In this article we’ll be discussing why using Uber is the preferred method while visiting Mexico. We’ll explore the major cities and touristic destinations, providing a rating for each.
There are currently many taxi apps, but Uber is the preferred method of transportation for most tourists in Mexico and there are plenty of reasons for that. Let’s name a few.
Firstly, Why Uber?
City-by-city experience
* Click on the city name to jump to its section
Cabo San Lucas
Uber works perfectly in Cabo San Lucas. Short wait times, courteous drivers, modern cars, no trip cancellations, no surprises – everything works like a well-oiled machine. I stayed a good 7 km away from the city tourist zone and had to take at least 2-3 Uber trips a day. Experience in Los Cabos was 100% positive.
If you like the experience with a particular driver, feel free to ask for a business card or telephone number if special arrangements have to be made, be it a trip to the airport, a visit to San Jose Del Cabo or a multi-city full-day trip.
San Jose Del Cabo
San Jose Del Cabo is the second most popular resort in southern Baja California. It is located 32 kilometers (20 mi) northeast of Cabo San Lucas and it is known for its bustling art scene with plenty of art galleries, sandy beaches and colorful colonial buildings in the historic city center.
When it comes to Uber, Mazatlan is a completely different beast compared to other Mexican resorts
Mazatlan, “the pearl of the Pacific”, is a popular Mexican resort town along the Pacific shoreline famous for its beaches, food, and year-round almost perfect weather. The oceanfront Malecon, or boardwalk, provides plenty of sunset views, scenic ocean landscapes and a myriad of restaurants that would satisfy even the pickiest of foodies.
When it comes to Uber, Mazatlan is a completely different beast compared to other famous Mexican resorts.
- At the time of the writing, Uber (or any other ridesharing company) is not allowed to operate at the Mazatlan airport. The airport terminal has only one booth to order a taxi ride to Mazatlan city center and hotel zone. Taxi prices in the airport are sky-high and there is nothing you can do about it, there is no competition. This warm and fuzzy feeling when you understand you are being ripped off and there is nothing you can do about it…
Shared Airport shuttles are available for passengers seeking more affordable transportation.* Quick note about airport taxi drivers. Don’t be surprised that even with GPS they may struggle to find small streets. It is incredibly annoying when you have to guide a taxi driver through your own GPS system, but this is not a sign that something suspicious is going on.
- Uber wait time during peak hours can be long, it is not unusual to wait 10-20 minutes.
- Drivers can cancel rides without notice or proper communication. It is quite frustrating to have the drive canceled by an Uber driver after 10 minutes of waiting – and then wait another 10 minutes for another driver to come (especially late at night). I’ve had drivers canceling the drive 1 minute before their arrival. Some drivers canceled under the false pretext that the rider was not wearing a mask.
- Some Uber drivers refuse to take you as a passenger unless you commit to paying cash. Be prepared to engage in a text conversation where the driver will inquire about the form of payment. The exchange usually consists of a couple of short sentences:
(driver) Forma de pago? (How do you pay?)
(me) Tarjeta de credito porfavor (Credit Card please)
(Cancellation ensues)
Another version of the same conversation:
(driver) Forma de pago? (How do you pay?)
(me) Soy estranjero, yo no entiendo espanol (I’m a foreigner, I don’t understand Spanish)
(Cancellation ensues)
I asked local Uber drivers to explain the situation with cancellations and this is what I’ve been told.
“There are two types of Uber drivers in the city: those who use cars they own and those who rent cars from the owner. The first ones couldn’t care less about the form of payment. Every payment method works for them. The ones who don’t own their own car play different tricks to pocket some money without giving the full amount to the owner. And for that they need cash, they can’t do this with credit card payments”
The Riviera Maya is an internationally renowned Mexican tourist hot spot, especially popular with North American tourists. It is known for its luxury hotels and all-inclusive resorts, yoga retreats, turquoise ocean waters, white-sand beaches, unique cenotes experience, and Mayan ruins.
Cancun
Uber status in Cancun has been in limbo for a number of years and still is.
Uber service has been in place since 2016 but it has been ordered to halt operations a year later. Then it was allowed to operate again in 2019 (kind of) but quite often no cars are available for booking through the app. Even now you might see “Uber is currently unavailable in your area” in the Uber app, or wait time can be excruciatingly long if you attempt to use Uber in Cancun. I tried it a couple of times and gave up after a very long wait.
Taxis on the other hand are extremely overpriced. Taxi rides are more expensive than in Toronto which is not a cheap city to live in (to put it mildly). Whoever told you that Cancun is cheap should double-check his sources.
In the Mayan Riviera taxis are unionized and act as mafia. Prices are inflated and most of the time they charge twice as much, but sometimes go higher. Uber drivers are physically threatened at times and it is understandable that not a lot of Uber drivers want to operate under these conditions.
I asked one taxi driver how the relations with Uber deteriorated so much. Here is his answer:
“As taxi drivers, we need to obtain a license to operate the service, and the license costs an incredible amount of money. It took me 10 years to pay it off and get to where I’m at this point in my life. You don’t need any of that to drive Uber, it is just extremely not fair”.
I can relate to that, but still – this is no way to address the competition. Every business owner competes with lower prices and this is a reality of life. Banning competition and physically threatening them only because taxi drivers are used to easy money by ripping off tourists is not the way to go.
Bottom line: if you manage to catch Uber in Cancun, the prices are significantly cheaper, but don’t count on it being available to you. (You can always take public buses that go along the beaches of Zona Hotelera in Cancun, they are safe).
Tulum
Same story in Tulum (read the chapter above about Cancun for specifics). Uber is almost non-existent, it is very hard to book and the results are unpredictable. It amazes me how the Mexican government can claim that Mayan Riviera is an international travel hub while pushing ride-sharing companies aside with corruptive and anti-competitive practices.
A word of advice on using taxis in Tulum. You can get significantly cheaper taxi prices by going a couple of blocks away from the popular taxi pickup points, such as restaurants, hotels, bars, etc. I literally paid three times less for a trip to a famous Archeological Zone by grabbing a taxi 2 blocks away from the hotel.
Taxis are safe in Mayan Riviera, but they are expensive. If you find a taxi on the street and get reasonable prices, ask for the driver’s telephone number and use him on your further trips. Most drivers will gladly do that since the prices quoted to you are still above average (but not as outrageous as the ones you get in hotels)
Playa Del Carmen
Nothing to add here, just refer to the Tulum and Cancun sections. The situation is almost exactly the same.
Mexico city is one of the largest cities in the world. It is a culture-rich bustling tourist destination with a renowned art scene and a paradise for history buffs and foodies. Mexico City is known for its scenic pyramids surrounding the city and the colonial architecture of the Zocalo city center.
Hand down, Uber is the safest option to move around in Mexico City. Consider the usual advice that is given to tourists by travel guides and locals alike:
“Don’t hail taxis on the streets in Mexico City. Use Uber/Lyft or taxis parked in front of your hotel. There are numerous reports about taxi drivers being in cohorts with perpetrators”.
Regardless of the slight disadvantages Uber has in Mexico City, security concerns make Uber the most secure and natural choice for moving around. I haven’t spotted many disadvantages either. (Uber is not allowed to pick up passengers at Benito Juarez Airport is probably the only one worth mentioning). Dropping off passengers at the airport is not a problem. Never encountered issues with cancellations or long delays.
Veracruz
Veracruz is the largest port in Mexico. It doesn’t have the flashy ambiance of the most popular Mexican resorts, but it is a great place to visit to experience an authentic Afro-Caribbean atmosphere of life in the Gulf and the colonial architectural beauty of the historic city center.
Moving around Veracruz in Uber was mostly a positive experience. Day or night, drivers were available on short notice, the cars were modern and clean and the ride was pleasant with some good advice given about how to avoid nosy locations for a good-night sleep. The only glitch was not being able to book an Uber ride to go to the Airport. (The wait time was too long (probably due to drivers’ reluctance to go where they are not welcome). But it’s ok. In my experience, driving to and from Mexican airports is better done in a taxi.
Boca del Rio
On my way back two drivers canceled on me in the span of 25 minutes – one after another. The third one came after a 15 minutes wait. It was a very nice lady that gave me some insight as to why this might be happening in Boca Del Rio.
“Uber was introduced only recently here and there were a lot of unpleasant things happening, including violence towards Uber drivers. Most of the local taxi drivers not only opposed Uber expansion in Veracruz but actively confronted those who tried to have a side income by driving with Uber. Sometimes they posed as regular riders with a regular Uber account… they used to order a ride and after getting into an Uber car they caused all sorts of problems.
So we (Uber drivers) started looking at the age of the account of those who order Uber rides, and if the account was new, most of us would reach the conclusion that this account belongs to a troublemaker.
And this is what happened to you – your account is very recent and most drivers probably thought that you are one of the taxi drivers who are about to make problems. Things are much better now, so not everybody takes the same precautions… but it might happen in Boca Del Rio”.
I indeed opened my Uber account only recently, right before my trip to Mexico, so it could be the case indeed.
Leon is known for its amazing churches, such as Templo Expiatorio, colonial architecture, and the production of leather goods. Some even consider it “the leather capital” of Mexico. Leon is not a popular tourist destination, but a place absolutely worth visiting nevertheless.
In the words of a Leon local:
“I always advise my daughter to return home in the evening using Uber – it is much safer than regular taxis”.
Ditto. I’ve used Uber extensively in Leon and all arrivals were timely, no trip cancellations, and all cars were in very good condition.
Guadalajara
Both tequila and mariachi music were born in Jalisco, the state of which beautiful Guadalajara is the capital. The city is known for its colorful colonial plazas and landmark catxholic gold-spired cathedrals.
I didn’t encounter any issues with Uber service. Every ride arrived in time, with no trip cancellations. As with most of the Mexican cities, there is no Uber Airport pickup, but you can take Uber to the local airport with no issues
Durango
Victoria de Durango city, the capital of the Durango state, is known for its beautiful cathedrals, colorful colonial architecture, and art galleries. Small cities around Durango are often used for shooting Hollywood westerns.
Uber works perfectly in Durango. I was even able to order Uber to be picked up from the Central Bus Station. Even past midnight, cars arrived on time and service was working as expected every time.
Morelia
Morelia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known for its beautiful colorful colonial city center and is home to one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Mexico – the Cathedral of Morelia.
Uber service was great in Morelia, everything worked as expected. 5 stars well deserved.
Zacatecas
Zacatecas city is the capital and the largest city of the state of Zacatecas. It is known for its exquisite baroque cathedrals, colorful colonial buildings and narrow cobbled streets of the historic city center. The colonial part of Zacatecas was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nothing to report here, Uber service worked to perfection every time.
If you have updated information about Uber services in Mexico, news regarding Uber legislature efforts or more cities to add to this list – let me know in the comments below and I will update the post.
