Buses In Mexico
The Best of Mexico
Letters

published: January 2002

Bus Across Mexico by Robert Berryhill; ISBN 0-9700979-5-6; Copyright 2001; Bengi Publishing; 230 Pages; $19.95 U.S.

   Bus Across Mexico, is perhaps the first serious attempt to list the thousands of various bus schedules of Mexico's several hundred bus companies. Sixty two of the book's two hundred thirty pages are devoted to general information and description of Mexico's buses and bus lines. The remaining pages are organized so that individual cities and towns have listings of bus lines, schedules, price, and travel time to a variety of local and distant hub cities.

Here is a sample of how the information is displayed:


Los Mochis
Bus station is located at Juarez and Degollado

Culiacan - Transportes Norte de Sonora. Daily. 18:00 TT 3:00. $8.00
Tijuana - Transporte Norte de Sonora. Daily. 16:00, 19:00, 2015, TT 22:00. $65.00


Note: The above list of destinations was abbreviated. The destination city is in bold print, departure times are twenty-four hour "military" time. TT is travel time. Price is in US Dollars.

El Codo's opinion of Bus Across Mexico:

At a whisker under twenty dollars, this publication may seem a little pricey to many thrifty bus travelers. But inside, is a wellspring of schedules, travel times, prices and a slew of insider bus traveler information that will save the traveler a lot of money and effort. It is entirely feasible to construct an itinerary for a lengthy trip from the information provided. As with any print medium, I wouldn't stake my life on precise hours of departure or arrival nor the listed prices for tickets. It takes a year or two for collected information to be printed and hit the bookstands. I just wish that I had "Bus Across Mexico" with me on my three thousand mile bus jaunt February last. I see where I could have saved twenty-seven dollars on the fare and where I wouldn't have had to spend four hours in a tropical beach village seated at a bus stop waiting for sunrise. I would have photocopied various pages out of the book instead of hauling the inch an! d a half thick publication in my luggage.

The only substantial error that I see with Bus Across Mexico is that Mr. Berryhill, the author, did not provide a clear method or path for his receiving updates and corrections from readers. An address or website listing would be invaluable, as would a cyber page or two devoted to the additions and corrections. Come to think of it, this may be high time for a website and bulletin board that deals exclusively with Mexico's buses and terminals.

With reader/fan assistance, telephone numbers to the various Taquillas (ticket counters) could be provided in a future edition as well. I certainly hope that Mr. Berryhill will consider future publications of Bus Across Mexico with revisions and updates.

El Codo's rating of Bus Across Mexico: 3 Elbows

0 Elbows - Save your money
1 Elbow - Worthwhile but not essential (somewhat informative and or entertaining)
2 Elbows - Recommended for entertainment or information content
3 Elbows - Unique and valuable publication. Worth every centavo