In addition to the public transportation provided by the city government, many private companies are introducing solutions to the traffic. Electric scooter and bicycle rental are available in many areas for short trips. For longer trips in the city, Uber and similar services exist for people who do not want to drive or do not own cars. These services tend to be more expensive than the buses and metros, which only cost five or six pesos, or around $0.30 per ride, no matter how far you are going.
I do not mind taking the bus or metro, as I have always felt safe and it is usually faster than taking an Uber when there is heavy traffic. Occasionally the metro has been so packed that I am squished against strangers, which can be uncomfortable. I try to avoid it at the busiest hours. Taking electric scooters or riding a bike in the street still scares me too much to try it because of all the unpredictable traffic, but I am determined to try it before I leave Mexico!
Many of the modes of transportation are designed to be more environmentally-friendly than people driving their own cars. Mexico City is very polluted, and much of that comes from the sheer number of cars on the road, so this is something that both the government and private companies are working to address.
The public transportation tends to be used by students and by people of lower socioeconomic status, so it is a way of providing affordable transportation to those who cannot afford to have cars.
