Tijuana’s municipal government launched a free bus service exclusively for women on Monday, June 16. Called Transporte Rosa, the route runs from the Otay border crossing area to the Zona Centro and aims to provide safer commuting options on one of the city’s most heavily traveled corridors.
Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz announced the service at an event near the Garita de Otay, the busy border checkpoint where thousands cross daily between Tijuana and San Diego. The route covers approximately 15 kilometers and connects working-class neighborhoods in eastern Tijuana with the commercial downtown core.
Women-Only Transit Programs Operate in Over 20 Mexican Cities
Gender-segregated public transit is not new in Mexico. Mexico City introduced women-only subway cars in 2008 after surveys found that 65% of female riders had experienced harassment. The program expanded to include pink-colored buses, called Atenea, which now run dedicated routes across the capital. Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, and the State of Mexico have adopted similar models over the past decade.
But Tijuana has lagged behind on transit infrastructure in general. The city of roughly 2 million people has no metro, no light rail, and no bus rapid transit system. Most residents depend on a patchwork of private minibus routes, shared taxis, and personal vehicles. A 2023 report from the Colegio de la Frontera Norte found that Tijuana women spend an average of 90 minutes per day commuting, about 20 minutes more than men, partly because they chain trips between work, childcare, and errands.
The new Transporte Rosa service uses dedicated buses painted pink and staffed with female operators. The route begins at a stop near the Otay commercial district, passes through Colonia Libertad and Colonia Federal, and terminates in the Zona Centro near Avenida Revolución. The city has not yet published a detailed schedule, but officials said buses will run during peak commuting hours on weekdays.
Burgueño Ruiz said the service will be completely free to riders. He framed the initiative as part of a broader municipal effort to address gender-based violence in public spaces. Tijuana recorded 23 femicides in the first five months of 2025, according to data from the FGE (Baja California’s state attorney general’s office). The city consistently ranks among Mexico’s most dangerous for women, with street harassment on public transit cited as a persistent problem in municipal surveys.
Otay to Centro Route Serves Thousands of Daily Border Commuters
The chosen route is strategic. The Otay crossing is Tijuana’s second-busiest port of entry, processing roughly 30,000 northbound pedestrian crossings per month. Thousands of women cross daily to work in San Diego’s service sector, returning to neighborhoods in eastern Tijuana each evening. The Zona Centro, at the route’s western end, is Tijuana’s commercial heart and the location of the Línea pedestrian crossing to San Ysidro.
Residents who live along the corridor or commute between the two border crossings will find a new free option during rush hours. The route also passes through colonias with significant foot traffic and commercial activity, including the Mercado Hidalgo area.
The city has not disclosed how many buses will operate on the route or what the total program budget is. Burgueño Ruiz said the municipal government is funding the service directly, without federal support. That raises questions about long-term sustainability. Tijuana’s municipal budget has been under strain since 2023, when the city restructured debt obligations totaling approximately 3.2 billion pesos (about $160 million USD at current exchange rates).
Critics of women-only transit programs in other Mexican cities have argued that segregation treats a symptom rather than the cause. Advocates counter that the services provide immediate relief while longer-term safety improvements take shape. In Mexico City, ridership data showed that women-only buses maintained over 80% capacity during peak hours a full decade after launch, suggesting sustained demand.
Tijuana’s program is starting with a single route. City officials said they will evaluate ridership numbers after 90 days to determine whether to expand to additional corridors. The next route under consideration would connect the Playas de Tijuana neighborhood with the Zona Río business district, though no timeline has been set.
The 90-day evaluation period places the first review around mid-September 2025. This story was first reported by El Imparcial.