Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente (Eastern Passenger Bus Terminal), better known by the acronym TAPO, is an inter-city bus station in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. It is located next to and conjoined with the

San Lázaro metro station San Lázaro is a metro station, station on the Mexico City Metro. It is located in the Venustiano Carranza, Mexico City, Venustiano Carranza Boroughs of Mexico City, borough of Mexico City. It lies along Lines Mexico City Metro Line 1, 1 and Mexic ...

, in the

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920), known as Venustiano Carranza, was a Mexican land owner and politician who served as President of Mexico from 1917 until his assassination in 1920, during the Mexican Re ...

borough in the eastern part of Mexico City. Designed by architect Juan José Diaz Infante Núñez, it is marked by its very large dome covering the structure. The outer rim of the circular interior contains ticket counters and boarding areas for bus lines. The center contains a food court and other businesses. The terminal serves travelers to fourteen states in the country, primarily to the east and south of Mexico City, such as to

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

and the Yucatan Peninsula. There are nine bus companies that operate from here with the four main companies being

Estrella Roja Estrella or La Estrella (Spanish for "the star") may refer to: Places Philippines * Estrella Flyover, a two-lane flyover (overpass) in Metro Manila, Philippines * Estrella Hospital, in the Province of Cavite, Philippines * Estrella Street, in Me ...

, Autotransportes Texcoco,

Autobuses de Oriente Autobuses de Oriente, S.A. de C.V. (Autobuses of the East, Inc.; usually known as ''A.D.O.'') is one of the largest Mexican bus companies, running first-class and executive-class buses, and serving roughly the eastern half of the country. Histor ...

(ADO) and Grupo Texcoco. There over four hundred busses operating seventeen routes, with carry an average of 10,000 passengers per day. The terminal gets crowded during vacation periods and long holiday weekends. During these weekends, traveler totals are ten percent or more above normal. The busiest times are the Christmas and

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

periods, which can see anywhere from 180,000 to 220,000 passengers go through the terminal. The terminal was built in 1978 by the federal government under

José López Portillo José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (; 16 June 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a Mexican writer, lawyer, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 ...

. In 2003, there were renovations including the pedestrian bridges, a tunnel for taxis, restructuring the main local bus stop, installation of street lighting and the banning of vendors. Crime has been an issue at the terminal. One reason for the problems is the rise in crime in the surrounding neighborhoods in general. Another has been the operation of unlicensed taxis although much of this has been relieved by the construction of an underground station for legal taxis. One particular problem at least since the 2000s has been the prostitution of children. Girls and young women as young as ten years old from poor parts of the country are targeted as they arrive to Mexico City. The terminal has over 2,000 security workers during peak times with twenty security cameras. In 2011, some of government efforts to encourage reading were centered on the terminal. In conjunction with the Autobuses de Oriente (ADO), consisting of free copies of books with texts by Mexican authors such as

Elena Poniatowska Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor (born May 19, 1932), known professionally as Elena Poniatowska (), is a French-born Mexican journalist and author, specializing in works on social and political issues focused on ...

José Agustín José Agustín Ramírez Gómez (19 August 1944 – 16 January 2024) was a Mexican novelist, short story writer, essayist and screenwriter. Publishing under the pen name José Agustín, he was considered one of the most influential and prolific Me ...

and

Efraín Huerta Efraín Huerta Roma (June 18, 1914 – February 3, 1982) was a Mexican poet and journalist. Born and raised in the state of Guanajuato, he moved to Mexico City initially to start a career in art. Unable to enter the Academy of San Carlos, he ...

. Also, the first book “

tianguis A is an open-air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases ...

” or market began operating at the terminal, with books from twenty different publishers. It operates intermittently about every two months.

References

{{coord, 19, 25, 48.04, N, 99, 6, 44.28, W, region:MX, display=title Bus stations in Mexico Transportation in Mexico City Buildings and structures in Mexico City Venustiano Carranza, Mexico City