Tica Bus Guatemala 2026: Routes, Fares and Terminal

Tica Bus began operating on 13 September 1963 as a family company and today runs as a brand of Mobility ADO. Its network reaches “Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico (Tapachula)” with 14 daily departures region-wide. Out of Guatemala City, however, it publishes exactly two routes.

Tica Bus quick summary: From Guatemala City the operator sells San Salvador ($20 standard or $35 “Servicio Diamante”, four departures a day) and Tapachula, Mexico ($27, two a day). There is no direct service to Tegucigalpa, Managua, San Jose or Panama City — those are bought leg by leg, with an overnight in San Salvador. Terminal: Calzada Aguilar Batres 18-35, Zona 12, open Mon-Fri 05:00-17:00 and Sat-Sun 05:00-14:00, (502) 2473 3737 / WhatsApp +502 5536 0593.

The two routes Tica Bus actually sells from Guatemala

Fares and times as published by Tica Bus, retrieved 12 September 2026. The operator publishes no journey durations — the “Scheduled” column is simply the gap between its own published departure and arrival times, and Tica Bus warns those arrivals vary with border queues and road traffic.

Coming back the other way, the same table gives El Salvador to Guatemala at 05:30 ($35 Diamante), 07:00 ($20, Mon-Fri), 14:00 ($35 Diamante) and 17:00 ($20), and Tapachula to Guatemala at 07:00 and 21:00, both $27 — the 21:00 arriving 06:00 the next morning.

On classes: the only class name Tica Bus publishes on the Guatemala corridor is “Servicio Diamante”, attached to the $35 departures. The cheaper departures carry no label at all. Separately, its FAQ distinguishes clase turistica — which makes boarding stops en route plus two stops near meal times — from servicio directo, which stops only at the border plus courtesy stops. Every unit is described as having air conditioning, a toilet, reclining seats, TV and video; Wi-Fi does not appear in that equipment list.

On the same corridor, compare Pullmantur; travellers heading to El Tunco continue onward from San Salvador. For the Mexican side of the Tapachula run, see bus from Guatemala to Mexico.

Going further south: the journey is chained, not through-ticketed

This is the single most useful thing to know before booking. Tica Bus is genuinely a seven-country network, but from Guatemala it is one ticketing network with a transfer in San Salvador, not a through bus. The operator states the design plainly in its FAQ: “Nuestro pasajero tiene la libertad de parar y quedarse en cada pais el tiempo que desee” — the passenger is free to stop and stay in each country as long as they want, provided the next leg is reserved and confirmed in advance.

The overnight is structural, not optional. Tica Bus says: “Por seguridad, TICA BUS no tiene rutas que viajen toda la noche en relacion con el horario de trabajo de las fronteras.” Arriving in San Salvador at 11:30 or 12:30 does not reliably catch the 12:00 Tegucigalpa departure, and the Nicaragua and Costa Rica legs leave in the small hours.

The published onward legs from San Salvador:

On the Panama leg the operator prints a hard requirement: “Todo extranjero que viaje a Panama debe llevar su boleto de regreso comprado ya que lo requieren en la frontera.” Every foreigner travelling to Panama must already hold a purchased return ticket, because the border asks for it.

What the whole trip costs from Guatemala City, adding the published segment fares — this is a sum of segments, never a through-fare the operator quotes:

Budget on top of that, from the operator’s own FAQ: $5-7 USD per border in fees on average, depending on the crossing and your nationality; $15-30 USD per person per night for transit hotels, which are not included (Tica Bus notes it has its own hotels at the Costa Rica and Nicaragua terminals); and about $20 USD a day for food. Copan Ruinas appears nowhere in the operator’s table — for that trip see Guatemala to Copan.

The Guatemala City terminal

• Address: Calzada Aguilar Batres 18-35, Zona 12, Guatemala City — published as “Estacion TICA BUS / Terminal y Hotel Santiago”
• Hours: Monday to Friday 05:00-17:00 · Saturday and Sunday 05:00-14:00
• Phone: (502) 2473 3737 · WhatsApp: +502 5536 0593 · Email: guatemala@ticabus.net

The terminal sits on Calzada Aguilar Batres in Zona 12, not in the Zona 9/10 hotel belt, so budget transfer time from anywhere central. Tica Bus’s own travel advice for Guatemala is to use reliable transport (official taxis, Uber or tourist shuttles), avoid walking alone at night in Guatemala City, and carry little cash, preferably in quetzales, since dollars circulate little in the country. The operator publishes no transfer fare or travel time from Zona 10 or the airport to this terminal, and we quote none.

The onward terminals, as the operator publishes them:

Baggage, check-in and the contract you are agreeing to

Baggage — the operator contradicts itself, so here is both versions. The homepage says “Cada pasajero tiene derecho a llevar dos maletas de 15 kilos cada una y un bolso de mano”, and contract clause 10 says “Cada pasajero tiene derecho a DOS MALETAS con un peso maximo de 15 kilos cada una”. The FAQ page says something different: “Cada pasajero tiene permitido llevar dos maletas con un peso maximo de 30 kg (66 libras)”. Two of the three official sources say 15 kg per suitcase, the binding contract among them — pack to 15 kg. Excess baggage is $50 per piece up to 15 kg, subject to space. Liability for damaged or lost baggage is capped at $10, and a declared value is only accepted against the invoice for the goods, with a 20% charge on the declared amount.

Check-in — also two figures. Contract clause 4 requires you at the counter “por lo menos cuarenta y cinco minutos antes” for document and baggage control, and warns that at 15 minutes to departure the company may dispose of an unclaimed reserved seat unless the passenger pays a $10 penalty, subject to space — an exception that applies only at company terminals in Tapachula, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The homepage instead recommends “Presentese una hora antes de su horario de salida”. Plan for the hour; 45 minutes is the contractual floor.

The rest of the contract, briefly: a no-show “PERDERAN SU PASAJE” (clause 3), though the FAQ softens that — the amount is not refundable, but the ticket can be re-dated within the year following purchase (clause 2 sets one-year validity). The company assigns your seat number (clause 13) and may raise fares without prior notice (clause 11). No pets: clause 8 lets the company refuse “toda clase de animales domesticos”, and the FAQ allows only trained guide animals accompanying a passenger with disabilities, papers presented at check-in. No smoking on board. Children need their own ticket from age 3. And there is exactly one day a year with no service at all: Good Friday.

Booking a Tica Bus ticket

Tickets are sold on the official site ticabus.com; the operator confirms you can buy online, download the ticket and show it digitally. Checkout runs on the Mobility ADO booking platform shared with Cristobal Colon, whose storefront sells “Travel through Central America — Cristobal Colon & Tica Bus” plus an open-return product. Payment is by credit or debit card, US dollars in cash, or the local currency of the country where you buy — and the fares above are the online prices.

How far ahead to book, per the operator: 3-4 days in low season, at least 30 days in high season, and three months for December. For anything the site does not answer, the contract gives info@ticabus.com.

Other buses and routes from Guatemala City:

• All bus operators and routes in Guatemala — the operator index
• Pullmantur to San Salvador — same corridor, different carrier
• Bus from Guatemala to Mexico — Tapachula and onward
• Guatemala to Copan, Honduras — a route Tica Bus does not publish
• Antigua to El Tunco — the beach continuation past San Salvador

All fares, schedules and rules verified 12 September 2026 from ticabus.com (routes-and-fares table, Guatemala terminal page, contract, FAQ). Tica Bus reserves the right to change fares without notice and states that arrival times are approximate — confirm before travelling on (502) 2473 3737 or WhatsApp +502 5536 0593.