Getting Around Cancún

In many countries of the region, a Permanent Resident Card of the USA the so called Green Card is acceptable instead of a stamped in visa issued at the embassy (still will get a tourist card etc on the flight).
If you have a Green Card, you do not need visa. but if you have only a visitors visa or student visa, you may be out of luck unless you can produce a letter saying you are eligible to return to the USA.
Try to call Mexican Embassy in Washington for better service. or go through some visa service to get quick answer.
I would not travel if you are not sure about the visa status!

Upon arrival at Cancun airport, you have 3 options for taking transport to Cancun:

1. The cheapest option is to catch a bus to the main bus terminal. However, if you are staying in the Hotel Zone or if you don’t know exactly where your hotel is located, this might not be your best option.

2. The quickest, but most expensive, option is to take a taxi straight to your hotel.

3. I opted for the middle option - I caught a Colectivo, which is a minibus that holds around 10 passengers and their luggage and drops each one off at their chosen hotel. This is more direct than the bus and much cheaper than a taxi.

The colectivos are operated by a company called Green Line and at the time of my visit (February 2006) the cost per person was 90 Pesos (or 9 USD). You can pay in either Pesos or USD, but you can not pay in GBP or Euros, so if you are arriving from Europe you’ll need to obtain one of the two accepted currencies.

I had no Pesos upon arrival and there is no ATM in the arrivals hall. There is an exchange counter in the arrivals hall, but I was advised that the rates are incredibly bad and that I should go to the departure terminal to use the ATM. I did this, but upon returning to the arrivals hall I was stopped by a security guard who was reluctant to allow me to re-enter the terminal to purchase a ticket from the counter. He eventually relented and I was able to go back inside to purchase my ticket. The tickets are sold from a counter which stands directly beside the counters selling bus tickets and arranging taxis.

The colectivo sets off once it has a full quota of passengers. Depending on the destinations of the different passengers, the colectivo goes first to the Hotel Zone and then to downtown Cancun calling at each appropriate hotel. My hotel was the 4th of 6 stops and the journey took a little under 1 hour.

For your return journey, you can call up the day before and arrange to be picked up from your hotel at a given time.

Just down the road from The hotel, near to Aquaword are the offices of Eaglerider Cancun, a great bunch of guys who hire out Harleys.
I had a Heritage Softtail and it was superb but a bit pricey- $180 per day ( although worth it! )

If you want to get to the surrounding islands like Isla Mujeres and Cozumel take a ferry. There are several departure points from the hotel zone. We used the Garrafon ferry from El Embarcadero (Blvd Kukulkan 4.5 km). You can purchase your ferry tickets at any pier ticket counter. The ride to Isla Mujeres averages 25 minutes and the ride to Cozumel is approximately 45 minutes each way. It’s a beautiful and easy way to island hop!

There is a public bus and it was safe and cheap. But I do not know how late it runs. There are several (or was) websites with a bus schedule.

here is one site.

http://www.travelyucatan.com/cancun_bus.php

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Private Transfer (Round Trip) for 3 people from $55.00 USD with Cancun Transportation Services. Arrange the transfer online and you are met outside the Arrival Terminal by a coordinator with your name on a board.

The Vans are all Private and will take you directly to your Hotel.. no stopping or dropping other people along the way. New, Clean, air conditioned vans with friendly bi lingual drivers.

This Company Cover all destinations along the Riviera Maya.
www.cancuntransportationservices.com

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Cancun Transportation Services offer Reliabale, Clean, Air Conditioned Vehicles for Cancun Airport Transfers. All are Private Transfers from Cancun Airport direct to the Hotel or destination that you choose anywhere along the Riviera Maya.

Good Rates, New Vans, Clean, Comfortable and Reliable.

Check also for Cancun Limousines and Charter Buses.

he best way to visit the maya ruins and do other day trips is to rent a car and drive. I like being mistress of my time!

The main roads in Quintana Roo and Yucatán are, in general, excellent and are clearly signalled. Even driving down secondary, I had no problems (but then again, I am used to some bad roads back home).

The road linking Cancún to Mérida (if you want to visit Uxmal) and Chichen Itza is a tolled road and quite expensive. You should also fill up before hitting the road as there aren't any gas stations between Chichen Itza and Cancun. "Next gas station: 150km" can be a very scary sign to see!