Consettur bus service to Machu Picchu was suspended for a couple of hours on Sunday, September 7, 2025. The primary reason was due to an attack on one of the last buses coming down fro, Machu Picchu at 5:45pm on Saturuday Sept 6. Someone threw a rock at the windshield, then skedaddled. But there is another underlying reason that I will explain further. To protect the safety of travelers and staff after someone threw a rock at the windshield, the owners of the shuttle buses suspended service Sunday morning.. Travelers had to wait in the village of Aguas Calientes and hope that service would be restored, or take their chances and hike 9km up the Hiram Bingham trail to the main gate of the citadel. 

After a couple of hours without bus service, the national police agreed to provide a uniformed police escort on every bus to prevent any further disruptions to service and get the thousands of daily visitors safety up to Machu Picchu. As you can imagine, trains were delayed and undoubtedly many people had to make changes to their entire trip to Peru.

Why was Shuttle Bus Service at Machu Picchu Suspended?

It's complicated. The reason for the attack on one of the buses is due to a "situation" that has been brewing for a few weeks now. In case you haven't been following, (and why would you!), Consettur bus company has been caught up in a messy dispute about the process to select a shuttle bus provider when their contract ended on September 5. Right up to the last day of the contract it was not determined who would be responsible to provide the lucrative multi-million dollar bus service from the village of Aguas Calientes to the doorstep of Machu Picchu National Park. "Gentlemen! Start your engines!"

Everyone, including little ole me, knew the contract for the bus concession at Machu Picchu was expiring on September 5. It was widely known that Consettur was reluctant to end their comfy monopoly, The company claims that for the last 4 years, they've been preparing to continue offering service after September 5 by investing in charging stations, electric buses, (which is another dicey issue!) and rest stops. I've seen stories for the last several weeks mentioning how citizens and local authorities have been calling for the bidding process to get going so the bus concession service could continue without interruption, regardless of which company would be awarded the concession. But you know how politics and money are. For some reason, the municipality in charge of accepting proposals for service opened the bidding, then cancelled it right before midnight on Sept 4 when the Consettur contract officially expired. Meanwhile Consettur made it clear they wanted to be included in the contingency plans while the bidding process was conducted. On September 7, you could say that broken promises and hurtful accusations collided and broke the llama's back. And a flood of recriminations begun! 

Is it Safe to Travel to Machu Picchu During "Shuttle Bus-Gate" of 2025?

I don't believe that travelers are at risk of being injured or physically harmed in this skirmish unless they choose to do something foolish like join the farmers on the tracks. In my opinion, the biggest isssues affecting tourism to Machu Picchu are the reliability of train and bus service to and from the citadel. Out of the misty clouds, we can clearly see two opponents emerging in a face off for the win. There's bus loads of dinero at stake here. Their targets are each other. As long as travelers mind their own business, they'll be fine, although the possiblity of interruptions in service is high. 

There have always been regions in Peru that travelers should avoid.. The Ecuador and Colombia borders, VRAEM (narco central), and other remote provinces where communication with your embassy is not happening. So just don't go there unless you know what you're doing. The " golden corridor" for travel from Lima to Cusco to Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo, to Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, has always been heavily protected by tourist police. 

Just because the contract to provide bus service ended, doesn't mean that Consettur cannot continue to provide bus service until new arrangements are made. And that's what has been happening daily. Drivers show up and drive. So on Saturday Sept 5, someone decided to shake things by throwing a rock at the windshield of one of the last buses returning to the village at the end of the day. That's when it gets dark. It would be easy to hide in the thick foliage along the dirt road. Then. In the middle of the night, sometime between midnight and "before the rooster crows," a deal to provide bus service was codified with San Antonio de Torontoy Company. To get around the rules and legal requirements needed to select the next provider for the "golden yellow brick road" to guaranteed prosperity, the deal makers allegedly just made up a plan that would allow them to circumvent the official rules and regulations for opening the bidding process. They claimed they had to choose a company quickly without going through the process. It was an "emergency." Uh-huh. So withouot legal authority and the binding authorization of the regulatory bodies, they awarded the concession to San Antonio de Torontoy Company. In the middle of the night. 

Then, allegations of irregular and illegal public procurement started flying out of the shadows, spotlighting how the municipal mayors, councilmen and local politicians, not to mention the media, could be invested and benefit in the selection of either the old bus company or a newly appointed company. 

Why are farmers standing on the train tracks to Machu Picchu?

I told you it was complicated. After the selection of so-called "winner of the Machu Picchu bus route lottery" the next step is to deliver the fleet of new buses. Right? Hahaha. Easier said than done. The only way to get buses delivered to the middle of the Andes Mts. is by train. But what if the train company is not cooperative? What if they won't deliver the buses because they're not happy about how the selection process for the bus conession played out? Well, Then you would be right. On September 11, a  group of maybe 30-40 farmers stood on the train tracks in Aguas Calientes. The reason is because they're all torn up that the train company won't deliver the new buses. (even if there aren't enough buses to actually provide the service needed. Another story for another day right?)  The farmers are trying to put the screws to Perurail, the company responsible for not delivering the new buses. They want the new bus service to take over. Really? Farmers care about the buses? Hmmm. I smell llama poop.

A little llama whispered in my ear suggesting that it's possible the farmers are being compensated for their efforts. Who would that benefit? It's up to us to put the dots together.

So. Where does that leave travelers going to Machu Picchu?

Update on Buses and Trains Going to Machu Picchu:

Sept 12. It's reported that 2 new buses from Torontoy company will be delivered to Aguas Calientes.by Perurail today. Two more buses are supposed to be scheduled for arrival on Monday, Sept 15. The shift to a new provider for bus company is underway. Consettur had over 32 buses. According to regulations, the route requires minimum of 24 buses operating daily, with 2 reserve buses. Well, I read that Torontoy has 18 bushes. I can't believe they will just ignore this little detail and hope no one notices? 

Sept 12. At 8:30, (they did not specify AM or PM), Perurail reported that someone cut the brake lines on the cargo train that was transporting 2 new buses. So who knows how to do that? Perurail has announced it will suspend transportation of buses until safety of their staff , tracks and vehicles can be guaranteed.  This does not affect the passenger trains coming from Ollantaytambo

Sept 13 - Trains and buses were operating and our manager in Cusco sent a group of people by train 1 day early to make sure they could enter Machu Picchu on Sept 14 as scheduled.

Spet 14 - Trains in Ollantaytambo were loaded with passengers including one entire car full of national police officers. After sitting in the station for at least 3 hours passengers were unloaded. They are now waiting for rocks to be moved from the train tracks in Aguas Calientes, their final destination. Meanwhile, Machu Picchu is open and bus service is operating between the village and the main gate to the national park. By mid day the rocks which were small, were removed and train service was reinstated and operated until 3am to get everyone into Aguas Calientes. 

Sept 15 - There are protestors standing on the tracks again today in Aguas Calientes. Trains are delayed again today. 

I would say the bus and even the train service to Machu Picchu is on shaky ground, at least for the near future, or until the contract is codified or challenged.by someone who has the authority to make the call. If Perurail is somehow coerced into delivering the new buses, are we going to see a dualing buses showdown? The transition from one bus company to another could get ugly folks. Plan accordingly.

How to plan around delays and suspension of transport services to Machu Picchu:

• allow extra time for your trip to Machu Picchu. One day trips are risky in these circumstances. However, when services by train or bus are interrupted, I have seen authorities make accommodations for travelers to change their entry dates. Can I guarnatee it?  No! This is where having a local person to advocate on your behalf can be worth the extra cost and effort to arrange. 
• have a source for reliable up to date information. I mean a local who is on speed dial! 
• schedule a buffer day or two after your scheduled trip to Machu Picchu. If you are delayed getting out of Aguas Calientes, you don't want to risk missing your flight.
• if you're fit enough, pack light to walk up the dirt road from Aguas Calientes up to Machu Picchu

Is it Possible to Walk from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu?

I'm not saying you need to know this. But. Just in case you're curious about walking from the village up to Machu Picchu main gate. Here's what you need to know. Bring sturdy shoes and a backpack big enough to carry everything you need for the 9km hike to Machu Picchu. Estimated time on foot, is 2 hours up / 1 hour down. The road starts out flat from the village of Aguas Calientes for about 30-40 minutes to the ruinas bridge. Then the climb begins up the dirt path with stone steps that heads straight up the mountain to the blessed Inca city. Just remember. You'll be walking in the footsteps of the ancient ones. 

Who do we want to "win" the contract to provide bus service to Machu Picchu?

I fall into the camp of "let's put the travelers' needs first" regardless of how we ((that's the royal we) feel about monopolies and coverups. There are certain criteria that should be met for meeting the requirements of the job. Things like having enough buses and offering a website for tickets seem pretty important. Consettur has almost 40 buses and Torontoy has 18. So. There's that. The governing bodies have determined things like weight limits for buses that operate on steep dirt  roads and maintenance checks. I tend to support the underdogs, as long as safety and the ability to meet the needs of the customer are met. I begrudgingly  report that I believe that Consettur is most likely to meet the needs of the travelers and, at least temporaily, should be left in place to provide service. 

Check back because I plan to keep this story updated "as the world turns."