Mérida like many other cities around the world is suffering the negative effects of a large increase in the volume of traffic. Even from as recently as 4 years ago the increase in traffic is quite noticeable. Mérida sees a migrant influx of thousands of people each month. Main arteries such as Avenida Tecnologico, Avenida Libano and the inner ring road (Circuito Colonias) are often jammed with traffic which crawls along at a snail’s pace. This is accompanied by the noise especially from old buses, motorbikes and rich kids cosplaying in Ford F-150s. The pollution from these vehicles especially in the heat is the final insult.

If traffic is to be improved then there has to be reliable alternative for people to use to move around. Public transport can fill this role but it has to be given priority on the roads as well as budget wise. The new Va y Ven buses offer a good alternative to driving. The buses are clean, modern and comfortable and there are routes to many popular destinations. In addition the transport network has an app that allows you to monitor the locations of buses in real time (or close to) so that waits at bus stops are minimized.  Taxis and ride-share are reasonably priced and another option to avoid the stress of driving