AutoVías vs ETN Patz to Mex

A friend asked me yesterday our opinion of the AutoVías double decker service from Pátzcuaro to Mexico City. Apparently he and his wife had only ridden on ETN.

For those of us in and near Pátzcuaro, using AutoVías is often more convenient. We get our tickets at the Central in Pátzcuaro and stay on until we get off at Terminal Poniente in Mexico City. As ETN doesn't serve Pátzcuaro, to use it, we first have to go to the Morelia bus station, wait a bit, then board the ETN bus.

Now there are some advantages to the ETN serices. The seating is better and somewhat more comfortable (although that on AutoVías is not bad, depending on your seat location), but because ETN passengers are given headsets, they don't have to watch the movie. That's a real plus!

The cost dfference, ETN slightly more, to most expats is negligible, especially when buying half price tickets with an INAPAM credencial. ¡Viva México! Mil gracias.

My wife, however, found that she tends to get motion sickness on the slightly swaying upper deck of the AutoVías double decker, so she chooses a seat on the "Ejecutivo" lower level. I, on the other hand, enjoy the better view from above, so we temporarily separated on our last return to Pátzcuaro. A different friend suffers from claustrophobia, and does not like the darker, confined spaces of the lower deck, so he always sits above, preferring the seat just aft of the stairs, as it has the most legroom.

More daring folks like the upper deck forward seats, with the panoramic view over the road. Yet another friend says wryly that he likes that front window seat, because in case of an accident, it will be over quickly, and he wouldn't want to be a burden to anyone. (This is his black humor.)

A quirk of AutoVías, noted on our last trip, is that despite having selected our seating on the computer at the taquilla, the seat numbers did not correspond once we boarded. However, there hapened to be ample empty spaces and we all were satisfied.

Another factor in choosing either service is that ETN has many more trips to México DF than does AutoVías. So, it might be worth the slight inconvenience for Patzcuarenses to transfer in Morelia Bus Station if they prefer a better departure time.

Onboard food: Fugeddaboudit. Bring a sandwich. However, AutoVías, and perhaps ETN, offer BOING!, a fruit drink of superior characteristics, and that's worth drinking. I will admit, that on our most recent return Mex-Patz, the ham and cheese croissant on AutoVías was better than edible. Still, the torta bought and the lunch stand at Terminal Poniente was better.

These are the websites for AutoVías: http://www.hdp.com.mx/inicio/
(But I don't recommend purchasing online. Sometimes the site malfunctions.)

ETN: http://etn.com.mx/
Same advice about not purchasing online. However, ETN's site is more reliable

In conclusion, this is still an imperfect art, not a science. Someone needs to write a mobile app. ;-)

About a week ago some friends of mine, one is the owner of the panadería next-door to us, took a bus trip to Mexico City to purchase a new delivery van for his business. Their idea was to travel in middle of the night so as to arrive early in the morning and meet-up with a relative who knew about the van for sale.

I don't know if it was by choice or happenstance but they rode the AutoVias bus. They were offered the executive fare for 10 pesos more which the only difference they could determine was that it included internet service whereas the other did not. They did not expect internet service to be available and did not have their laptops with them so saved the 10 pesos and rode the upper deck of the AutoVias which they described as looking like being onboard an airliner. They mentioned some sway but said they found it relaxing and slept through the 3½ hour trip from Morelia to Mexico City.

They said there were buses leaving for Mexico City every 40 minutes, even at that time of morning, adding that that was just for this company and that there were others as well. Presumably they were speaking of the ETN buses but that there could be others as well. They mentioned the movie but couldn't comment on it because they had slept through it. Their snack bag he said was different than the daytime selection adding that they were only given a carton of Lala brand milk, pan - a concha, and a galleta they described as being more like a nutri-grain bar. I asked about the bottle of Boing but he stated he only knew of them giving out milk for this ride.

They were uncertain if there was another bus that offered executive service and internet or if that was the difference between riding the two different levels. I myself was surprised to hear that there was such a frequent schedule running during those early-morning hours - every 40 minutes would promise little waiting time for someone just showing-up and buying a ticket on the spot. One must also keep in mind that is the schedule of just this one company and that there is at least one other making the same run. Three and-a-half hours getting into Mexico City seems pretty good but with the new system of autopistas and the very clear traffic at that time of night it should not be surprising.

Sorry they couldn't vote in the poll as they had no recent experience riding ETN as an alternative. The Greyhound service in the US just wouldn't even come close to what is offered here. ¡Viva México!