Mexico City Launches Electric Centrobús Route in Historic Center

Mexico City will launch the electric Centrobús “Ruta de las Heroínas Indígenas” on May 8, backed by a MX$111 million investment. The route will operate with 12 electric buses across 33 stops in the Historic Center, combining electromobility, cultural recognition, accessibility, and women-led public transport.

Mayor of Mexico City Clara Brugada has introduced the Centrobús “Route of Indigenous Heroines,” a new fully electric public transport route in the Historic Center that will operate with 12 electric buses, 33 stops, and a MX$111 million (US$6.38 million) investment. The project, which will begin service on May 8, seeks to strengthen the city’s electromobility strategy.

The new route will run through two circuits in Mexico City’s Historic Center: an external circuit of 6.2km and an internal circuit of 5.8km. The system will connect areas near Bellas Artes, Allende, San Juan de Letran, the Zocalo, the Alameda Central, the Templo Mayor Museum, the National Art Museum, the Torre Latinoamericana, and other historical and cultural landmarks. The city government expects the route to initially serve 90,000 passengers and operate with a five-minute frequency and a MX$5 (US$0.29) fare.

The system will recognize 11 Indigenous heroines through informational displays located at each of the 33 stops. The route’s name and visual identity are also part of a broader effort to link public transport infrastructure with memory, culture, and gender equity.

The units will be driven exclusively by women, making it the first public transport route in the city with only female operators. According to the city government, 300 women were trained to operate the buses. Brugada sets this element as part of a cultural shift in public transport, arguing that the presence of women behind the wheel challenges gender stereotypes while contributing to safer and more inclusive mobility environments.

The buses will be 9m long and equipped with Wi-Fi, GPS, USB charging ports, interior and exterior surveillance cameras, panic buttons, ramps, kneeling systems, and accessibility features for people with disabilities. The stops will include interactive totems with touch screens showing estimated bus arrival times, route information, public policy updates, cultural information, and content in Spanish, English, French, and Chinese.

The launch adds to Brugada’s broader mobility agenda, which has placed sustainability and public transport modernization at the center of Mexico City’s infrastructure plans announced in 2024, reports MBN. During her administration, the city has proposed five new Cablebús lines in areas such as Tlalpan, Alvaro Obregon, Cuajimalpa, Magdalena Contreras, and Milpa Alta-Xochimilco, aimed at improving access for communities with fewer transport options.

The Centrobús was also included in Brugada’s earlier urban mobility strategy, alongside two new Metrobús lines: “Line Zero,” planned around the Interior Circuit, and another route along Periferico that would become one of the city’s largest bus rapid transit corridors. Her plan also includes replacing microbuses with cleaner units, expanding cycling infrastructure by 300km, improving traffic light systems, and reinforcing public transport through technology and sustainability measures.

The new Centrobús route follows other electrification efforts in Mexico City’s transport network. Earlier this year, Metrobús Line 4 launched an electric route connecting Pantitlan and the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), reinforcing the capital’s push toward cleaner public mobility corridors.