TETSA

First buses roll at 5:00 a.m. for early MEX flights

TETSA runs shuttle service from Mexico City International Airport (MEX) starting at 5:00 a.m. and keeps going until 1:00 a.m., which covers almost every departure bank from both T1 and T2. It’s a basic, city-style shuttle aimed at short hops into town, not a luxury coach, but the timetable lines up well with early morning and late-night flights.

A flat fare of $25.00 pesos keeps TETSA squarely in the budget category compared with taxis that can run over $200 pesos from MEX into central areas. You pay per person, not per vehicle, so solo travelers usually come out ahead versus rideshare. Keep small bills or coins; drivers often struggle to break $500 peso notes.

Shuttles load from designated airport pickup points serving Terminal 1 (T1) and Terminal 2 (T2), so check the terminal on your boarding pass before you follow signs out of baggage claim. Operations pause only between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., which matters if your red-eye lands late or your departure is in that dead window.

Compared with the AICM–Terminal 1–Terminal 2 airtrain that runs airside, TETSA is about getting off airport property for $25.00 pesos, not terminal transfers. Figure roughly the same or slightly longer travel time into nearby neighborhoods than a car, since shuttles make multiple stops and work fixed routes instead of going point to point.

TETSA’s selling point is price: at $25.00 pesos a ride, it undercuts most other ground options from MEX by a wide margin. The trade-off is less control over departure time versus an app-hailed car. If you’re tight on schedule for a meeting at, say, 09:00, you’ll want to pad your timing or go with a taxi instead.

Practical tip: land at MEX, clear immigration and baggage, then hit an ATM before heading to the TETSA stop so you have at least $50–$100 pesos in small notes; that one step makes boarding faster and avoids hunting for change at the curb.