Buenos Aires Public Transport: The British Commuter's Complete Guide

London has the Tube. Buenos Aires has the subte. Both are old, crowded, and vaguely unreliable. The main difference is that Buenos Aires transport costs about 5% of London prices. A single subte ride is under £0.30. A bus anywhere in the city is under £0.50. The Mitre train to the northern suburbs is under £0.40. After six years of paying for Zone 2 travel cards, this still makes me emotional.

The SUBE card

Before anything else, get a SUBE card (Sistema Único de Boleto Electrónico). It is your Oyster card. One contactless card for all public transport: subte, colectivos, trains. Buy it at any kiosko for ARS 1,500-3,000.

Top up: at kioskos, Subte station machines, or via the SUBE app (once you have an Argentine bank account).

Tap on, tap off: on the subte, you tap at turnstiles. On colectivos, you tap the reader by the driver. On trains, you tap at the station gate.

Discounts: the more you ride, the cheaper it gets. After 20 rides per month, fares drop 25%. After 30, they drop 40%. This is called the "red SUBE" (red being the network, not a colour).

The subte (underground)

Six lines, lettered A to H (no F or G):

• Line A — Oldest in South America (1913). Runs east-west along Rivadavia. Plaza de Mayo to San Pedrito. Wooden carriages on some services (charming, rickety).
• Line B — Runs east-west from Alem to Villa Urquiza via Corrientes. Good for Palermo, Villa Crespo.
• Line C — Runs north-south connecting Retiro to Constitución. The transfer spine between northern and southern lines.
• Line D — The most useful for expats. Runs from Catedral to Congreso de Tucumán (Belgrano). Serves Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano.
• Line E — Runs from Bolívar to Plaza de los Virreyes (south-west).
• Line H — The newest. Runs north-south through Parque Patricios, Caseros, Corrientes.

Hours: Monday-Saturday 5:30 AM to ~11:30 PM. Sunday 8 AM to ~10:30 PM. No night service (unlike the Night Tube).

Frequency: every 3-5 minutes in rush hour, every 6-10 minutes off-peak.

The honest comparison with the Tube: the subte is smaller, older, and less extensive. It covers central BA well but does not reach the northern suburbs (Belgrano is the last stop on Line D). For anything beyond the subte map, you need colectivos or trains.

Colectivos (buses)

This is where Buenos Aires transport becomes simultaneously excellent and impenetrable.

Buenos Aires has 150+ bus routes running 24/7 across the entire city and suburbs. There is no equivalent in London. The buses go everywhere, all the time, for almost nothing.

The problem: there is no official route map. Not really. Individual route maps exist but no single map shows the whole system. Porteños navigate by experience: they know their routes the way Londoners know their Tube map. As a newcomer, you will not.

The solution: use the Cómo Llego app (Buenos Aires official transport planner) or Google Maps transit directions. Both work well. Enter your origin and destination, and they tell you which colectivo number to take and where to get on and off.

How boarding works:

1. Wait at the parada (bus stop, marked by a small sign)

2. When your bus approaches, raise your hand to flag it down (they will not stop if nobody signals)

3. Board at the front

4. Tell the driver your destination (or just tap your SUBE — some routes have variable fares)

5. Tap SUBE on the reader

6. Take a seat (the back is quieter)

7. Ring the bell one stop before yours

8. Exit through the rear door

The cultural difference: Argentine buses do not wait. If you are not at the stop, they drive past. If you do not flag, they do not stop. London bus behaviour (standing at the stop assuming the bus will stop) does not work here.

Trains (suburban rail)

Three main lines for British expats:

Mitre — the northern suburbs line. Retiro to Tigre via Núñez, Olivos, San Isidro. This is the school-run commuter line. 25-50 minutes depending on station. Frequent, fairly reliable.

San Martín — northwest. Retiro to Pilar via Palermo (Chacarita station), Villa del Parque, San Martín. Less relevant for most expats unless you live in the western suburbs.

Roca — south. Constitución to La Plata and beyond. The longest and most complex network. Relevant if you work or study in the south.

Quality: improving. The Chinese-built EMU trains on the Mitre line are modern, air-conditioned, and comfortable. Older stock still runs on some services. Generally safe and reliable for commuting.

Costs comparison

The cost difference is not an exaggeration. Buenos Aires public transport is genuinely 90% cheaper than London.

The alternative: Cabify and Uber

Both operate in BA. Typical fares:

• Palermo to Retiro: ARS 8,000-12,000 (£5-8)
• Belgrano to the centre: ARS 10,000-15,000 (£6-10)
• Ezeiza airport: ARS 35,000-50,000 (£22-32)

Cheaper than London taxis but 10-20x more expensive than public transport. Use for late nights, heavy shopping, and airport runs.

Worth reading next

• First Week Buenos Aires Checklist
• Bureaucracy Survival Guide
• Palermo Neighbourhood Guide