How to ride the bus in Cuenca

Find your bus

Pick whichever fits what you already know.

• I know where I’m goingEnter start and destination; the planner finds direct buses and transfers.
• I know the line numberSee both directions and every stop in order.
• I want to look aroundAll 38 lines and their stops on one map.

Popular destinations

• Airport
• Bus terminal
• Parque Calderón
• Feria Libre
• Mall del Río
• Universidad de Cuenca
• More destinations →

Riding, step by step

1. Top up your card before you leave

   Make sure there is balance for the return trip too.

2. Wait at a marked stop

   Stand where the driver can see you. Each line page lists its stops in order.

3. Check the number and the sign

   The same line runs both ways. The sign on the front shows which end it is heading to.

4. Let people off, then board and tap

   Tap your card on the validator once, and check that it accepted the fare.

5. Ring before your stop

   Follow along on the map and press the stop button in good time.

The Movilízate card

Movilízate is the red card used on Cuenca’s city buses. You can personalise it with your ID number (cédula) at any of the 700-plus recharge points, through the Movilízate app or the Cámara de Transporte website, or by phone on 4093504 or 2841776. 1

A card costs $1.80 at the SIR Cuenca sales points: the ETAPA office at Tarqui and Gran Colombia, the El Arenal and Terminal transfer stations, and the SIR office at Los Capulíes and Los Molles. The transfer stations sell, top up and personalise cards every day. There is also a grey card for visitors. 4

The subsidised fare belongs to the card’s owner, so a personalised card is for one person only. Don’t lend it.

Find a recharge point on the map

Recharge locations come from an older Movilízate list, so a shop may have stopped offering the service.

Changing buses

Busy stops such as the Terminal Terrestre and Feria Libre make the easiest places to change buses. The trip planner compares a direct line with routes that need a change. 6

Plan the way back separately: the return bus often stops on the other side of the street, or on a parallel one.

Combining bus and tram? Check how each one is paid in the tram guide.

Rural buses

Buses to the rural parishes are a separate service with their own fares, not the $0.30 city fare. On 29 September 2026 the city confirmed those fares had not changed. Ask the driver or operator before you pay. 5

Leaving Cuenca? Long-distance buses go from the Terminal Terrestre.