Santiago bus 503 (Red): route map, stops and timetable

Route 503 is a Red Movilidad bus (locally, a micro) in the system formerly called Transantiago, and it crosses the city from west to east. It starts on Av. La Estrella, in Pudahuel, runs through the Mapocho area and the city centre along the riverbank, continues east along the line of stations from Salvador to Tobalaba and ends at Vital Apoquindo, in Las Condes. According to DTPM’s current operating schedule (October 2026), the outbound trip is 28.7 km long and has 95 bus stops. Since 6 September 2025 it has been run by Gran Américas Santiago Chile, which took it over from Metbus in the 2023 tender.

Route 503: from Av. La Estrella to Vital Apoquindo

Pudahuel. The 503 starts at Avenida San Pablo and Av. J. Guzmán Riesco, takes Serrano and Av. General Oscar Bonilla, passes the CESFAM Pudahuel Poniente and enters Avenida La Estrella, where it stops at San Pablo – La Estrella and at Plaza de Pudahuel. It then turns along Avenida San Daniel towards Av. José Joaquín Pérez.

Av. José Joaquín Pérez and Av. Mapocho. A long stretch of the route runs along Av. José J. Pérez: it crosses Av. Teniente Cruz, Avenida Las Torres, Neptuno, Las Rejas and Radal as far as Tropezón. From there it continues along Avenida Mapocho, with bus stops at Matucana, Población Mapocho, Ricardo Cumming and Almirante Barroso, and reaches the Hospital Traumatológico.

City centre and Plaza Italia. The bus passes Estación Mapocho, the Mercado Central, Puente Loreto, Puente Purísima and the Parque Forestal on its way to Plaza Italia. It continues past the Museo de Los Tajamares and the Parque Balmaceda and enters the line of stations Salvador, Manuel Montt, Pedro de Valdivia and Los Leones.

Tobalaba, Cristóbal Colón and Vital Apoquindo. At Tobalaba the 503 turns onto Avenida Tobalaba, passes El Bosque and Carmen Sylva and takes Av. Cristóbal Colón, which it covers almost entirely: Américo Vespucio, Manquehue, Hernando de Magallanes, Rotonda Atenas, the Parque Gandarillas and Av. Paul Harris. It finishes along Vital Apoquindo, passing the CESFAM Aníbal Ariztía and the Hospital Dipreca, to the corner with Av. Francisco Bilbao.

On the way back to Pudahuel the route changes on two stretches: in the centre it runs via Bellavista, the Recoleta Franciscana and Avenida Presidente Balmaceda, and in the west it goes down Avenida Andes before returning to Av. José J. Pérez. That is why it is worth checking on the map on this page where the bus stop is in each direction.

Route 503 timetable

According to DTPM’s current operating schedule (October 2026), the 503 runs every day from 05:30 until midnight. On a weekday there are about 157 departures towards Vital Apoquindo; on Saturday about 88 and on Sunday about 77.

The highest frequency is in the weekday morning peak: a bus roughly every 4 minutes towards Vital Apoquindo. In the afternoon, between 16:30 and 18:30, the scheduled interval is about 5 minutes in that direction and about 4 minutes towards Av. La Estrella. After 22:00 the interval rises to about 17 minutes.

The 503 is not a 24-hour service, but it has early-morning departures. Monday to Friday, between 01:00 and 05:30, there are a few departures towards Vital Apoquindo, about 90 minutes apart; on Saturday that interval is about 135 minutes and on Sunday there are none. Towards Av. La Estrella there are departures every 30 minutes until 01:00 and then again from 05:30.

How long the 503 takes

According to the operating schedule, the full outbound trip, from Av. La Estrella to Vital Apoquindo, takes about 115 minutes for 28.7 km. It is a long route because it crosses a large part of the city and stops at 95 bus stops. For partial trips, the App Red predictor is the most reliable way to estimate travel time, because congestion on Av. Mapocho and in the centre varies a lot depending on the time of day.

Bus stops and Metro connections

The 503 has bus stops at six Metro stations, all on the eastern stretch: Salvador, Manuel Montt, Pedro de Valdivia, Los Leones, Tobalaba and Cristóbal Colón. To transfer, tap your bip! at the Metro turnstile within 120 minutes of boarding the bus. In the centre, the Estación Mapocho, Mercado Central and Plaza Italia bus stops are handy for walking to the riverside and the Parque Forestal.

How to see where the 503 bus is

The official way is the App Red, Red Movilidad’s free app. Its predictor shows how long until each bus reaches your stop. You can also use “¿Cuándo llega?” on red.cl: type in the bus stop code and the site shows the next buses. The code appears on the sign at each bus stop and starts with P followed by a letter and a number. If you are travelling in the early morning, when departures are few, check the predictor before leaving home.

Fare and tarjeta bip!

The adult bus fare is CLP 795 at any time of day, in force since 22 February 2026. Secondary and higher-education students with a TNE pay CLP 260, primary-school pupils ride free and seniors with a bip! Adulto Mayor card pay CLP 390. You can pay with the tarjeta bip! or with bip!QR from the App Red.

A single payment gives you up to two transfers (three legs) within 120 minutes of your first tap, as long as you do not repeat the same bus route. There is no extra charge between buses. If you combine with the Metro during peak hours, the total rises to CLP 895; in off-peak hours, to CLP 815.

Tips for riding the 503

• Check the direction: in the centre and in the west, the outbound and return buses do not use the same streets.
• For an end-to-end trip, allow almost two hours; if you are going to the centre or the Pedro de Valdivia and Los Leones area, combining with the Metro can save you time.
• After midnight there are very few departures: check the App Red predictor before going to the bus stop.
• Check your balance on tarjetabip.cl or in the App Red before going to the bus stop, so you don’t run out of credit when you tap.