Guide for navigating Mexico City using the Trolleybus (Trolebús in Spanish), covering tickets, prices, maps, routes, and operating hours.
Trolleybus lines in Mexico City:
Line 1: Central del Norte bus station to Central del Sur bus station
Line 2: Chapultepec to Pantitlán
Line 3: San Andrés Tetepilco to Mixcoac
Line 4: Puerto Aéreo Boulevard to El Rosario
Line 5: San Felipe de Jesús ↔ La Diana
Line 6: El Rosario to Chapultepec
Line 7: Ciudad Universitaria to Periférico Oriente
Line 8: Polytechnic Circuit from Terminal Zacatenco station
Line 9: Villa de Cortés to Tepalcates
Line 10: Constitución de 1917 to Santa Marta
Line 11: Santa Marta to Chalco
Line 12: Perisur to Tasqueña
Line 13: Constitución de 1917 to Mixcoac
Line 14: Cetram Huipulco to Cetram Universidad
Here is the latest Mexico City Trolleybus map.
The Trolley buses are operated by Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos de la Ciudad de México (STE), who are also responsible for the Tren Ligero, which runs from Tasqueña to Xochimilco.
How efficient are the Trolleybuses in Mexico City?
They run from 5 am to midnight, 7 days a week (line 1 has a night service too). The biggest plus for me, when comparing the Trolleybus network to the Metrobus, is that each stop is (mostly) situated directly before the traffic lights so that picking up and dropping off passengers coincides with waiting for the lights to change. But there are lots of stops, so getting anywhere takes an age.
They run off 600V DC parallel overhead power lines which is a great thing in helping reduce the horrible pollution here in Mexico City.
Image showing the overhead pickup:
Line 1 is probably the most suitable for travellers and tourists as it connects the Metro Autobuses del Norte, the station you need when visiting the Teotihuacan Archaeological UNESCO World Heritage Site, to Autobuses del Sur at Tasqueña.
Line 14 is the latest addition and serves the Azteca Stadium.
Depending on where you are, it can be a great way to connect to the Mexico City Metro network.
How much does it cost to ride the Trolleybus in CDMX?
The fare is just 4 pesos with these exceptions:
Line 10 – Line 14: 7 pesos
Line 1 midnight to 5 am: 7 pesos
You must use your pre-loaded MetroCard (Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada), which you swipe on entering the bus:
Trolleybus – hours of operation:
The trolley buses run from 5 am to midnight, 7 days a week. As mentioned above, Line 1 runs 24/7.
Good move on running off of power lines.
Cities need to follow their lead.
Green(ish) solutions work.
Buses seem to be going hybrid now, too.
Most but not all buses (MetroBus) here have gone electric . They have 14 lines now on the trolley buses. Painfully slow though..