Santiago bus 516 (Red): route map, stops and timetable

Route 516 is a Red Movilidad bus (locally a “micro”), part of the system formerly known as Transantiago, that links Pudahuel Sur with Las Parcelas, crossing Santiago from west to east along the Alameda. It is 28.7 km long outbound and runs 24 hours a day. It is one of the busiest services in the city: in the 2025 ranking published by Red it came third, with an average of 25,324 transactions per working day between January and November, and Red lists it as a Maipú – Peñalolén service. Many people search for it as “micro 516” or “516 recorrido”. Below you will find the route by section, the timetable, the journey time and how to see where the bus is.

Route 516: from Pudahuel Sur to Las Parcelas

Pudahuel Sur and Lo Prado. The 516 starts at Av. Américo Vespucio and Av. El Descanso, passes the Cementerio Parque del Sendero and enters Pudahuel Sur via Marta Ossa Ruíz and Avenida La Estrella (Océano Atlántico, Laguna Zapallar, Avenida Laguna Sur). It continues along Avenida La Travesía and Av. Teniente Cruz to Barrancas station, then takes Av. General Oscar Bonilla, with stops such as the Casa de la Cultura Lo Prado, to Pajaritos station.

Alameda. At Las Rejas it joins the central axis and runs its full length: Ecuador, San Alberto Hurtado, Universidad de Santiago, San Borja, Estación Central, Unión Latinoamericana, República, Los Héroes, La Moneda, Universidad de Chile, Santa Lucía and Universidad Católica, up to Plaza Italia.

Bustamante and the Estadio Nacional. From Plaza Italia it heads south past Parque Bustamante and along Av. General Bustamante (Santa Isabel, Malaquías Concha, Irarrázaval). It then passes the Conjunto Empart Ñuñoa, the Villa Olímpica and Avenida Marathon to Estadio Nacional station, and carries on past Los Tres Antonios, the Pedagógico, CESFAM Salvador Bustos and the Centro Olímpico Marlene Ahrens to Grecia station.

Grecia, Tobalaba and Las Parcelas. The last stretch follows Av. Grecia, Ictinos and Diputada Laura Rodríguez to Avenida Tobalaba, turns into Av. Las Parcelas (Consistorial, Amanecer, El Alto, Río Claro) and Los Baqueanos, and ends at Av. Diagonal Las Torres and Álvaro Casanova.

The return trip follows the same axis in reverse, with a few differences at the ends: in the east it leaves via Av. Las Parcelas, CESFAM La Faena and Avenida Oriental, and in the west it goes down Avenida Ecuador and reaches Pudahuel Sur via Avenida Los Mares and Camino El Olivo.

Route 516 timetable

According to the current DTPM operating schedule (October 2026), the 516 runs 24 hours a day, Monday to Sunday. On weekdays it has about 184 departures, on Saturday about 98 and on Sunday about 93. It keeps running through the early hours, but less often: the approximate night interval is 22 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on Saturday and Sunday.

In the morning peak (07:00 to 09:00) on a weekday, the shortest scheduled interval is 4 minutes. The timetable table on this page sums up departures by day type.

How long the 516 takes

According to the operating schedule, a full outbound trip from Pudahuel Sur to Las Parcelas has a scheduled time of 148 minutes for 28.7 km. That is long for the distance, because the 516 crosses the whole city centre and has 74 outbound stops. Treat it as a reference: at peak times it can take longer. If you only ride part of the route, for example from Barrancas to the Alameda, work out your trip with the planner in the App Red or on red.cl.

Bus stops and Metro connections

The 516 has 74 stops outbound and 70 on the return, and passes 19 Metro stations. In the west: Barrancas and Pajaritos. On the Alameda: Las Rejas, Ecuador, San Alberto Hurtado, Universidad de Santiago, Estación Central, Unión Latinoamericana, República, Los Héroes, La Moneda, Universidad de Chile, Santa Lucía and Universidad Católica. After Plaza Italia: Parque Bustamante, Santa Isabel, Irarrázaval, Estadio Nacional and Grecia. From Grecia to Las Parcelas there are no more stations on the route.

How to find out where the 516 bus is

To see how long until the next 516, use the App Red (in the app stores, “Red Metropolitana de Movilidad”), which is free and has an arrival predictor for each bus stop (paradero). You can also use “¿Cuándo llega?” on red.cl. Either way you need the bus stop code, printed on the stop sign: it starts with P, followed by a zone letter and a number. At night, when the wait gets longer, it is worth checking the predictor before you leave home.

Fare and tarjeta bip!

Since 22 February 2026 the adult fare on Red buses is CLP 795 at any time, night included. Secondary and higher-education students pay CLP 260 with the TNE, primary school pupils ride free and seniors with the bip! Adulto Mayor pay CLP 390. You can pay with the tarjeta bip! (it costs CLP 1,550) or with bip!QR from the App Red and other apps.

A single payment covers up to two transfers (three legs) within 120 minutes of the first validation, as long as you do not repeat the same bus route. There is no extra charge between buses; if you transfer from the 516 to the Metro during peak hours, you pay the difference up to CLP 895. Always validate when you board.

Tips for travelling on the 516

• If you are going from Pudahuel Sur to the centre, you can get off at Barrancas or Pajaritos and continue by Metro; on the Alameda the 516 runs alongside the Metro from Las Rejas to Universidad Católica.
• The full scheduled trip is over two hours: on long journeys, switch to the Metro if the bus is slow.
• In the early hours the 516 keeps running, but with waits of about 22 to 30 minutes; check the App Red before you go to the stop.
• On the return the bus does not pass Marta Ossa Ruíz or the Cementerio Parque del Sendero: it goes down Avenida Los Mares, so check which stop suits you.