Guide for buying, using and topping up your Mexico City Metro Card (Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada).
You must purchase the Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada (commonly known as the Metro Card) to travel in Mexico City. Despite being called the Metro Card, it is valid for travel on the Metrobús, Xochimilco Light Rail, Trolleybus, RTP buses, Cablebús and on the El Insurgente Tren as well, not just the Metro. The old paper tickets are no longer issued.
You can also pay for the Metro and Metrobús, using your contactless credit/debit card, wherever you see these card readers:
Where to buy your Metro Card in Mexico City:
You can buy your card from any Metro Station ticket office, or from the ticket machines found at the Metro Stations and sometimes on the Metrobús platforms or Cablebús stations. Some machines only accept cash, and they do occasionally run out of actual cards.
The Mexico City Metro Card costs 15 pesos.
When buying the card from the Metro Stations, you will pay 20 pesos: 15 for the card and 5 for the first ride. When buying from the machines at the Metrobús stations, you pay 21 pesos: 15 for the card and 6 for the first ride.
Buying and recharging machines on the Mexico City Cablebús, line 3:
Each network has a different fare:
- Metro: 5 pesos
- Metrobús: 6 pesos
- Tren Ligero: 3 pesos
- Trolleybus: 4 pesos (on Line 10 and the night bus on Line 1: 7 pesos)
- RTP buses: 8 pesos
- Cablebús: 7 pesos
Topping up your Metro Card:
You can recharge your card at any Metro Station ticket office or machine (if they have one), Metrobús, or Cablebús station ticket machines, some of which only accept cash, and some which only accept coins. The top-up limit is 500 pesos.
Ticket machines at one of the Metrobús stations:
Close-up of the ticket machine at one of the metro stations in Mexico City. This one accepts card payment:
Using your Metro Card:
Each network has a different system, so check out the dedicated page for the details:
- How to use the Mexico City Metro
- How to use the Metrobús in Mexico City
- How to use the Trolleybus in Mexico City
- How to use the Xochimilco Light Rail
- How to use the Cablebús in Mexico City
- El Insurgente Train
- Amajac Metrobús Route to Mexico City Airport
Trolleybus (Trolebús in Spanish) Línea 1 in Mexico City:
There are no zones, like in London, so all rides are a flat fee, and therefore, you only need to touch in at the turnstiles or inside the bus. You do not have to touch out!
You can pay for the new Amajac Route to Mexico City International Airport (AICM) T1 and T2 with the Metro card, which costs 30 pesos:
You can also use your Metro Card to make use of the Ecobici Public Bicycles, which I haven’t written about yet.
