ADO Transports Up to 1,200 Repatriated Mexicans Monthly From Tulum Airport

Tulum, Quintana Roo — The steady arrival of repatriated Mexicans at Tulum International Airport has created a new passenger flow for bus operator ADO Mobility, connecting the state with central and southern Mexico.

Since April and May, the company has been carrying between 1,000 and 1,200 repatriated passengers each month from the airport, according to company executives. Flights with deportees typically arrive on Fridays, with three to four bus operations per week.

“It just started this year; we hadn’t seen this phenomenon before,” an ADO executive said. “We use our regular bus services or add extra runs so people can get to their destinations.”

Destinations include Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero and the Bajío region.

The new passenger profile has helped balance the load, said Iván Cupul, ADO’s commercial manager, even as traditional tourism in the Riviera Maya has dropped between 5% and 10% because of sargassum seaweed on beaches.

ADO still moves about 100,000 passengers per month in the region. So far this season, it reports 2,500 additional passengers compared with the same period last year, an overall increase of 4% to 5%.

For long-distance travel, ADO offers advance-purchase fares that can reduce a 2,300-peso ticket to 1,500 pesos, and keeps discounts of up to 50% for students, teachers and children ages 5 to 12.