Taxis, Uber and Other Livery in Mexico City - Safe?
Dec 1, 2016, 12:51 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,667
I took the official taxi from the airport to my posada. The posada called a taxi when I wanted to leave to go somewhere, and to return to the airport as well. Even official airport taxi fares were only about U$13-15 (to 2 neighborhoods, exchange rate was only 18 at the time) and the one to retrace the route back to the airport even cheaper. I felt safe (solo female).
I did not try Uber, nor did I have time to need more rides.
Dec 1, 2016, 4:30 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: MEX
Programs: AM, UA, AA
Posts: 64
I Uber almost on a daily basis
Simple, safe, clean and efficient. I can't remember when was the last time I used a taxi
Regarding conflicts they are non existent today. When conflicts were an issue your Uber would contact you and ask you either to ride in front, handshake like if you knew the driver or they would simply take an alternate route
Simple, safe, clean and efficient. I can't remember when was the last time I used a taxi
Regarding conflicts they are non existent today. When conflicts were an issue your Uber would contact you and ask you either to ride in front, handshake like if you knew the driver or they would simply take an alternate route
Dec 1, 2016, 10:10 pm
#4
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
My relatives and friends in the District use Uber all the time. Über is generally their preferred public livery.
For taxis, they usually get taxis by radio, from a "sitio" (taxi rank), or have one called by their host, lodging, etc. They do not hail taxis in the street, nor do they take taxis whose driver's or shills are trolling for passengers.
There are pirate and untrustworthy taxis out there, cruising the periphery of the airport, etc.
For taxis, they usually get taxis by radio, from a "sitio" (taxi rank), or have one called by their host, lodging, etc. They do not hail taxis in the street, nor do they take taxis whose driver's or shills are trolling for passengers.
There are pirate and untrustworthy taxis out there, cruising the periphery of the airport, etc.
Last edited by JDiver; Dec 14, 2016 at 12:17 pm
Dec 6, 2016, 12:41 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Montebello, CA, USA
Posts: 2,365
When we went in January, we took an official taxi from the airport to our hotel and then used Uber and Metro/MetroBus the rest of the time.
We thought the Uber rides were good to excellent and probably would have used them more, but we had some phone issues over the holiday weekend.
We plan on doing the same again when we return in a couple of months.
We thought the Uber rides were good to excellent and probably would have used them more, but we had some phone issues over the holiday weekend.
We plan on doing the same again when we return in a couple of months.
Jan 24, 2017, 9:01 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Montreal
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 204
the general agreement is that it's safer than taxis, especially compared from those tacis from the street. (not "sitio") I used them in Mexico all the time. there is also other app doing the rounds (Cabify) which is popular cause it doesnt have surge pricing. glad you had a good experience!
Jan 25, 2017, 9:32 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,638
The only caveat I have for UBER @ MEX is that if you have more than a modicum of luggage, it may not fit in one of the smaller UBERmobiles. (This is why we took a hotel car back to the airport - the price was just about the same as what the larger UBERmobiles were showing.)
Feb 10, 2017, 8:30 pm
#12
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Montebello, CA, USA
Posts: 2,365
We have been here for 3 days now and I decided to try Cabify this time. I picked Cabify, since I had read that you could possibly request a driver who spoke another language (although we haven't seen that option in the app) and I've had mixed feelings about Uber lately. After 4 trips on Cabify and 1 on Uber over these 3 days, my thoughts are:
Generally they are roughly the same price (UberX vs Cabify Lite). Sometimes one is a little more (~10%) than the other, but similar rates in general. It seemed Cabify Lite was a fair bit more from the airport (10:30pm weeknight to Roma), but it was still only $180MXN, which is only $9USD.
I have found that Cabify tends to call you more, but then I changed an option in the app that said to only call me if there is an issue. I don't speak any Spanish and my boyfriend is losing his, so trying to give directions over the phone isn't always useful for us.
I did want to try Cabify Executive, but those are always 10-20 minute waits and I'm not sure if there are many drivers under that. Overall, the Cabify Lite vehicles, drivers, and service has been very comparable to UberX. I can often see more UberX drivers on the map, but all the Cabify waits have been 2-4 minutes and it always seems the closest driver on the map is the one that picks us up.
Once Cabify Lite was projecting a 10-20 minute wait. That was at Centro Banamex. So we switched to UberX where there were several drivers in the area and we got one who was just about to drop someone at the convention center anyway, so that worked out well. Cabify does promote that their drivers use Waze, and I am a Wazer myself, so I like that. Uber shows the direction of a driver coming to pick you up and Cabify doesn't, but that is fairly minor.
In order to setup Cabify as a USA resident, I could only link it to PayPal. Support had to tell me that as I kept getting vague errors when trying to link it to a credit card. And PayPal is doing the conversion to USD themselves, so the rate is not quite as good, but it is minimal with these small transactions.
We probably have at least three more ride shares before we leave and I'm planning on continuing to use Cabify for those.
I will say on our one Uber ride, the driver called me back to the car after we were walking away. I thought my boyfriend had left a shopping bag in the backseat, but it turned out it was a $20MXN note that had fallen out of his pocket. I was so caught off guard by it that I just pocketed it, but I wish I had given it to the driver as a nice tip.
Edit: I should add that we've seen UberEats here, if anyone is interested in that.
Generally they are roughly the same price (UberX vs Cabify Lite). Sometimes one is a little more (~10%) than the other, but similar rates in general. It seemed Cabify Lite was a fair bit more from the airport (10:30pm weeknight to Roma), but it was still only $180MXN, which is only $9USD.
I have found that Cabify tends to call you more, but then I changed an option in the app that said to only call me if there is an issue. I don't speak any Spanish and my boyfriend is losing his, so trying to give directions over the phone isn't always useful for us.
I did want to try Cabify Executive, but those are always 10-20 minute waits and I'm not sure if there are many drivers under that. Overall, the Cabify Lite vehicles, drivers, and service has been very comparable to UberX. I can often see more UberX drivers on the map, but all the Cabify waits have been 2-4 minutes and it always seems the closest driver on the map is the one that picks us up.
Once Cabify Lite was projecting a 10-20 minute wait. That was at Centro Banamex. So we switched to UberX where there were several drivers in the area and we got one who was just about to drop someone at the convention center anyway, so that worked out well. Cabify does promote that their drivers use Waze, and I am a Wazer myself, so I like that. Uber shows the direction of a driver coming to pick you up and Cabify doesn't, but that is fairly minor.
In order to setup Cabify as a USA resident, I could only link it to PayPal. Support had to tell me that as I kept getting vague errors when trying to link it to a credit card. And PayPal is doing the conversion to USD themselves, so the rate is not quite as good, but it is minimal with these small transactions.
We probably have at least three more ride shares before we leave and I'm planning on continuing to use Cabify for those.
I will say on our one Uber ride, the driver called me back to the car after we were walking away. I thought my boyfriend had left a shopping bag in the backseat, but it turned out it was a $20MXN note that had fallen out of his pocket. I was so caught off guard by it that I just pocketed it, but I wish I had given it to the driver as a nice tip.
Edit: I should add that we've seen UberEats here, if anyone is interested in that.
Apr 9, 2017, 10:17 pm
#13
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 10,417
Adding my experiences...
Earlier this year, I took about 2 dozen Ubers in a span of a week in MEX. No issues whatsoever. And almost all UberX and UberPool drivers offered bottled water! ^
Earlier this year, I took about 2 dozen Ubers in a span of a week in MEX. No issues whatsoever. And almost all UberX and UberPool drivers offered bottled water! ^
Sep 26, 2017, 2:46 am
#14
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: SJC/BUR
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 1,089
We took about two dozen Ubers on our last trip to Mexico City. I'd say our experience was mixed. I wouldn't use any other method of transport if we were to return, but Uber DF is not at the standard of Ubers in the United States:
-countless drivers texting and driving (missing turns as a result)
-drivers not wearing seatbelts
-one driver who didn't trust GPS and wanted exclusive oral directions
-every single driver but for a couple liked to drive with the windows down = no AC, toxic fumes rolling in, and vendors begging from us at stoplights
We switched to Uber Black toward the end and had much better rides. Usually, the windows were up and the AC was on. The price differences versus UberX are high on a relative scale — but not on an absolute scale when thought of in terms of USD.
One big problem we had was heavy traffic causing Uber to recalculate from original fixed fare to metered fare — this tended to double fares.
We certainly weren't offered waters — not that we ever cared about that. Uber drivers in the USA never do that anymore either.
We took Ubers back and forth to Teotihuacan. That was a trip!
-countless drivers texting and driving (missing turns as a result)
-drivers not wearing seatbelts
-one driver who didn't trust GPS and wanted exclusive oral directions
-every single driver but for a couple liked to drive with the windows down = no AC, toxic fumes rolling in, and vendors begging from us at stoplights
We switched to Uber Black toward the end and had much better rides. Usually, the windows were up and the AC was on. The price differences versus UberX are high on a relative scale — but not on an absolute scale when thought of in terms of USD.
One big problem we had was heavy traffic causing Uber to recalculate from original fixed fare to metered fare — this tended to double fares.
We certainly weren't offered waters — not that we ever cared about that. Uber drivers in the USA never do that anymore either.
We took Ubers back and forth to Teotihuacan. That was a trip!
Oct 3, 2017, 9:53 am
#15
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 1
It's really easy to use, convenient, less expensive than local taxis, and safe.
Just be careful - the drivers are pretty unethical. More than half of our drivers didn't turn the meter off when the ride ended so we were slightly overcharged. $1 here and there isn't a big deal, except when our driver who took us to the airport drove all the way back to the city without turning the meter off costing us more than double our ride. After reaching out to Uber, they said the driver told them that we needed to go back to the hotel to get our passports which was a total lie - if that was the case, why wouldn't he have brought us back to the airport again to make our flight??
Lesson learned: make sure your driver turns off the meter.
Just be careful - the drivers are pretty unethical. More than half of our drivers didn't turn the meter off when the ride ended so we were slightly overcharged. $1 here and there isn't a big deal, except when our driver who took us to the airport drove all the way back to the city without turning the meter off costing us more than double our ride. After reaching out to Uber, they said the driver told them that we needed to go back to the hotel to get our passports which was a total lie - if that was the case, why wouldn't he have brought us back to the airport again to make our flight??
Lesson learned: make sure your driver turns off the meter.