One of the largest urban public transportation system in the world, the Mexico City
Metro moves more than one million people every day.
It is mostly below ground, especially so in the city centre. It spans more or less the whole city inside of the
Periferico ring, connecting (among many other things) the Airport, the train station and the four major long distance bus terminals (
Taxqueña,
TAPO,
Indios Verdes and
Observatorio).
Where the metro does not go, the
pesero or the
combi will.
The metro operates at a loss, the ticket price (one peso and half as of now, the beginning of year 2000) is artificially fixed at a low level, so that poor people, that's to say the majority of the population, can go to work. There are no day tickets, week passes, year passes, nothing. The tickets are little pieces of cardboard with a magnetized strip, and they are sold in the stations themsleves.
Some metro stations downtown are very beautiful, if you like huge murals and mosaics. The Hidalgo station is famous for its pickpockets, but in general the metro is a place were you need to be very much aware.
Hiding your money into your underpants is not a bad idea, either.