Puerto Vallarta Changes Entire Urban Transportation System

Puerto Vallarta will soon have an entirely new and modern fleet of public buses to serve visitors and locals.

The popular Mexican destination is gradually phasing out older buses, replacing them with models made by DINA, a Mexican automotive producer. The new buses include such upgrades as air conditioning, security cameras, information screens and a payment system for prepaid credit cards.

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Eight of the new buses are already in operation (having been put into service earlier this month) and an additional 90 buses will be incorporated into the fleet between now and December when 332 new units will make up Puerto Vallarta’s only public bus system.

“Puerto Vallarta is one of those destinations where visitors feel comfortable using our public transportation system to explore the city,” Javier Aranda Pedrero, director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, said in a statement. “We are eager to provide a world-class bus system worthy of Puerto Vallarta not only to our visitors but to our local community, many of which work to make Puerto Vallarta an international tourist destination.”

The DINA buses run on gas, lowering pollution in the city, according to the tourism board.

A new night service, with transportation starting at midnight, is also being added to the bus schedule, according to the same announcement. The late-night offering is designed to serve industry workers, providing a safe transportation option during the timeframe that many locals travel to work at hotels, restaurants, and more. The Buho (owl in Spanish) will operate the main routes of Puerto Vallarta.

While the new buses are being added to the system, Puerto Vallarta ’s public transportation system will host an introduction period for local authorities, hoteliers and locals to introduce the service.

Presentations will also be done at schools and brochures distributed to bus riders using the current system to ensure maximum exposure of the new routes and payment system.

Puerto Vallarta is known as one of the top cities in the world to visit. The city, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, set a new record for hotel occupancy in 2017 with a 75.6 percent occupancy rate. There was also more than 3 million arrivals at its international airport last year.