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Joined: Oct 1999
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Marty Offline OP
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Much Ado About ADO

Last week Thursday, we told you about the A-D-O bus that was in Belize - supposedly on an exploratory trip checking out the route.

Well, it seems they made those checks pretty quickly because ADO is now running a daily service between Belize and Cancun, and Belize and Merida. The route is serviced by five of ADO's Executive Class buses, which seat 44 persons. The buses leave north from Belize every night and south from Cancun and Merida. It's what might be called a red-eye bus service that gets passenger sinto Cancun and Merida at dawn the following day.

The company today held an informal press conference to stress that they aren't in Belize to step on any toes or bite into anyone's runs:

Gabriela Osuna - Public Relations, ADO Group
"None of the buses will stop in Chetumal in either direction. In both cases, the departure time from Belize City will be after the last service provided by Belizean transport companies. These will not affect the normal services. When travelling in the direction to Merida or Cancun, passengers will be allowed to board the buses in Belize City, Orange Walk or Corozal, only if their final destination is Merida or Cancun. From Belize City, passengers will not be able to descend in Orange Walk or Corozal, neither to travel between those towns. The services designated to benefit Belizeans, we realize that it's easier for Belizeans to take the last bus from Belize to Merida, and Belize to Cancun, in this case, at 8 p.m. or 8:15 p.m. and arriving to the final destination at 6:16 a.m. or 7 a.m. We will not stop at any time in Chetumal. Right now, we are not taking this as a local service. Really, we are international; we want only an international route to facilitate the Belizeans to transport from here to Merida, or here to Rivera Mayor. We foresee that the new roads will increase the number of tourists entering Belize and will contribute to the Tourism Industry. We will start with the buses carrying 15-20 people right now, in the first week. They like to come to Belize to visit the more important places, and we believe that these will increase. We would like to increase tourism here in Belize, because it's just a win - win situation.

One way tickets to Cancun and Merida are 79 dollars Belize. The buses also let off passengers in Playa Del Carmen and Tulum on the way to Cancun. They pick up passengers in Corozal and Orange Walk on the way north, but do not drop passengers in those towns.

Channel 7


Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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ADO busline makes CANCUN airport a viable alternative to flying in and out of Belize.



MEXICAN BUSLINE ADO, opening direct bus runs between Northern Belize towns and Cancun and Merida direct

ADO Mexican bus line, in airconditioned comfort has started a direct bus service with movies and toilets, and a 12 hour, OVERNIGHT trip between Belize and CANCUN and MERIDA. The fare is about $80 Bz one way, or $40 usa and lets you sleep on the bus if you want. For Belizeans wishing to access parts of the world, not affordable from Belize, the extra $80 bz is not a bad deal, and the overnight trip eliminates the necessity of finding a hotel. ADO has 5 buses now running and 11% occupancy for the cash saving trip.
Much of the high cost of airline travel in Belize, is encountered by Belizeans, with some sort of hidden airport tax, automatically added on to other costs. In several years of enquiries nobody has EVER found out who collects it? The hidden tax is a fuel surcharge as it is billed, but where it goes, who gets it and why it does not change with the price of oil, is a mystery. This has effectively made air travel with tickets on airplanes bought in Belize, too high priced to compete with the international market. You can fly cheaper to Peru, or Ecuador from Miami, than you can to tiny Belize, which is relatively close by, about 600 miles. The resistance of flying out of Cancun has been mostly because of the lost day encountered, in transferring to Cancun, by Belizeans. Plus there are considerable border costs, that are add ons. Even so, with this new ADO bus service, running solely during the night time, putting you at the Cancun airport at 7 a.m., means you do not lose a day, if you live in Belize City, Orange Walk, or Corozal. You will also save money. US citizens enjoy an advantage over Belizeans, they get all kinds of cut rate fares with tickets bought in the USA, but Belizeans have been penalized with a 100% leverage in the price of round trip airfares originating in Belize because of this mysterious tax, labeled a fuel surcharge.

Congratulations to ADO busline, for giving Belizeans an alternate choice of flying to other parts of the world.

http://westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com


Joined: Aug 2007
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SBJ Offline
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S
That's great. Do you have any idea what time the bus leaves Cancun on the return to Belize. I tried to look it up on the ADO website but I couldn't get it to work with that routing either way.

Thanks, Susanna

Joined: Apr 2000
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The ADO website (http://www.ado.com.mx, in Spanish only) shows an overnight departure at 10:15 p.m. from the Canc�n City bus terminal, arriving in Belize City about 8 hours later.

From Belize City, it departs the "Novelo's" terminal on West Collet Canal (ugh! -- wish they would find a different location) in Belize City at 8 p.m. and arrives at Canc�n international airport around 8 hours later.

NOTE: Oddly, although the return bus goes to the Canc�n airport, the bus FROM Canc�n is only from the downtown bus station. The ADO site has both the airport and just Canc�n, Q.R., which is the downtown terminal.

Note that Mexico observes daylight savings time, while Belize does not, so that makes a difference in arrival times.

Fare is shown as 474 pesos, about US$38.50 at current exchange rates.

The buses on this route are ADO's executive-style late model 44-passenger buses with reserved, reclining seats, A/C, toilet, videos, etc. Not sure if these buses have the in-seat chargers for laptops and cell phones like some ADO buses have. I don't think these are the 25- or so passenger buses that have 3-across business-class style lay-flat seats that ADO uses on some long-haul routes.

I suspect this info could change as the wrinkles in the new service are ironed out.

--Lan Sluder

Last edited by Lan Sluder/Belize First; 09/01/11 11:42 AM.
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Good to know!

Joined: Jun 2009
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The only thing left to do....is making sure that the bus driver knows how to operate the air-conditioner, so that the passengers don't have to endure an 8hr bus ride at 51 degrees! Disfruta de tu viaje....(Enjoy your trip)




------------------------------------------
"I only fish on days that end in "Y" smile

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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Mexico's ADO buses serving Belize

Belizeans seeking medical attention in Merida or a beach vacation in Cancun can now travel in air-conditioned comfort for Bz$79 one way on a new premier bus service introduced by Mexico's bus company Autotransportes del Oriente, ADO for short.

ADO began its service from the Novelo terminal in Belize City to Canc�n and Merida without any fuss or fanfare last Friday, August 26, after finalizing the details of their road service permit with Minister of Transportation Melvin Hulse in Belmopan the day before.

The company screened their drivers and chose the 10 best to pioneer this new service which makes travelling to Mexico much easier for Belizeans. It also promises to bring more tourists to Belize, as ADO Public Relations Officer Gabriela Osuna explained to the Belizean media at Belize City on Wednesday afternoon, August 31.

The ADO buses seat 44 passengers in seats that recline 60 degrees for maximum comfort in traveling at night. The bus also has three flat screen displays for passengers to enjoy onboard entertainment, and has an onboard restroom.

Fares are Bz$79.00 one way to Merida or Cancun. The bus to Merida leaves Belize at 8:00 pm and arrives in Merida at 6:15 am. The service is called 'The Hospital Route'', and the bus will stop in Orange Walk and Corozal to pick up passengers who also wish to travel Merida. The bus makes courtesy stops at the most important hospitals of Merida before its final stop at the Merida bus terminal. The return route makes the same stops and the bus arrives in Belize City in the morning.

The bus for Cancun departs from Belize City at 8:15 pm and arrives in Cancun 7:00 am. This bus also stops in Orange Walk and Corozal, before travelling on to Playa del Carmen, Cancun Airport and its final stop at Cancun's bus terminal. On the return portion leg the bus also stops in Tulum, where ADO is promoting Belize and offering special deals for international tourists to travel to Belize.

Local bus operators had raised a storm of protests when ADO made its first overtures to introduce the service two years ago, but ADO's Operations Manager Luis Perez explains that this is an international service and not a local bus run, so tickets will only be sold for Merida or Cancun. Passengers will not be able to get a ticket to Orange Walk or Corozal on the northbound run, as the stops at those terminals are only to pick up passengers travelling on to Mexico, and the southbound buses coming from the border will stop in Corozal and Orange Walk only to let off passengers wishing to disembark, but will not be taking on any passengers for Belize City. Each ticket has an assigned seat number, and passengers are given a ticket stub for their checked in baggage, just as on an airline, with the same security. The buses do not enter Chetumal at all.

ADO's Gabriela Osuna said the service is intended to save Belizeans time and money, because travellers will not need to spend money on an extra night at a hotel or have their family to come to pick them up at the Mexican terminal in the wee hours of the morning. The bus company will initially assign 15 seats to made available for passengers from each of the three Belize terminals: Belize City, Orange Walk and Corozal, so when there is a demand for more seats at one terminal, that ticket agent will need to inform the other terminals before selling the seats.

ADO's Luis Perez said the break-even occupancy is 20 seats, but the first runs have been arriving with only 18 passengers, and some of the runs over the weekend had only 12-13 passengers. But Perez is optimistic that occupancy will improve as travelers get to know of the ADO service.

This first week the buses were also monitored for the time taken to cover each stage of the route, while ensuring that the drivers stay within the speed limit, and drive in a manner that does not cause any undue discomfort to the passengers.

The Reporter


Joined: Mar 2006
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while on the surface this might seem like a good thing, it does sadden me that nothing is being done to help protect those whose income is made by bringing travelers across to mexico. The mexican taxi unions forbid Menzies or VIP Transfer to get folks at the bus terminal in Chet or the airstrip there.

Again, i applaud any effort to make travel to belize more accessible and affordable, but it's a shame that we dont have the strength, sometimes, to protect our own.

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