Mexico City operates the second-largest metro system in North America after New York, carrying approximately 4.6 million passengers per workday across 226 kilometers of track and 195 stations. The Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro opened its first line on September 4, 1969, running between Zaragoza and Chapultepec. The network currently consists of 12 color-coded lines, identified by number, color, and unique pictographic symbols at each station — a design implemented by American graphic designer Lance Wyman because roughly 40 percent of riders in 1969 could not read. Line 12, the most recent addition completed in October 2012, runs from Tláhuac to Mixcoac using rubber-tired trains on elevated and underground sections. The fare across the entire system is 5 pesos for a single journey regardless of distance or transfers, paid via rechargeable tarjeta or disposable boleto magnético. Trains operate from 05:00 to midnight on weekdays, 06:00 to midnight on Saturdays, and 07:00 to midnight on Sundays. The system reaches peak capacity during morning hours from 07:00 to 09:00 and evening hours from 18:00 to 20:30, when cars regularly carry 300 to 400 passengers against a designed capacity of 180. Women-only cars exist on all lines, marked with pink signage, available until 22:00 on weekdays and all hours on weekends.
The Metrobús rapid transit bus system operates six lines covering 140 kilometers with dedicated lanes separated from general traffic by concrete barriers or painted zones. Line 1, inaugurated June 19, 2005, runs 19.6 kilometers along Avenida Insurgentes from El Caminero in the north to Doctor Gálvez near Ciudad Universitaria, making it the longest continuous bus rapid transit line operating in a single corridor in Latin America. The system uses articulated buses measuring 18 meters in length, manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Scania, painted in distinctive red with white stripes. Fare costs 6 pesos, paid via the same rechargeable card used for metro, with payment required before boarding at elevated or street-level stations. Buses arrive at intervals between 90 seconds during peak hours on Line 1 and 8 to 12 minutes on outer portions of newer lines. Line 7, opened September 2017, extends 17.4 kilometers from Campo Marte to Indios Verdes, connecting the Chapultepec area with northern suburbs and providing a direct link to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The system transported 850,000 passengers daily as of 2022 measurements.
Trolleybus service operates on eight routes covering approximately 200 kilometers, using overhead electrical lines installed between 1951 and 1988. The Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos fleet includes 300 active vehicles, primarily built by MASA and Dina manufacturing plants in Estado de México during the 1990s and 2000s. Routes connect peripheral neighborhoods to metro terminals and central districts, running along Eje Central from Indios Verdes to Taxqueña, along Eje 2 Sur from San Lázaro to Tacubaya, and along Calzada de Tlalpan from Metro Taxqueña to Estadio Azteca. Fare is 4 pesos, paid in cash to the driver upon boarding, with no transfer integration to metro or Metrobús systems. The trolleybus line along Eje Central operates 24 hours daily, making it the only electrified public transport option available between metro closing at midnight and reopening at 05:00. Vehicles travel at average speeds of 12 to 18 kilometers per hour depending on traffic conditions, with scheduled stops every 300 to 500 meters marked by yellow signs with black lettering.
Pesero microbuses, locally called peseros or combis, operate on more than 1,100 routes throughout the metropolitan area as privately-owned franchised services. These green-and-white or green-and-gray vehicles carry between 12 and 28 passengers in converted Nissan Urvan, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, or Mitsubishi Rosa chassis. Routes display origin and destination information on windshield placards using neighborhood names rather than street addresses — for example, "Metro Chapultepec - Santa Fe" or "Indios Verdes - Politécnico." Passengers signal the driver to stop by calling "bajan" (getting off) or tapping coins against the handrail. Fares range from 6 to 10 pesos depending on distance, paid directly to the driver in cash during the journey. No published schedules exist; vehicles depart terminals when full and run continuously during daylight hours, with reduced frequency after 22:00. The system transported an estimated 2.8 million passengers daily in 2020, according to Secretaría de Movilidad measurements. Pesero routes fill gaps in metro and Metrobús coverage, particularly in hillside colonias and peripheral municipalities where rail infrastructure does not extend.
The Tren Ligero light rail operates a single 25-kilometer line from Metro Tasqueña to Xochimilco, opened August 13, 1986. The elevated and ground-level route includes 18 stations, serving approximately 35,000 passengers daily as of 2022. Trains consist of three-car sets built by Bombardier, operating at intervals of 8 to 15 minutes from 05:00 to midnight. The fare is 3 pesos, paid separately from metro connections at Tasqueña station. This line provides the primary public transport link to the Xochimilco canals and chinampas in the southern borough. A second light rail line, Line 2, was planned to connect Taxqueña with Tlalpan but remains unbuilt after initial construction began in 2006 and halted in 2008.
The Cablebús aerial cable car system opened its first line on March 7, 2021, connecting Indios Verdes metro station to Cuautepec in the Gustavo A. Madero borough. Line 1 spans 9.2 kilometers with seven stations, using gondola cabins manufactured by Doppelmayr that carry eight passengers each at speeds up to 21 kilometers per hour. The system transports approximately 24,000 passengers daily across terrain where steep grades exceed 30 degrees, making conventional bus service impractical. Fare is 7 pesos, paid via metro card at entry stations. Line 2 opened October 8, 2021, running 10.6 kilometers from Metro Constitución de 1917 to Santa Marta in Iztapalapa borough with seven stations. Cabins operate continuously in both directions from 05:00 to midnight on weekdays and 06:00 to midnight on weekends, with average journey times of 35 minutes for Line 1 and 38 minutes for Line 2. The government announced Line 3 would connect Tasqueña with colonias in Tlalpan borough, but construction has not commenced as of late 2024.
Ecobici operates 480 bicycle stations across 58 colonias in six central boroughs — Cuauhtémoc, Miguel Hidalgo, Benito Juárez, Coyoacán, Venustiano Carranza, and Azcapotzalco. The system launched February 16, 2010, with 1,200 bicycles and 90 stations, expanding to 9,900 bicycles by 2024. Users purchase annual memberships for 462 pesos or weekly passes for 231 pesos through the mobile application or website, allowing unlimited 45-minute trips. Each station contains between 12 and 48 docking points with electronic locks accessed via RFID card or smartphone. Bicycles feature three gears, front baskets, and adjustable seats, manufactured by PBSC Urban Solutions. Stations concentrate in Polanco, Roma, Condesa, Centro Histórico, and along Paseo de la Reforma. Average trip duration is 18 minutes according to 2023 system data. The service records approximately 35,000 daily trips, totaling 10.2 million annual trips as of 2023. Dedicated ciclovías (bicycle lanes) extend 315 kilometers across the city, marked with green paint and white bicycle symbols, though many routes share lanes with vehicle traffic or operate on sidewalks.
Taxi service divides between regulated pink-and-white taxis de sitio, app-based services, and white libre street taxis. Taxis de sitio operate from fixed stands located at major hotels, shopping centers, and neighborhood bases, charging metered fares starting at 13.75 pesos with increments of 1.22 pesos per 250 meters or 45 seconds stopped. These authorized vehicles display placas (license plates) beginning with A or B in maroon lettering and carry city-issued permits with driver photographs visible on dashboards. App-based platforms Uber, Didi, Cabify, and Beat operate throughout the metropolitan area with fare estimates provided before trip confirmation. A typical 8-kilometer journey from Polanco to Centro Histórico costs between 85 and 120 pesos depending on time of day and traffic, compared to 95 to 110 pesos for the same trip in a sitio taxi. Libre taxis operate without fixed stands, picking up street hails, but carry documented risk of crime including robbery and kidnapping according to U.S. Department of State travel advisories issued between 2018 and 2024.
The Mexico City-Toluca commuter rail project, officially named Tren Interurbano, began construction in 2014 to connect Observatorio metro station with Zinacantepec near Toluca across 57.7 kilometers. The elevated line includes five stations in Estado de México at Lerma, Metepec, Pino Suárez, Tecnológico, and Zinacantepec. Original completion date was set for 2018 but construction delays, budget overruns reaching 75 billion pesos, and contractor disputes extended the timeline. The federal government announced operational testing would begin in October 2023, but as of December 2024, passenger service has not commenced. Designed speed is 160 kilometers per hour with projected journey time of 39 minutes from Observatorio to Zinacantepec.
Walking remains practical in specific neighborhoods where sidewalk infrastructure and street density support pedestrian movement. Centro Histórico contains 668 blocks within a 9.1-square-kilometer perimeter designated as Zona A of the UNESCO World Heritage site, bounded approximately by Eje Central to the west, República de Brasil to the north, Anillo de Circunvalación to the east, and José María Izazaga to the south. This area includes Zócalo, Templo Mayor, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and Alameda Central within a 30-minute walk between extreme points. Roma Norte and Condesa neighborhoods feature tree-lined streets on a regular grid pattern with sidewalks averaging 2.5 to 4 meters in width, containing cafes, bookstores, and galleries accessible without vehicle transport. Polanco's commercial district along Presidente Masaryk Avenue and surrounding blocks within the triangle formed by Ejército Nacional, Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca, and Moliere supports pedestrian activity with maintained sidewalks and frequent cross-streets. Coyoacán's historic center around Jardín Centenario and Plaza Hidalgo encompasses approximately 15 blocks of colonial-era streets where vehicle traffic is restricted on weekends. Sidewalk conditions deteriorate in outer colonias and peripheral municipalities where infrastructure investment is lower, often requiring pedestrians to walk in vehicle lanes due to absent or obstructed pavement.
Ride-sharing platforms Uber and Didi dominate app-based transport, operating under contested legal status that shifted from prohibited to tolerated to conditionally regulated between 2015 and 2024. The Ley de Movilidad del Distrito Federal enacted in July 2014 did not initially account for app-based services, creating regulatory ambiguity. In August 2015, Secretaría de Movilidad required drivers to obtain specific permits and vehicles to carry insurance policies covering 500,000 pesos for passenger injury. Enforcement remains inconsistent; drivers operate with standard private vehicle registrations displaying "servicio particular" rather than commercial plates. Base fares in December 2024 begin at 12 pesos with per-kilometer charges of 3.20 pesos for UberX and 2.80 pesos for Didi Express, plus per-minute fees of 1.25 pesos and 0.95 pesos respectively. Surge pricing applies during peak demand, increasing fares by multiples of 1.2 to 2.8 during weekend evenings and major events. Both platforms operate 24 hours daily with average wait times between 3 and 8 minutes in central boroughs, extending to 15 to 25 minutes in peripheral areas beyond the Circuito Interior ring road.
Car rental agencies including Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, and local operator Mex Rent a Car maintain locations at Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez and throughout Polanco, Zona Rosa, and Santa Fe districts. Daily rates for compact vehicles start at 350 to 550 pesos including mandatory third-party liability insurance, rising to 800 to 1,200 pesos for sedans and 1,400 to 2,100 pesos for SUVs. International driving permits are not legally required for tourists from countries that signed the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, which includes the United States, Canada, and European Union member states, though rental agencies may request them. The Hoy No Circula program restricts vehicle use based on license plate final digit and color-coded hologram sticker, prohibiting circulation one weekday per week and one Saturday per month. Vehicles with plates ending in 5 or 6 cannot circulate on Mondays, 7 or 8 on Tuesdays, 3 or 4 on Wednesdays, 1 or 2 on Thursdays, and 9 or 0 on Fridays, between 05:00 and 22:00. Saturday restrictions apply to two final digits monthly on a rotating schedule. Electric and hybrid vehicles receiving hologram 00 or 0 exemption stickers are exempt. Rental vehicles typically display hologram 2, subjecting them to weekday and Saturday restrictions. Parking in Centro Histórico costs between 15 and 40 pesos per hour at metered street spaces marked with blue paint, paid via Parquímetros mobile app or physical machines accepting coins and cards.
The Autopista Urbana system consists of elevated toll highways built between 2011 and 2013 to reduce congestion on surface streets. Viaducto Bicentenario spans 7 kilometers connecting Atizapán de Zaragoza in Estado de México to Avenida Ingenieros Militares near Polanco. Supervía Poniente runs 5 kilometers from Santa Fe to the Toluca highway intersection. The Autopista Urbana Norte extends 4.8 kilometers from Circuito Interior to Lechería. Tolls range from 29 pesos for motorcycles to 123 pesos for trucks, collected electronically via IAVE transponders or manual booths accepting cash and cards. These roads operate 24 hours with posted speed limits of 80 to 110 kilometers per hour. Average daily traffic on Supervía Poniente exceeds 42,000 vehicles according to 2022 operator reports.
Circuito Interior forms a 41-kilometer urban highway loop connecting major districts at grade level with limited access points, while Anillo Periférico creates an outer ring of 62 kilometers mixing surface boulevards and elevated sections. Periférico carries between 350,000 and 425,000 vehicles daily across its full route based on 2021 traffic counts by Secretaría de Obras. No tolls apply to either route. Speed limits vary from 40 kilometers per hour in congested sections to 80 kilometers per hour on elevated portions, though enforcement through automated cameras exists only at 47 fixed points. Journey times fluctuate severely; traveling the southern arc of Periférico from San Jerónimo to Airport Road ranges from 28 minutes at 04:00 to 95 minutes at 08:30 on weekday mornings.
Motorcycle taxi service, called mototaxi, operates primarily in hillside neighborhoods of Iztapalapa, Gustavo A. Madero, Álvaro Obregón, and Tlalpan boroughs where narrow streets and steep grades limit four-wheel vehicle access. These services use 150cc to 200cc motorcycles, typically Honda or Italika brands, carrying one passenger seated behind the driver. Routes connect specific colonias to the nearest metro or Metrobús station across distances of 1 to 4 kilometers. Fares range from 10 to 25 pesos paid in cash. No formal regulation governs mototaxi operation; drivers organize through neighborhood cooperatives controlling specific territories. The Secretaría de Movilidad estimated 8,000 to 12,000 mototaxis operate citywide as of 2020, though no official registry exists.