Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 12, 2026 – Bus riders in Puerto Vallarta will be able to watch vehicles move through city streets in real time on Google Maps before the end of 2026, replacing scheduled estimates with arrival times calculated from each bus’s actual location.
Route lines and official stops have started appearing in Google Maps as the first stage of the project. Jalisco Transportation Secretary Diego Monraz Villaseñor said the next stage will connect Puerto Vallarta’s entire public bus fleet, including older natural-gas vehicles and the city’s new electric buses.
No additional application will be required. Riders will be able to enter a destination in Google Maps, select public transportation and review available routes, stops and transfers. Once live tracking is activated, the map will also show the approaching vehicle and estimate when it will reach a selected stop.
The distinction between the two stages is important. The information currently being added shows where routes travel, where buses should stop, and the planned interval between vehicles. It does not yet confirm where the next bus is located.
Live tracking will use GPS information already transmitted by the electronic fare-collection equipment installed aboard Jalisco buses. The state’s transportation digitalization project converts that information into the real-time data feed used by Google Maps.
Jalisco reported in July that 275 public transportation routes had been published in the platform using static route information. The state is working with Ualabee, a Google technology partner, under an agreement announced in March.
Monraz said nearly 5,000 public transportation vehicles across Jalisco are scheduled to be connected before the year ends. In Puerto Vallarta, riders waiting during heavy rain, midday heat or after dark would be able to check the approaching bus before walking to the stop.
The tracking project will cover a fleet that has changed considerably in recent months. Puerto Vallarta’s electric-bus rollout remained without a firm start date as recently as July, after earlier delays in the delivery and preparation of the vehicles.
The first 19 electric buses entered service on August 1 under SITEUR operation. They serve two primary routes connecting Ixtapa with central Puerto Vallarta and Las Juntas with Galerías Vallarta. The network includes stops along the Francisco Medina Ascencio corridor and connections involving CUCosta, Marina Vallarta, the Hotel Zone and Centro.
Those vehicles operate alongside older buses serving other parts of the city. Monraz said the live-location system will include both groups, rather than limiting the feature to the new electric routes.
Google notes that its transit results can display either scheduled departures or real-time information, depending on the data supplied by the transportation agency. Until Puerto Vallarta’s live feed appears, the interval shown in the application describes the planned spacing between buses rather than the confirmed location of the next vehicle.
