Getting around Colombia: transport and apps

In the cities

• All three need a card. Bogotá uses Tullave, Medellín uses Cívica, and drivers do not take cash. Buy the card at any station on your first day.
• Medellín's occasional card costs more per ride, COP 4,400, so if you are staying more than two days get the personalised Cívica.
• The Arví cable is priced separately and foreigners pay far more: about COP 26,700 on the general and visitor tariff against COP 11,900 with a personalised card. It is worth knowing before you assume it is another metro ride.
• Bogotá's metro is being built, not open. Line 1 was about 80% complete in mid-2026 with commercial service projected for 2028. Until then the city runs on buses.
• TransMilenio at rush hour is genuinely crushing, and it is where pickpocketing happens. Travel outside 06:30 to 08:30 and 17:00 to 19:00 if you can, and keep your phone in a pocket you can feel.

Between cities

• Flying is usually the right answer. Bogotá to Medellín is roughly 11 hours by road and an hour in the air, and the buses are not that cheap: a good Bogotá to Medellín coach runs COP 77,000 to COP 85,000. Avianca, LATAM, Wingo and Satena cover the network between them.
• The coaches are comfortable and the terminals are organised. Expreso Bolivariano, Copetran and Expreso Brasilia are the operators you will meet most. Book at the terminal or online.
• Overnight buses on mountain roads are a poor trade. You do not see the country, the road is the interesting part, and the seat is not worth the saving.

Taxis and ride-hailing

• Uber, DiDi, Cabify and inDrive all operate, and none of them is legally regulated. They have run in a grey zone for years; a restrictive bill was going through Congress in 2026 that would fine platforms per trip. In practice they work and Colombians use them constantly.
• Do not hail a taxi in the street. The FCDO advice is to book by phone, by app or through your hotel. A licensed Colombian taxi is yellow with white plates.
• Sitting in the front is the local convention in a ride-hailing car, because the driver is pretending you are a friend rather than a fare. Follow it.
• Renting a car is for the coffee region and not much else. City driving is aggressive, parking is scarce and Bogotá's pico y placa restricts which plates may drive on which days.

• Check-Mig - https://apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/pre-registro - The official entry and exit form. Free, and the only URL worth trusting.
• Google Maps and Moovit - Both have Bogotá and Medellín transit built in, and Moovit is better at the SITP bus routes that Maps sometimes misses.
• WhatsApp - Not optional. Hotels, tour operators, drivers and restaurants all run on it. A Colombian business will answer WhatsApp in minutes and email in days.
• Rappi - The Colombian delivery app, for food, pharmacy and groceries. It was born here and it is everywhere.
• Uber, DiDi, Cabify, inDrive - Ride-hailing in every large city. Compare two, the prices differ more than you would expect.
• Tullave and Cívica - Balance and top-ups for the Bogotá and Medellín fare cards.
• Maps offline - Download the city before you land. You will want the map more than you will want to unlock an expensive phone on a street corner.