Mexico City
UMR Index
Score: 39.0%
Sustainable Mobility
Score: 38.3%
Public Transit
Score: 38.6%
| Population | 22.0 million |
| Surface area (km2) | 2,530 |
| Population-density (people/km2) | 8,713 |
| GDP per capita ($) | 22,823 |
What Mexico City Does Well in Urban Mobility
The Mexican capital’s public transit system offers frequent and affordable service across a range of bus and rail services.
Mexico's national government is investing significantly in mobility across the country, exemplified by the high level of road quality, connectivity, and safety, from which Mexico City benefits. Between 2019 and 2022, the city allocated $5.5 billion for transit infrastructure, maintenance, and development.
Urban Mobility Readiness Index, Sustainable Mobility and Public Transit scores
Challenges and Opportunities for Mexico City’s Transportation System
High congestion levels and poor traffic management systems make driving difficult. Cycling accounts for a negligible share of trips taken, but the city is continuing to expand its network of cycling lanes.
The legacy infrastructure and the city’s sprawling size exacerbate cars’ dominance with more than 75% of all passenger kilometers traveled via car. Despite strong incentives for electric vehicle (EV) purchases, market share remains low in part due to a lack of government investment in charging infrastructure. To limit pollution from combustion engine cars, the city has implemented No-drive days (Hoy No Circula), that restrict when cars can drive in the city based on an emissions test – EVs are exempt from this policy.
Dimensions of the Urban Mobility Readiness Index score
How Mexico City Can Improve Its Public Transportation and Sustainable Mobility
While other cities and countries in Latin America are expanding their EV charging networks, Mexico City has not invested heavily in building chargers and has fallen behind its peers. To close this widening gap, the city can introduce grants for charging station installation in private homes, public businesses and parking lots. To become a regional leader, the city would need to accelerate the deployment of charging stations to double its charging station density.
Riders of the city's Metrobus rapid transit service often struggle with long commutes due to low speeds. To improve, the city can add bus lanes to help decrease traffic slowdowns. In the long term, Mexico City can invest in the infrastructure required to introduce automated trains to the metro system to increase its speed and efficiency.