What the card covers and why you need it first
The Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada is a single contactless card that replaced separate tickets across Mexico City's transport systems. The city lists its coverage as the Metro's 12 lines, the seven Metrobus routes, the Cablebus aerial lines, the Tren Ligero light rail, trolleybus and elevated trolleybus, RTP buses, Ecobici public bicycles and regional connections including the Tren Suburbano and Mexibus. The card costs MXN 15 and holds a maximum balance of MXN 500.
The reason this matters on day one is that there is no fallback. The city states that physical magnetic tickets stopped being available on 1 March 2024, making the card the sole means of access. A visitor who lands without one cannot pay for a Metro journey in cash at the barrier.
Buying the card and topping it up
You can buy and reload a Movilidad Integrada card at Metro station ticket booths, which take cash, and at the automatic vending machines installed at Metrobus, Cablebus and light rail stations. The city also lists digital top-ups through the CDMX app or Mercado Pago using an NFC-enabled phone.
In practice the ticket booth is the simplest first purchase. Ask for "una tarjeta" and state the amount you want loaded; the card price and the balance are charged together. The machines are the better option at Metrobus stops, where there is no staffed booth, and they are how you buy a card at the airport before boarding Line 4.
Keep the card flat and unbent in a pocket rather than loose in a bag. It uses a contactless chip, and a cracked card has to be replaced at full price.
Metro fares and how the flat fare works
The Mexico City Metro charges a flat MXN 5 per journey regardless of distance travelled or how many lines you change between. You tap once on entry and the fare is deducted then; there is no exit gate reading and no zone calculation, so a two-station hop and an hour-long crossing of the city cost the same. The system also accepts contactless credit and debit cards and digital wallets directly at the turnstile, which is useful if your card is empty.
The Metro operates 365 days a year from 05:00 to midnight Monday to Friday, from 06:00 on Saturdays and from 07:00 on Sundays and public holidays. The Sunday start is the one that catches visitors with early flights and early plans.
Metrobus cannot be paid in cash
Metrobus is a bus rapid transit system with fare gates at the station rather than a driver taking money, and no cash fare exists on board. The standard fare is MXN 6, and the city is explicit that "the only exception is the Airport service (Line 4), which has a fare of $30.00 MXN". Payment is by Movilidad Integrada card, contactless bank card or a digital wallet such as Apple Pay; the machines at the stations take cash only to sell and load cards.
Metrobus runs Monday to Saturday from 04:30 to midnight and on Sundays and holidays from 05:00 to midnight. Because the stations sit in the middle of the road and are entered through gates, there is no way to board and sort payment out afterwards, which is why the card comes first.
Women-and-children-only carriages and platform sections
Both the Metro and Metrobus reserve separate space for women and children, and the arrangement is enforced rather than advisory. On the Metro, the first three cars of every train are reserved for women and children under 12 during all operating hours, with the corresponding section of the platform marked and, at busy stations, physically separated by barriers and staffed. On Metrobus, buses carry reserved areas for women, girls under 12 and people with disabilities, with pink seating designated for women and blue seating for older adults, pregnant passengers and people with disabilities.
Using the reserved section is a choice, not an obligation, and women can travel in the mixed carriages freely. At peak hours many women use it simply because it is less crowded.
Rush hour, luggage and what to do instead
Peak conditions on the Mexico City Metro are more extreme than most visitors expect, and the city publishes the hours to avoid: 07:30 to 09:30 and 17:30 to 20:00 on weekdays, with Metrobus busiest from 07:00 to 09:30 and 18:00 to 20:30. At those hours carriages fill to the point where boarding is competitive and getting off at the right station takes planning.
That is also the answer to the luggage question. The Metro has no luggage space, the city's own airport guidance describes Line 5 as not recommended for travellers with heavy luggage, and a large suitcase in a peak-hour carriage is a problem for you and everyone around you. With bags, use Metrobus, which has room and level boarding, or a taxi. With a small rucksack outside peak hours, the Metro is fast, cheap and straightforward.
Ecobici, Cablebus and the rest of the same system
The same card also unlocks the parts of the network visitors tend to think of as separate attractions. Ecobici is the city bike-share scheme, with docking stations across the central boroughs and an expanding network of protected lanes. Cablebus is the aerial cable car network, described by the city as the world's largest urban cable car system, with three lines that connect hillside neighbourhoods to major transit hubs and happen to offer long views across the valley. Tren Ligero runs south towards Xochimilco, and trolleybuses and RTP buses fill the gaps, including a Nochebus service in the early morning hours.
Treating these as one system rather than four separate purchases changes how you plan a day. A Cablebus line is not a tourist ride you buy a special ticket for; it is a commuter service you tap onto with the card already in your pocket.
Habits that keep the ride uneventful, and what to re-check
Underground travel in Mexico City is ordinary for millions of people daily, and the sensible habits are the same ones the city's own Metro guidance sets out: keep bags in front of you when carriages are crowded, do not keep valuables in back pockets or outside compartments, and pay attention to your belongings during transfers, which is where crowds compress and attention drifts. Add two of your own. Know the terminus name in the direction you are travelling, because platforms are signed by final destination rather than by line direction. And decide your exit before the train arrives, since moving through a full carriage takes longer than the dwell time at the station.
Fares and hours quoted above were read on official Mexico City government pages on 7 September 2026 and are revised from time to time. Before you rely on a specific number, check the current fare and operating hours on the operator's own page for your travel date, and confirm the Sunday and public holiday opening times separately, because they differ from the weekday timetable on both the Metro and Metrobus.