The Liability of Travel

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There are copious methods of transportation in Mexico. Many people who live in Mexico City do not have a car to move around the city. Many people in Mexico do not have access to a car. My family does have one but we have loaned it to members of our extended family outside the city because they have a need for it at the time. Currently my host family borrows a car from neighbors to drive my brothers to the school and for us to go to the store every once in a while. Usually you can get around pretty well in a car; it is usually pretty fast and easy despite the traffic. The traffic in Mexico City is much worse and slower than the traffic in Atlanta. Lines in the road are more like “guidelines” and sometimes there are no lines. I do not think I want to drive here even if the program permitted me to.

The Metro is the fastest and cheapest way to navigate the city and it only costs five pesos to travel to wherever you need to go in the city. On the metro you can buy everything from gum, flowers, coloring books, headphones and hammers from people who are trying to make a living. You lose a lot of security on the Metro because there are many people that take it. No one I have talked to has said good things about the Metro other than it being the fastest method of transportation. During la hora pico (rush hour) which is usually from 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm, people cram onto the Metro like sardines. Being a professional MMA fighter would help you to get on faster (no joke, people push you). Once you are crammed onto the Metro, you have doubts as to whether the person pushing against your backside has their hand in your pocket or not. My method for the Metro is to have all of my stuff in one pocket and my hand in that pocket as well. Backpacks are usually moved around to the front of your body so you can view your possessions as opposed to on your back. Sexual harassment is also common on the Metro so there is a separate section exclusively for women and children.

Our house is far away from any of the Metro stations. The best way to travel to the Metro stations are by camion (bus). There is a bus stop right outside of my house that is easy to get to. The camion costs $5.50 MXN per trip. Sometimes the camion is filled up with people and it is hard to wiggle on, but this does not happen very frequently. I have the same precautions on the camion as on the Metro for security of my stuff. I usually feel a little safer on the camion than the Metro. The camion would take me to a Metro station where I can go anywhere in the city if I need to. The problem with the bus system is that they are unreliable. You have no clue when one will show up and there are some problematic days when you have to wait over an hour for one. Yesterday I had to cancel my plans because the camion did not show up for more than an hour.

Taxis are also a viable method of transportation. There are two types of taxis: Libre and Sitio Taxis. I am not allowed to take a Libre Taxi unless I am with a native Spanish speaker because many of the taxis are not registered and could take you to a place that you did not intend. You could call on a Libre Taxi by holding your hand out in the street. I was told stories about Libre Taxis taking people to locations to be beaten up and robbed because they were from The United States. People from the US are seen as people who have a lot of money and targeted in many situations. A Sitio Taxi needs to be called on your phone. It is more secure because it is registered but you still run the same risk as a Libre Taxi. Our precaution is to make sure the taxi driver knows that someone is waiting for you by calling on the phone and giving someone information by saying “I am on my way, in taxi number … and the driver’s name is …” Taxis are usually pretty safe but cost a lot more than public transportation, especially at night.

Uber is also in Mexico! It is hard to order an Uber on a dumb phone. I usually have one of my friends call an Uber for me if I go somewhere and need to return home. Then I pay my friend the cost of the Uber. It is affordable and very secure. I was told not to take Uber because it has not been tested by our program but there are other international programs in Mexico that say that Uber is the most secure form of transportation. In my experience, I have felt very comfortable in an Uber car and had some great conversations with the driver too.

My conclusion about the transportation in Mexico City is that it is a liability. You have to budget extra time to go to close places. A usual 20-minute drive in the US would take an hour. The system seems inefficient to me but it is the way of life here. People dislike the security and time it takes to go places but it needs to be done. I feel so bad when I am late to somewhere that I need to be, or when I have to cancel plans but no one blinks an eye at it. It is a norm to understand that the transportation system is not always reliable and to not blame people for tardiness or canceled plans. I feel like this is different from the United States because people can always point a finger at “you should have budgeted more time to be on time”.