Local Transport Car ownership is something North Americans take for granted. Only a small percentage of the people in the Mayan world can afford cars and most either walk, ride a bike or take a bus. Public busses are crowded, dirty, cheap and can also be fun for mingling with the locals. Most of the major cities in the region have bus services that run through the day in and out of the major metropolitan centers and, in some cases, the outlying areas. As a traveler, I have been on buses for fun, but would not like to depend on them to get someplace I had to be.
Hours can be sporadic with changes in service without warning.
Travel during the day around tourist areas is almost guaranteed. There are designated stops but busses will stop almost anywhere as long as you flag down the driver. Cars are available for rent, but as they know this is typically a use for tourists there are precious little deals to be found. If you have the money, what could be as much as a 12 hour car or bus ride through unstable roads in a broken down bus could be a 30 minute plane ride. Companies in the Mayan world offer reasonably priced flight for those wishing a shorter trip between such locals as Tikal and Guatemala.