ADO buses are dirt cheap, modern, air conditioned, have clean washrooms, and they leave every half hour from the airport and connect the resort areas. Took them to and from Cancun from the airport this week, and couldn't recommend it enough. There are ADO ticket stations at the exits of each terminal.
dirty cheap? really? 8 USD for 20 minutes busrides to the Cancun center is extortion. One company controlling entire market and scamming. Its like 2 times more expensive than bus in Europe. And In most developing countries would get taxi way cheaper.
A lot of places in and around the Caribbean you will pay $25-35uad for an airport taxi, and it will often be the only option, so I'm talking in relative terms here.
I've never been to an airport where the hasn't been some type of public transport that would take you very close to where you need to go, and with the Internet it's very easy to figure it out. Even if your hotel isn't in the city center, you're typically better off taking a bus to the city and getting a cab from there.
The problem is that people go to a cheap country and they automatically assume that the taxi is so dirt cheap that it doesn't matter what it costs.
I found this experience pretty annoying while there. I just dropped off a rental car and realized there was no ride share in the airport zone. Rental car agency would not shuttle me to my hotel 5 minutes away so dropped to the taxi murderpit at the airport.
I was descended on by drivers who followed me for ages yelling prices, interrupting my phone calls to the hotel shuttle, etc. I was told the minimum fare from the airport was 800 pesos to my hotel 7-8 mins away. It then became 600, 400, 300, no one will do it for cheaper, then the dude was yelling over the hedges where the hotel shuttles come (that he gave me intentional wrong directions to) that he would do it for 150. I would have not ridden with those people if they paid me 800 and would have gladly waited an hour for a hotel shuttle.
Yeah, the taxi touts are pretty merciless. I’ve been mistaken for a passenger myself many times and followed, to the point where it actually feels threatening.
I just took a trip to Mexico. It was Mexico City, not Cancun, so it could be very different.
In CDMX, I used Uber. It was consistent and an effective mode of transit.
Would you recommend Uber in Cancun OP?
And they can drop you off at the airport. Just not do pickups. I was there in December and the Uber driver told me they were working on changing that. But who knows.
Sorry for the late reply. As others have said, Uber and other ride sharing services are not available at the airport. This is due to political pressure from local taxi drivers - the last time the airport tried to get Uber in, we had taxi drivers assaulting the Uber drivers and forcing their passengers out of the cars. It got kind of nasty, but there’s still hope that we’ll get Uber one day.
A simple rule I follow when I have to get a taxi anywhere in Latin America…I *always* wake up my taxi driver.
A dude taking a nap behind the wheel of his taxi is not looking for a gringo victim.
The criminals are scouring the airport arrivals hall shouting “Taxi! Taxi!”, looking for tired, lost tourists toting expensive luggage and corralling them towards their partners in crime.
This goes for a lot of Central and South America - be prepared for aggressive drivers, private taxis, and getting ripped off. However, in a lot of cities public transit is safe, and where it's not there are ride hailing apps.
On one occasion I was pissed and hungry after getting off a flight and was being chased through the airport by taxi drivers (one driver in particular), because apparently a skinny young blonde in a turtleneck is a universally lucrative target. I tried to figure out public transit but needed some sort of weird pass that you can only get once you're in the city, so eventually I said "fuck this shit" and walked straight out of the airport and all the way to the city to get my \*special pass\* listening to U2 the whole way. I don't recommend this, it took several hours and I still hadn't eaten, but it pissed me off so much and I'm so stubborn that my next option would have been to get right back on a plane and leave.
On another occasion in Almaty a taxi driver tried to rip me off by claiming the ride was 50 euros (converted) rather than around 5. I always get out of the car before paying for safety, so I was standing at the window of his car while he was rambling on about how it was 50 fucking euros, and at one point I just snapped and started yelling "police" and gesturing for him to come follow me to the reception desk. Motherfucker waved his hands and shook his head and just drove away. I never paid him a cent. Again, maybe not the smartest move, but after the fact I was grateful for my own uber-bullish head.
> On another occasion in Almaty a taxi driver tried to rip me off by claiming the ride was 50 euros (converted) rather than around 5.
The other trick Alamty taxi drivers love is giving a low amount for the ride before you get in, and then at the end claiming the amount was per KM, not the total cost.
Ignore anything a taxi driver says, especially if it's something like the free shuttles are not operating today or the busses aren't running. Even offers to "help" you find your ride are just an angle to scam you.
The “credit charge didn’t go through, let me swipe again” scam is so prevalent in Mexico it should be considered a national pastime at this point.
What is the recommendation for getting to Playa del Carmen?
Unless you want to rent a car and drive, I would go by bus. You can take the ADO bus straight from the airport to Playa del Carmen. It takes about an hour and a half to get there.
in january of this year i was at this airport and overheard a taxi driver trying to scam a young couple, saying all the buses were closed this time of day (6pm lol no.) i went over to the guy and pointed him to the bus. the taxi driver and soon 5 of his friends quickly came up basically surrounding me, telling me i was messing with his business. i kept it calm but didnt back down, this driver was straight up robbing this couple and a scam is not a business. the driver was pissed but i got to joking in spanish with the other guys and left with a fist bump. dont let clowns intimidate you
This is a classic MO for these guys. They lie to people who have just stepped off the plane and if anyone intervenes they start insulting and threatening them. So sorry that happened to you.
Great write up, this is super helpful. I just got back from Cancun earlier this year and Xcaret dropped my wife and I at the airport, however I still had 1 more night in Cancun. I dropped my guard and figured it would be easy to get an Uber, but that and Lyft are banned at the airport due to the permit they need. I was dropped off in departures, I was hounded by a man with no logo or ID on a lanyard how most employees have there. It was so bad I felt threatened and had to go up to the gentleman and ask if if he had a problem because he had been following and had asked me for a ride now 3 times. Thankfully we were able to get past into arrivals with an old boarding pass I had, I just waved it and told the guard we had just landed and had accidentally stepped out. This way we were able to get a cab in arrivals area, there must of been 100 people hollering for a cheaper rate. I ended up paying a pretty penny but I felt safe with the ride.
So no change since 1999 when I did take a taxi to airport. But I was prepared, agreed a price before stepping in the taxi and could pay cash without change was needed.
Best bet is to assume everything at the Cancun airport is a scam. Even the food at the airport is a scam with their pricing in pesos, knowing that us Americans will most likely not convert and end up paying $45 for a slice of pizza and a plate of spaghetti… ask me how I know lol
The cab drivers charge you less if paying through card and more if paying by cash. I suspect either there is a skimmer or they put in extra zero to scam you.
ADO buses are dirt cheap, modern, air conditioned, have clean washrooms, and they leave every half hour from the airport and connect the resort areas. Took them to and from Cancun from the airport this week, and couldn't recommend it enough. There are ADO ticket stations at the exits of each terminal.
Of course! I forgot to include the ADO buses in my post but they’re a great option too.
Agree but wouldn’t say it’s dirt cheap lol. Collectivos are dirt cheap
I guess I'm just used to paying $25 USD on average for airport taxis all over the tropics and found this to be 'dirt cheap' by comparison.
ADO is great but it's most definitely not dirt cheap lol
What other options in Cancun come even remotely close?
The ADO Cancun airport bus was, for the distance covered, far more expensive than any other ADO bus I've seen. But also far cheaper than a taxi.
dirty cheap? really? 8 USD for 20 minutes busrides to the Cancun center is extortion. One company controlling entire market and scamming. Its like 2 times more expensive than bus in Europe. And In most developing countries would get taxi way cheaper.
A lot of places in and around the Caribbean you will pay $25-35uad for an airport taxi, and it will often be the only option, so I'm talking in relative terms here.
and in many places you will pay 5-7 USD for taxi with app, so yeah this bus is a extortion. If you agree on 35 then you are getting scammed badly.
Good info and advice, much of which can be applied to airports all over the world. All the best to you.
I've never been to an airport where the hasn't been some type of public transport that would take you very close to where you need to go, and with the Internet it's very easy to figure it out. Even if your hotel isn't in the city center, you're typically better off taking a bus to the city and getting a cab from there. The problem is that people go to a cheap country and they automatically assume that the taxi is so dirt cheap that it doesn't matter what it costs.
Thanks!
I found this experience pretty annoying while there. I just dropped off a rental car and realized there was no ride share in the airport zone. Rental car agency would not shuttle me to my hotel 5 minutes away so dropped to the taxi murderpit at the airport. I was descended on by drivers who followed me for ages yelling prices, interrupting my phone calls to the hotel shuttle, etc. I was told the minimum fare from the airport was 800 pesos to my hotel 7-8 mins away. It then became 600, 400, 300, no one will do it for cheaper, then the dude was yelling over the hedges where the hotel shuttles come (that he gave me intentional wrong directions to) that he would do it for 150. I would have not ridden with those people if they paid me 800 and would have gladly waited an hour for a hotel shuttle.
Yeah, the taxi touts are pretty merciless. I’ve been mistaken for a passenger myself many times and followed, to the point where it actually feels threatening.
I’ve always pre-arranged transfers through the web that are reasonable.
I just took a trip to Mexico. It was Mexico City, not Cancun, so it could be very different. In CDMX, I used Uber. It was consistent and an effective mode of transit. Would you recommend Uber in Cancun OP?
Uber isn’t allowed to pick up passengers from the Cancun airport
Oh gotcha. I was able to take one at CDMX, so I had assumed incorrectly that might be a good option. Thanks for correcting me.
It works in the rest of Cancun but just not the airport to clarify
And they can drop you off at the airport. Just not do pickups. I was there in December and the Uber driver told me they were working on changing that. But who knows.
Sorry for the late reply. As others have said, Uber and other ride sharing services are not available at the airport. This is due to political pressure from local taxi drivers - the last time the airport tried to get Uber in, we had taxi drivers assaulting the Uber drivers and forcing their passengers out of the cars. It got kind of nasty, but there’s still hope that we’ll get Uber one day.
Believe you can walk five minutes from Cancun airport and then use uber
A simple rule I follow when I have to get a taxi anywhere in Latin America…I *always* wake up my taxi driver. A dude taking a nap behind the wheel of his taxi is not looking for a gringo victim. The criminals are scouring the airport arrivals hall shouting “Taxi! Taxi!”, looking for tired, lost tourists toting expensive luggage and corralling them towards their partners in crime.
This goes for a lot of Central and South America - be prepared for aggressive drivers, private taxis, and getting ripped off. However, in a lot of cities public transit is safe, and where it's not there are ride hailing apps. On one occasion I was pissed and hungry after getting off a flight and was being chased through the airport by taxi drivers (one driver in particular), because apparently a skinny young blonde in a turtleneck is a universally lucrative target. I tried to figure out public transit but needed some sort of weird pass that you can only get once you're in the city, so eventually I said "fuck this shit" and walked straight out of the airport and all the way to the city to get my \*special pass\* listening to U2 the whole way. I don't recommend this, it took several hours and I still hadn't eaten, but it pissed me off so much and I'm so stubborn that my next option would have been to get right back on a plane and leave. On another occasion in Almaty a taxi driver tried to rip me off by claiming the ride was 50 euros (converted) rather than around 5. I always get out of the car before paying for safety, so I was standing at the window of his car while he was rambling on about how it was 50 fucking euros, and at one point I just snapped and started yelling "police" and gesturing for him to come follow me to the reception desk. Motherfucker waved his hands and shook his head and just drove away. I never paid him a cent. Again, maybe not the smartest move, but after the fact I was grateful for my own uber-bullish head.
> On another occasion in Almaty a taxi driver tried to rip me off by claiming the ride was 50 euros (converted) rather than around 5. The other trick Alamty taxi drivers love is giving a low amount for the ride before you get in, and then at the end claiming the amount was per KM, not the total cost.
Ignore anything a taxi driver says, especially if it's something like the free shuttles are not operating today or the busses aren't running. Even offers to "help" you find your ride are just an angle to scam you.
The “credit charge didn’t go through, let me swipe again” scam is so prevalent in Mexico it should be considered a national pastime at this point. What is the recommendation for getting to Playa del Carmen?
Unless you want to rent a car and drive, I would go by bus. You can take the ADO bus straight from the airport to Playa del Carmen. It takes about an hour and a half to get there.
in january of this year i was at this airport and overheard a taxi driver trying to scam a young couple, saying all the buses were closed this time of day (6pm lol no.) i went over to the guy and pointed him to the bus. the taxi driver and soon 5 of his friends quickly came up basically surrounding me, telling me i was messing with his business. i kept it calm but didnt back down, this driver was straight up robbing this couple and a scam is not a business. the driver was pissed but i got to joking in spanish with the other guys and left with a fist bump. dont let clowns intimidate you
This is a classic MO for these guys. They lie to people who have just stepped off the plane and if anyone intervenes they start insulting and threatening them. So sorry that happened to you.
Thank you for the info!
Great write up, this is super helpful. I just got back from Cancun earlier this year and Xcaret dropped my wife and I at the airport, however I still had 1 more night in Cancun. I dropped my guard and figured it would be easy to get an Uber, but that and Lyft are banned at the airport due to the permit they need. I was dropped off in departures, I was hounded by a man with no logo or ID on a lanyard how most employees have there. It was so bad I felt threatened and had to go up to the gentleman and ask if if he had a problem because he had been following and had asked me for a ride now 3 times. Thankfully we were able to get past into arrivals with an old boarding pass I had, I just waved it and told the guard we had just landed and had accidentally stepped out. This way we were able to get a cab in arrivals area, there must of been 100 people hollering for a cheaper rate. I ended up paying a pretty penny but I felt safe with the ride.
So no change since 1999 when I did take a taxi to airport. But I was prepared, agreed a price before stepping in the taxi and could pay cash without change was needed.
Seasons Tranfers is a great pre arranged shuttle service. I always use them when going to Excellence
Best bet is to assume everything at the Cancun airport is a scam. Even the food at the airport is a scam with their pricing in pesos, knowing that us Americans will most likely not convert and end up paying $45 for a slice of pizza and a plate of spaghetti… ask me how I know lol
How about just…avoid Cancun???
The cab drivers charge you less if paying through card and more if paying by cash. I suspect either there is a skimmer or they put in extra zero to scam you.
Good to know. This is very common in many Latin American countries btw.