How to Take the ADO Bus From the Cancun Airport to Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos is just south of the Cancun Airport. It is 27.4 km (17 miles) between the two places. This makes Puerto Morelos one of the easier places to get to in the Riviera Maya from the Cancun Airport. The cheapest way to get to Puerto Morelos is by the ADO bus. In this guide we will tell you everything about getting from the Cancun Airport to Puerto Morelos by ADO bus.

Important note: It is important to know where your hotel is in relation to the bus stop in Puerto Morelos. There are four distinct areas of Puerto Morelos, and these are spread out. The ADO bus is not always the fastest or cheapest way to get from the airport to local hotels.

The four areas are Puerto Morelos pueblo (along the highway), Puerto Morelos beach area (3 km from the highway), and hotel zones south of Puerto Morelos and north towards Cancun. If you are staying in one of the hotel zones outside of the town, it might be best to take a shared shuttle or private transfer to your hotel.

What is the ADO Bus?

The ADO Bus Company is one of the main long-distance bus services in Mexico, operated by the company ADO (Autobuses de Oriente). It’s widely used by both locals and tourists as a comfortable, safe, and affordable way to travel between cities, especially in regions like the Yucatan Peninsula and Riviera Maya. ADO is also the only bus service to and from the Riviera Maya and the Cancun Airport.

ADO bus to Puerto Morelos — This is the ADO bus at the Cancun Airport.

Where Do You Get the ADO Bus at the Airport?

Each of the terminals at the Cancun International Airport has service by ADO.

Terminal 1 This terminal is currently being renovated. But when it opens it is easy to see the buses. This is a smaller terminal, and the ADO buses are just in front of this terminal. Exit the terminal and look right. It is about a one-minute walk.
Terminal 2 Exit the terminal and walk immediately down the sidewalk in front of the terminal to the right. At the end of this walkway, you will see the bus platforms. This can be a four-minute walk.
Terminal 3 Exit the building and walk straightforward and in about 30 seconds you will see the bus platforms with the iconic red buses to your right.
Terminal 4 When you are leaving the terminal, there are two exits. One is straight ahead and one of the exits is the left and down a covered walkway. The exit straight ahead is for friends and family. The exit to the left is where you will walk out to the bus platforms. It is about a 3-minute walk. If you accidently walk out the wrong exit, you can ask the security to let you back in and go out the other exit to catch the ADO bus.

Terminal 3 Cancun Airport — When you arrive at the Cancun Airport there are dozens of taxi drivers, and people trying to get your attention. This is Terminal 3 of Cancun Airport. You can just see the ADO buses to the right after the Air Margaritaville Restaurant.

What is the Schedule for the Airport Bus?

There are currently 9 buses a day that leave the Cancun Airport and make a stop in Puerto Morelos. The first one is around 10:20 am and the last one is around 6:20pm. There is roughly one bus per hour between these times. The complete schedule is here on the ADO website. The website is in Spanish, but fairly easy to navigate to find schedules and other information.

Note: If you arrive early in the morning or after 6pm, the ADO bus is not available. You will need to plan other transportation.

How Long Does the ADO Bus Take to Get from the Airport to Puerto Morelos?

It will take between 25 minutes and 45minutes to get to Puerto Morelos from the airport. Why the range of times? It is because there are multiple terminals at the Cancun Airport and the bus stops at each of them. The journey starts from Terminal 3, then goes to Terminal 4, and then to Terminal 2 (Currently Terminal 1 in in renovations).

This means that travel time will depend on what terminal you arrive at. From Terminal 3 it takes 45 minutes to get to Puerto Morelos. Terminal 4 takes 35 minutes, and Terminal 3 is just 25 minutes to Puerto Morelos.

How much is the ADO Bus to Puerto Morelos?

The current price for the ADO bus to Puerto Morelos is 210 Pesos. That is roughly about $12.35 USD according to the current exchange rate.

How Do You Buy the Tickets from the ADO Bus?

Tickets are available upon arrival at the Cancun Airport. You can purchase tickets online ahead of time, but we do not recommend this. You don’t know if your flight will arrive on time or how long it will take to go through immigration and customs (Usually count on 40 minutes at the Cancun Airport). The tickets are timed and if you arrive late, you will need to get another ticket.

Once you arrive at the Cancun Airport and leave the customs area, you can purchase ADO tickets at an ADO booth or a stand on the bus platform. Usually, it is quicker to buy them outside on the bus platform. It also means you might be able to jump on a bus that is just leaving if they see you buying a ticket.

You can pay with credit card, USD or Pesos. If you pay with USD, make sure you have small bills, nothing bigger than a 20-dollar bill. Change is in Pesos.

Important Note: Most of the buses are going to Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. Puerto Morelos is on the way to Playa Del Carmen but not all buses enrute to Playa Del Carmen stop in Puerto Morelos. You must follow the ADO schedule for the buses that make a stop in Puerto Morelos.

ado bus counter — This is what a ticket counter looks like for buying your ADO bus tickets at the Cancun Airport.

Where Does the ADO Bus Drop You Off in Puerto Morelos?

Since the bus you are on is going south in the Riviera Maya, the Puerto Morelos stop is just on the side of the highway. You will get off by a 7-11 and a Pemex gas station. It is where the Calle Jose Maria Morelos (the main road that goes to the beach area of Puerto Morelos) meets the 307 Highway.

Going Back to the Airport on the ADO Bus?

The location going back to the airport is close to where you will be dropped off. The location is on the northbound side of the 307 Highway. There is a small bus shelter just south of the road that connects the beach to the highway.

Transportation Connections to the Hotels and Parts of Puerto Morelos

Since the drop off is on the side of the highway, you have limited options to get to your hotel. Taxis are the only real option to make the connection. Taxis in Puerto Morelos are not metered but are supposed to have a rate chart by zones. Taxi fares in Puerto Morelos are between a few dollars and about 20 dollars as the maximum price.

Alternative Airport Transportation Options to Puerto Morelos

Here are some of the other airport transportation methods available to get to Puerto Morelos. You can see more details in our guide how to get from the Cancun Airport to Puerto Morelos.

Shared Shuttle

Shared shuttles are small vans that take multiple passengers and drop them off at hotels. This is a door-to-door service. This can be quicker and even cheaper in some cases than taking the ADO bus.

This shared shuttle company has a minimum of two people. If you are a couple and looking for a cheaper option that goes door to door, this might be a good option. It is $25 USD per person or $50 USD for two people to go between the airport and Puerto Morelos

shared shuttle Puerto Morelos — These are what the private transfer vans look like that will transport you from the Cancun Airport to hotels in Puerto Morelos.

Private Transfer

This is one of the most popular transportation methods to connect between the airport and your hotel. These are prebooked vans that are just for you and those traveling with you. They are waiting for you at arrivals and take you directly to your hotel. You can also book a round trip and have all your transportation to and from the airport all planed even before you take off.

One Way price is $67 USD. Round trip is $121 USD. When you purchase a round trip, you save $13 USD.

Luxury Private Transfers to Puerto Morelos

If you are traveling for a special occasion or just want to make your trip a little more special, there are luxury transfers available from the Cancun Airport going to Puerto Morelos. Cancun luxury transportation is regularly provided with Suburbans or Similar vehicles, like Expeditions. This is for transportation of up to six people.

Prices for the luxury transfer from the Cancun Airport to the Puerto Morelos are:

$98 USD one way or $204 USD round trip. To save money you just need to book a round trip at time of booking. Click the reserve now button below to go to the official booking website.

Cancun Airport Luxury transportation — An example of what luxury transportation is like from the Cancun Airport to your hotel.

Taxis

There are plenty of taxis at the Cancun Airport, but they are also one of the things that people like the least about the Riviera Maya. Since there are no set prices or a taxi booth to get tickets, you must negotiate with the drivers. Often people get overcharged. This is why most people prebook a transfer and do not have to worry about paying too much.

Rental Cars

If you plan on doing some road trips or driving around on vacation, this might be a good option for you. We will just give you a few tips here about renting cars at the Cancun Airport.

One good place to check for a rental car online is Discovery Cars. This website searches all the rentals and offers good prices on Cancun Airport rentals.

Here are our best tips for renting a car at the Cancun Airport:

There are rental car companies inside the airport property and some just outside along the highway. If you rent from a company outside the airport you will need to take their shuttle both ways. This does add about 20 minutes to the process of pick up and drop off.
For the convenience fee, we prefer the rental car companies in the airport.
Liability insurance is required in Mexico. Your credit card company might not cover Mexico, or you might need proof of coverage. You can buy it locally when you rent. It is recommended you buy it locally because you have local agents to help you if something happens.
In general, we prefer the larger car rental companies because they have more options, and in general a more streamlined check out and in.

Uber

Uber has started in Cancun but has been very limited since it has clashed with the taxi unions. The area that Uber works in does not include all the Riviera Maya, mainly just Cancun. Because the service is limited and there are only a few drivers, we don’t recommend trying planning on trying to take an Uber.

Tren Maya to Puerto Morelos

The Tren Maya has a station at the Cancun Airport, and it is connected to the Tren Maya Station in Puerto Morelos. We wish this worked efficiently but if you take this option, you end up spending more money and about 3 times the amount of time getting to Puerto Morelos. Let us explain.

First of all, there are limited trains per day between the airport and points south. There is a Tren Maya Station at the Cancun Airport, but you need to connect to it by shuttle. The shuttle is 35 pesos and leaves about 30 minutes before the train departures. Once at the Cancun Tren Maya Station it is a short ride to Puerto Morelos. The next thing is the station location in Puerto Morelos, it is further back from the beach, so this means a taxi ride to your hotel.