very reliable. Back home trains were always getting delayed for one reason or another. Not here. They run fast and frequent. Also the metro is cheap. 5 pesos allows you to run all the lines the whole day if you don't pass through an exit. All the lines connect somehow and there are colourful pictures in every station to show you where you are and how the lines connect. 

I will not bother going into a technical explaination here becuase I don't think it will make much sense to you without seeing the map.  Now, go look at your Mexico City transit maps from this AboutMexico page which has lots of Metro info. If you have any other general questions - you can send it my way and I will do my best to provide an answer. No, I can't give you a trip itinerary.

Another treat to the Metro is the MetroMall. Its like the skymall, but much cheaper. It is a constant revolving door of sellers and almost nothing costs over 10pesos. They need to make quick sales. I love the music sellers who come with boomboxes on their backs and play a million songs in 2 minutes. They sell CDs for 10pesos and the CDs have like 100+ songs on them.

After the sellers are the musicians and then the beggers. I always want to give to everyone and to buy everything. I am realizing that is impossible and if you are going to have enough coin for your next bus trip then you have to pick a number and stick to it. I try for one purchase or one gifting each day.

Most of the time you will need to ride a bus at either end of the metro trip. The city is large and the streets run every where. Buses and taxis traverse the streets like ants bringing home food. Mexico city is the ant hill and the buses and taxis are the ants. The place is covered with 'em. They come in all colours and all levels of discomfort. Most ranging in the 0 to 2 for comfort with 10 being great. They are dirty, crowded, bumpy, jerky and slow. They drive as fast as they can and then slam on the brakes every block or so.  For most routes, the bus stops are where ever you stand and put out your hand.

Again, the buses are cheap and frequent so once you understand your route and where to catch the bus you don't have to worry about times. Just go stand on the street and wave the correct bus down.
Understanding where the buses go is difficult. Unless you are completely clear on where you need to be and you can pronouce the name correctly, don't expect to get a helpful answer from a busdriver. AT least, it is rare.  

There is a culture here for bus riders to sit in the seat closest to the isle and if you want a seat and those are all taken you have to climb over the person sitting closest to the outside. This is a no-no in my city. It is considered terribly rude not to move over on a full bus so it is something I am still getting used to here. Also it is perfectly ok to sqeeze yourself past people in the isle just to find your own personal perfect location for standing. Even if this means pushing someone almost on the lap of the people in the seats. Mexicans don't mind getting in close to each other on transit so don't be shy.

Each bus usually has its own personal driver so they tend to really personalize the inside space. Many buses have great sound systems and you can hear some salsa tunes while you ride. Almost all buses have some sort of altar hanging inside the front of the bus. This is an altar to either Jesus or Guadalupe - so don't worry, your safe. One bus I was on had black-lighting that strobed to the rhythm of the music he played. It was pretty cool.

Overall, I appreciate public transit in MC.  It is fast considering just how big and spread out this city is. So far I have never experienced any harassement or rudeness. Except for the odd push and extended stare.

GOODLC