In short
The Tren Urbano is the metro area’s mass transit system, run by the Integrated Transport Authority. There are 16 stations across San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón, and the system runs every day of the year from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tickets are bought at any of the 16 stations, from touch-screen vending machines that offer audio and Braille. The detail to know before you arrive: the machines take cash only. The maximum change they return is $12.50 in $1.00 coins or fractions, so if you pay with a $20.00 bill the minimum purchase is $7.50. Quick sale costs $3.00 and includes a round trip; under "more options" you can top up your card, get a new one — regular or with an unlimited pass — or exchange it if it is faulty. With the card, transferring from train to bus is free within a two-hour window, and that applies only to the regular fare. And if you lose the card, there is no refund.
What is it?
It is the metropolitan area’s mass transit system, with 16 stations in San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón. ATI says its mission is to provide a mass transit system to promote Puerto Rico’s social and economic development, and that it connects to educational, sports and recreational centres, government agencies and corporations, and hospitals.
Who can do it?
Anyone can use it. The reduced-fare programmes — student, Golden Programme and Half Fare — have their own conditions and appear in the ATI fares guide; to obtain or replace a pass, ATI serves by appointment.
Requirements
- Cash, if you are buying at the machines: at present they take cash only.Verified against the official source
- A fare card, if you want the free train-to-bus transfer within two hours.Verified against the official source
Documents you need
Cost
Step by step
Step 1: Hours and coverage
The system runs every day of the year from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., with 16 stations across San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón. ATI publishes the Tren Urbano and bus route map on its page, downloadable as a PDF: that is the reference for which station is near you and which route it connects with.
Step 2: Buy the ticket at the station
The TU ticket is bought at any of the 16 stations. The vending machines are in all of them, let you enter the facilities to board, and also check your ticket balance before going through the entry gates. They have a touch screen and offer audio and Braille for blind users, with options for quick sale, single trip, transfers and card top-up.
Step 3: The cash rule, and the $20 bill rule
At present the machines take cash only. The maximum change returned is $12.50, in $1.00 coins or fractions. That is why the page warns that if you buy with a $20.00 bill, the minimum purchase is $7.50: it is the arithmetic of that maximum change. Bringing small notes avoids the problem.
Step 4: What the machine offers
You select START, choose a language and then the card type. Quick sale costs $3.00 and includes a round trip. Under "Card / More options" there are three paths: get a new card — regular with the amount you want, or with an unlimited pass — top up the one you have, or exchange it if you believe it is faulty.
Step 5: The free two-hour transfer
The fare card does more than get you onto the train: it allows free transfers from train to bus within a two-hour window. ATI clarifies that this applies only to the regular fare. If you pay the bus with exact cash, that transfer does not exist.
Step 6: If you need a pass or lost your card
To get a new pass, an unlimited one, a replacement or any other transaction, ATI recommends booking an appointment at www.tutrenpr.com to avoid the wait, or calling (939) 227-2838, (939) 227-2829 or (939) 227-2844. Note one of the system’s own rules: there will be no refund for a lost fare card. Losing the card means losing the balance.
Step 7: Service questions and complaints
For queries or doubts about the Tren Urbano, ATI directs you to the Passenger Service Area: you can ask staff at each station or write to the address the page publishes as www.info@tutrenpr.com. We reproduce it exactly as printed there, without correcting it, because inventing an agency’s contact is not ours to do.
Where to do it
At any of the 16 Tren Urbano stations to buy or top up; at www.tutrenpr.com or by phone at (939) 227-2838, (939) 227-2829 and (939) 227-2844 for customer-service appointments.
How long it takes
What to do if something goes wrong
If you arrived with a credit card and no cash, you will not be able to buy at the machine: at present they take cash only. If all you have is a $20 bill, expect to spend at least $7.50, because the maximum change is $12.50. If your card does not read or is damaged, the machine has an option to exchange it, and for everything else there is the customer-service appointment. If you lost it, the published policy is clear: there is no refund. And if you are continuing by bus, pay with the card and not with cash, because the free two-hour transfer goes with the card and only with the regular fare.
Common mistakes
- Arriving at the station with only a credit card: the machines currently take cash only.
- Paying with a $20 bill expecting full change: the maximum returned is $12.50 and the minimum purchase is $7.50.
- Paying the bus in cash after the train and losing the free transfer, which goes with the card.
- Leaving the pass transaction to the queue when ATI offers appointments at www.tutrenpr.com.
- Counting on recovering the balance of a lost card: the policy says there is no refund.
- Assuming the train runs shorter hours on Sundays: it operates every day of the year from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Frequently asked questions
How many stations are there and where?
Sixteen, across the municipalities of San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón. The full map is on ATI’s page, downloadable as a PDF.
What are the hours?
Every day of the year, from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Do the machines take cards?
No. At present the ticket machines take cash only, with maximum change of $12.50 in $1.00 coins or fractions.
Is the transfer to the bus free?
With the fare card, yes, within a two-hour window, and it applies only to the regular fare.
I lost my card. Do I get the balance back?
No. The page expressly says there will be no refund for a lost fare card.
Official sources
These are the government pages this guide is based on.
- Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas (DTOP)
DTOP
www.ati.pr.gov
Last verified
September 2, 2026
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