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jmargolis

Jan 17, 2010, 11:07 PM

Post #1 of 7 (5936 views)

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Purchasing Bus Tickets in Advance

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My wife and I are flying into Guadalajara and intend to take a bus to Morelia. After searching through these forums I think I have a pretty good idea how to do it, but would still appreciate any suggestions on logistics. In particular:
* We arrive at 6:10am. How much time should we allow to get through customs and taxi to the new bus station?
* Should we buy tickets ahead of time or just take the next bus available when we get there? I like the idea of just taking the next bus available, but if they are likely to fill up, I'd prefer to book ahead of time.
* If we do book ahead of time and miss the bus, can we use the ticket for the next bus (and does it have to be same carrier)?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Anonimo

Jan 18, 2010, 3:25 AM

Post #2 of 7 (5927 views)

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Re: [jmargolis] Purchasing Bus Tickets in Advance

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DISCLAIMER: I haven't been in the Guadalajara bus station in years, but I believe the principles are the same. Read on.

Make it easy for yourselves. Just get to the bus station and buy the tickets, Purchasing on the Web is sometimes workable, but all too often the Mexican bus line web sites aren't functional. No need to hold yourself to a strict time, considering that there are many bus departures every day from Guadalajara to Morelia. (The only exceptions might be during Christmas and Easter.)
http://ETN.com.mx web site shows 10 deluxe buses departing daily, beginning at 7:30 a.m; 8:30, 10:30, 11:40, etc.

Somewhat less convenient, 10 departures on http://Primeraplus.com.mx.

Also, AutoVías, 10 departures daily. We use that line a lot to go from Pátzcuaro to Mexico City and find it comfortable and efficient.
http://www.hdp.com.mx/

If you were to purchase in advance but missed the bus, the ticket agent might allow you to board the next bus with seats available, but there's no need to undergo such stress and hassles if you just get to the bus station and buy tickets for the next convenient and available departure.

I don't know specifically about the Guad bus station but here the AutoVías agent can sell you tickets on ETN if you find that convenient or useful.

Saludos,
Anonimo

gpkgto

Jan 18, 2010, 7:21 AM

Post #3 of 7 (5917 views)

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Re: [jmargolis] Purchasing Bus Tickets in Advance

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Basically follow Anonimo's advice, but after a plane trip I would take only an ETN bus. They are the most comfortable in Mexico (that I have been on). The ride to Morelia will take a few hours, so be comfortable. Don't even think of buying in advance unless you are traveling Easter week.

sparks

Jan 19, 2010, 6:33 AM

Post #4 of 7 (5860 views)

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Re: [jmargolis] Purchasing Bus Tickets in Advance

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Probably half of the Primera Plus buses are not express and go thru Zamora. That means over 5 hours. Otherwise they are not a bad bus line. Keep your coat with you as the AIR on the bus can be chilly at night

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

Vichil

Jul 17, 2010, 1:33 PM

Post #5 of 7 (4277 views)

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Re: [jmargolis] Purchasing Bus Tickets in Advance

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The ETN buses are rarely full, most of the time they are not even half full.

You can buy a ticket on the ETN .com.mx site giving yourself 3 hours and you can have it cancelled and buy another one if you want to take an earlier bus or a different line. If you cancel the ticket before the departure, you will get your money back.

The best thing to do is to buy the ticket when you get to the station if one line is full there will be another one or you can wait for the next bus.

Buy a ticket at the booth for the cab to the Observatorio Station, they will ask you where you are going and sell you a ticket. After you clear customs you will not have much delay getting a cab.

Enjoy the ride, it is pretty and comfortable.

raferguson

Jul 18, 2010, 2:13 AM

Post #6 of 7 (4224 views)

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Re: [jmargolis] Purchasing Bus Tickets in Advance

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As the others have said, it is usually not worth it to try to buy a bus ticket in advance. Wait until you get to the bus station.

One exception that I make is when I am already in a city, and want to leave tomorrow. Then I might buy a ticket the day before, to minimize the amount of time waiting in the bus station, and to make sure that I get whatever bus line I prefer.

The other exception is holidays, when the buses can fill up for days. But that requires an understanding of the holiday traffic flows, because the buses could be full in one direction and half empty in the other direction.

But when you are flying in, lots of things can go wrong, you could be a couple of hours late, you don't know how long you will be in customs, you could be a whole day late, or everything could run like clockwork and you could end up at the bus station before 8 AM. You are better off not locking into a particular departure, just check the available departures when you arrive, and then make a decision. Also I would not wait for hours to ride ETN if I could catch a Primera plus in 30 minutes. ETN is nice, but I have wasted time waiting for the ETN departure when I could have been halfway there before the ETN bus left the station.

Have fun, don't worry, go with the flow. Note that your early morning arrival puts you in a good situation, where if you miss the bus you wanted there will be another in an hour or so. If you were making a late arrival, you might get into a situation where you miss the last bus of the day.

A flexible schedule is always better than a tight schedule, a lot less stress.

Richard

http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

geri

Jul 18, 2010, 7:04 AM

Post #7 of 7 (4201 views)

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Re: [raferguson] Purchasing Bus Tickets in Advance

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You explained wonderfully why reserve in advance bus tickets aren't actually necessary. Folks not familiar with the Mexican bus system probably can't imagine how effcient it is. Luckily, I started traveling by bus in Mexico before the Internet so I learned that if you miss one bus another will be along soon. Of course the bigger/more popular destinations have more frequent departures, but it's possible to get to remote areas by bus also, if you're patient. A quite difference experience than travelling by car, yet there seems to be more interest in car rentals and safe routes to drive than in bus travel.