It’s not necessary to take a plane from Oaxaca to Mexico City. You can hop on the ADO Platino luxury bus for a fraction of the cost of a flight, with much bigger seats, a better entertainment system, and free wifi. Below you’ll find the low down on traveling from Oaxaca to Mexico City on the ADO Platino bus.
If you’re going the other way, from Mexico City to Oaxaca, the ADO Gl bus might have a better schedule than the Platino. Check out that review (and how to find the bus station) here: Bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca
There are affiliate links for Busbud on this page because it’s what I use to book bus tickets around Mexico. It doesn’t cost more than booking with each company directly, and you can just book all of your bus trips in one place.
The Platino Lounge at Oaxaca's bus station
The Platino is ADO’s top tier bus, and along with your ticket, you’ll have access to a lounge at Oaxaca’s bus station. The bus station itself is already nice, and always has ample available seating. If you arrive early, you’ll probably have the entire Platino lounge area to yourself. But it also won’t open until 45 minutes before your bus leaves (so don’t arrive too early).
There was free coffee, tea, cola, and water when I was there. Staff will also offer you more free drinks and headphones when you board the bus.
Interior of the ADO Platino
All of the ADO buses look essentially the same on the exterior with the exception of the paint job. Where they differ is in the interior layout. The Gl buses have a 2-2 layout. The Platino have larger, ergonomic seats in a 1-2 layout. The seats on the Platino are also space further apartment. You’d have to try very hard to kick the seat in front of you.
There was more than enough room to completely stretch my legs out even at the first seat. The other seats have even more room because you can stick your legs under the seat in front of you (if you’re 7″ tall and can reach the seat).
The seats have electrical outlets, two USB ports, a small table, and an entertainment system. There were an impressive number of recent movies. I most recently took the ADO Platino in the summer of 2022, and it was stocked with multiple blockbuster movies that had come out earlier in the year. It was a better selection than any airline I’ve flown on this year.
Is riding the bus safe for women?
A characteristic of all three bus trips I’ve taken so far in Mexico is that the passengers have been predominantly female. On this trip from Oaxaca to CDMX, I was one of only two men on the bus. I haven’t taken any of the overnight buses, so that might be a different situation. I always try to take buses that leave in the mornings. At least on those buses, they’ve been popular with female passengers.
Is your luggage safe on the ADO bus?
ADO scans the luggage tags so they’re attached to your ticket electronically, and they give you little luggage tags you need to show at your destination to get your bags. With the OAX to CDMX buses, there are no stops, so your luggage should be safe and sound under the bus. There isn’t much space for luggage onboard, so plan to only take a small backpack or carry-on sized piece of luggage into the seat area. You do have a lot of legroom though if you really need to keep something with you.
The previous post on ADO’s buses showed how they do luggage pick-up.
How much does the ADO Platino cost?
For a one-way trip from Oaxaca to Mexico City, I paid $1126 MXN ($56 USD). That is more expensive than the ADO Gl, but the seat and entertainment was much better. I bought the ticket on Busbud
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