hello all. I' m looking for bus info for shopping. Is it as simple as waiting in front of the hotel and wait for it to come? Do I need peso's or does USD work? How much is it? The first place we are looking to goto is walmart for water and coffee. TIA
It's been about 5 years since I last caught a bus in Cancun, but if you want to go to Walmart just stand on the ocean side (not lagoon side) at the nearest bus stop and look for a bus that says 'Walmart' on the front. They are very regular. The fare is 6.5 pesos I think, they will accept one dollar (worth 12.5 pesos) but you wont get change. Once at Walmart you can use Pesos or Dollars but if using Dollars you cant use 100's and also the amount of dollars you offer must be within 10% of the purchase price. You can't buy a jar of coffee and give them a 50 and expect change.
It's 8.5 pesos. And in the Hotel Zone the stops are marked. If you just go outside your hotel and it isn't a stop, you will get passed by. Whether you use pesos, 8.5 or give the drive USD, if you don't give him exact change, you may get screwed on getting the right money back. When you use USD, $1 being the only denomination they will take, some drives give change, others don't. When you pay in pesos and its more then 8.5 pesos, there is a chance the drive is out of .50 coins and he makes a profit. It is what it is. I always try to have the exact fare.
Ok heres my bus question. Is the driver commissioned somehow? Some of them have assistants that almost push people onto the bus.
Tori will know better than me how bus drivers 'work'. I think it's fair to say that most low paid workers have ways of supplementing their income that might not necessarily fly with their employers. I wouldnt expect bus drivers to be any different. Not giving change back is certainly one, also it's a custom among some passengers that they give their ticket back to the driver when leaving. This means the driver ticket can reissue the ticket without it being officially counted. Guess who pockets the difference. I used to give my tickets back - in the days when I thought I was being benevolent. I wouldn't do it any more because after 8 years of living here I have become colder and grown to despise the constant nickel and diming that helps keep Mexico 3rd world.
yes it was 8.5 pesos. It cost us 34 for 4 of us. It is cheap. Get on, pay the man, tell him where you want to get off (or hit the buttons if you know you are close to your destination), grab a rail or seat, and enjoy the ride!!! If there is no stop in front of your hotel then you will usually only have to walk to the next hotel to find a stop
Again, buses cost 8.5 pesos. This info above may have been copied form either an old post or website. Cost hasn't been 6 pesos in over 3 yrs.