Colombia Bus Terminals: Buying Tickets and Boarding in Bogotá and Medellín

Quick answer: your ticket names a terminal, and both Bogotá and Medellín have more than one. Buy only from a terminal window, the terminal's website, Pinbus, redBus or the carrier's own site, and board only inside the terminal printed on your ticket.

The classic mistake is not a scam but a taxi ride: you tell the driver "la terminal," arrive at the wrong building and have forty minutes to cross a city. Bogotá has three municipal terminals and Medellín has two. This guide is the logistics layer. For route choice, overnight buses and company comfort, read our intercity bus travel guide instead.

Bogotá's three terminals: Norte, Salitre and Sur

According to the Terminal de Transporte de Bogotá (terminaldetransporte.gov.co, accessed October 2026), all three terminals are open 24 hours, every day of the year. They are different buildings in different parts of the city:

• Terminal del Norte: Calle 192 #19-43, Usaquén, on the Autopista Norte. Nearest TransMilenio: Estación Terminal.
• Terminal Salitre: Diagonal 23 #69-11 is the address repeated on the terminal's pages. A transparency page also lists Calle 22 C No. 68 F-37. Those are two published lines for one terminal, so follow the map pin or the signs rather than trusting one door. Nearest TransMilenio: Estación El Tiempo.
• Terminal del Sur: Calle 57Q #75F-82, Bosa, on the Autopista Sur at Avenida Bosa, about 500 meters past Portal Sur. Nearest TransMilenio: Portal Sur.

Inside Salitre, the official pages name modules 1 to 5. Unofficial guides repeat a color-coded map of those modules, but the terminal does not publish one, so I would not rely on it. Ask the company name on your ticket or use the destination lookup on the terminal's website. One more wrinkle: the terminal questions page says a Salitre ticket works for boarding at Sur only when the destination is on the southern corridor.

For getting to and from these stations by city transit, our Bogotá TransMilenio guide covers the system.

Medellín: Norte versus Sur

Terminales de Transporte de Medellín (terminalesmedellin.com, accessed October 2026) runs two sites, both operational 24 hours, 365 days. Only the administrative desks keep weekday daytime hours.

• Terminal del Norte: Carrera 64C #78-580.
• Terminal del Sur: Carrera 65 #8B-91.

The company's questions page gives examples: Bogotá, the Caribbean coast and the northeast leave from Norte, while Cali, Pereira, Armenia, Manizales and Quibdó leave from Sur. Expreso Brasilia's Medellín page says its intercity services arrive at Norte. Treat all of this as a summary. If your voucher says otherwise, the voucher wins.

Honest downside: arrival times on operator pages are approximate ranges, and the operators say schedules and fares change, so do not plan a tight connection around them. After you land, the Medellín metro guide explains the next leg.

Where a ticket is actually valid

Bogotá's city government (bogota.gov.co, note dated June 2025) names four authorized channels: the ticket windows at the three terminals, the terminal's website, Pinbus, and each carrier's own site.

What each channel gives you:

• Window: a queue, but you talk to a person and can ask which terminal and which bay.
• Pinbus: you pick company, time and seat on a seat map, pay by card, debit or cash, and get a voucher by email, usually within 5 to 10 minutes. Pinbus is a separate seller. Terminales Medellín says it is not their app, so a Pinbus problem goes to Pinbus, not the terminal desk.
• redBus.co: another reseller. You compare operators and terminals, then pay by PSE, card, or cash via Efecty, Baloto or Su Red. Its "desde" fares are snapshots, not official tariffs.
• Carrier site: Expreso Bolivariano, for example, lists payment by card through PayU, PSE and Nequi.

Fares are not one national tariff. Each company sets its own price, so I am not printing any here. Read the peso price on the seat map or at the window before you pay. Never buy from someone who approaches you in a hallway or outside the building.

At the gate: what to show

For a Pinbus ticket, the company says to board only at the terminal printed on the voucher, arrive 60 minutes early, and bring a printed voucher and a physical ID. Foreigners use a passport or cédula de extranjería. That is Pinbus's rule, not a universal one. Other companies can set different check-in times, and I would not assume a phone screenshot or a passport photo will be accepted. Read the conditions on your ticket.

Ficha and cabin bags

A ficha (also called a talón) is the claim check a company gives you for a bag accepted into the hold. It is not a city tax. According to Supertransporte's minimum-information guide, each company sets its own allowance, size, weight, number of pieces and extra charges. If a ficha is issued, keep it and show it to collect your bag. The company must also explain what happens if you lose it and whether there is a fee.

My habit: documents, medicines, laptop and anything you would cry over stay in a cabin bag at your feet. If you are sending a box instead of carrying it, encomiendas in the Bogotá system are at Salitre module 5, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and the terminal questions page says they are not offered from Terminal Norte.

If the plan changes

Keep two ideas apart. Under Supertransporte's rules, a purchase made at a distance (website or call center) can be retracted within 5 business days after the contract if the trip has not started, with a full refund and no retention within 30 calendar days of the notice. Walking up to a window and cancelling later follows the carrier's contract, which may mean a partial refund. Pinbus's optional paid "reembolso exprés" is an add-on, not a legal right. Complaints go first to the carrier or intermediary, then to Supertransporte.

On site: taxis, security, pets

Salitre and Sur publish an official taxi-assignment desk that runs 24 hours, and at Sur the traveler and driver are logged. Use it rather than a driver who offers a ride. Salitre also lists on-site police units and about 296 CCTV cameras, while Sur has a police station inside and 97 cameras. These are controls, not a crime statistic, so keep your bag in sight. Salitre's own page advises anyone withdrawing a large amount of cash to ask the Policía Nacional to accompany them. In Medellín, the terminal company runs alcohol tests on drivers before dispatch.

Both Salitre and Sur offer free luggage carts. Luggage storage exists, but the price is set by the operator and city-portal figures from 2025 may be outdated, so confirm at the counter. Pets ride only under each carrier's rules and the terminal does not rent crates; see our domestic pet travel guide before paying for a seat.

Salitre and Sur also list a yellow-fever vaccination clinic, but hours differ between pages and Norte's questions page says vaccination there stopped. Check the desk that day.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Which Bogotá terminal do I go to?

Go to the terminal printed on your ticket. Norte, Salitre and Sur are different buildings, all open 24 hours. Norte is at Calle 192 #19-43, Sur at Calle 57Q #75F-82, and Salitre at Diagonal 23 #69-11. TransMilenio stops are Estación Terminal, Estación El Tiempo and Portal Sur. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Norte or Sur in Medellín?

Bogotá-bound and many northern and Caribbean routes use Terminal del Norte, while Cali and coffee-region examples use Terminal del Sur. Terminales Medellín publishes these examples, but if your voucher names a different terminal, follow the voucher, not the summary. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Can I buy on Pinbus or redBus instead of the window?

Yes. Both are online resellers, and Bogotá's city government also names the terminal website and each company's own site as authorized channels. You still board inside the terminal listed on your voucher, never on the street. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ What do I show to board, and how early?

For a Pinbus ticket, bring a printed voucher and a physical ID, with a passport or cédula de extranjería for foreigners, and arrive 60 minutes before departure. Another company's counter rule can differ, so read your ticket's conditions. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ What is a ficha?

A ficha is the claim check for a bag the company accepted into the hold. Keep it until you collect the bag. Size limits, extra-bag charges and any fee for a lost check are each company's own policy. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Can I cancel a ticket?

An online or phone purchase can be retracted within 5 business days if the trip has not started, with a full refund within 30 calendar days. Voluntary changes follow the carrier's policy, and Pinbus's paid reembolso exprés is a separate optional add-on. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ How do I leave the terminal without guessing a taxi?

Salitre and Sur publish an official taxi-assignment desk that runs 24 hours. Police are on site, and Salitre advises asking them for an escort if you withdraw a large sum of cash. Skip drivers who approach you. (verify with the official source, as accessed)