People traveling by bus from Mérida are noticing fewer scheduled runs.

Even departures to popular destinations such as Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen have decreased significantly.

Luxury lines such as ADO Platino are currently displaying no scheduled trips from Mérida to any destination. 

Before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, buses loaded with tourists and business travelers would depart from Mérida at all hours of the day and night. 

“We have been forced to decrease our numbers of scheduled trips once again. We had already reduced our volume by 15% but now we are looking at a further cut of 40%, so we are looking at a total reduction of about 65%,” said Eduardo Córdova Balcubnea, director of Mérida’s ADO Tame bus terminal.

Other transportation services on the peninsula have also made drastic cutbacks. Ferries connecting Playa del Carmen and Cozumel are running less than half of their usual departures.

Although transportation companies such as ADO have implemented measures to help protect travelers from COVID-19, many travelers remain hesitant.

Last month a woman died, presumably of COVID-19, on a bus traveling from Xalapa to Coatzacoalcos.

An additional factor that is likely to inform the behavior of would-be travelers is longer travel times. Long delays and several accidents on the Mérida-Cancún toll highway have been associated with the Tren Maya railway project.