Is It Safe to Take a Street Taxi or Should I Use Uber/DiDi in Mexico City?

Last updated: July 2026. The operational situation at airports and transportation regulations can change, especially heading toward the 2026 World Cup. Always verify the most recent information before your trip.

The short answer would be: use apps, avoid street taxis. What no one explains is the exact reason why, nor the nuances that actually matter once you're standing on the street deciding what to do.

If it's your first time in Mexico, try not to take street taxis, especially at night. Use Uber, DiDi, or Cabify. Non-negotiable starting point for any first visit. That way you'll get to know routes, neighborhoods, and destinations in a safe manner and you'll have the route on your mobile device.

Why is the street taxi different in Mexico?

Although the probability of an incident in a street taxi is low, there is a specific and documented risk in Mexico called "express kidnapping": you get into a random street taxi, and the driver (sometimes with an accomplice hidden inside) forces you to go to an ATM and withdraw money. Normally they let you go after, physically unharmed but with the scare of your life. This is not an urban myth or paranoia, it's a documented crime pattern specifically linked to unregistered taxis, and it's the real reason behind the firm recommendation to avoid them, not just "just in case."

Street taxis do have meters, they're cheaper, faster to find, and they are legal, but there's no way to verify who the driver is at the moment. There's no registry you can check, and even though there's a photo and license plate associated with the vehicle, this isn't necessarily tracked — there's no GPS shared with anyone other than the driver themselves.

The 3 real taxi categories in Mexico

1. Street taxi (libre) — the one you should avoid as much as possible, especially at night. Even if it has a meter and official plates, there's no way to verify the driver at the moment. It's cheaper, the level of insecurity is low but it exists.

2. Taxi stand (sitio) — operates from a fixed base (in front of a hotel, shopping center, metro station). These are registered and are a legitimate and reasonably safe option — ask the taxi stand manager for a taxi, not directly to the driver you see parked. Normally they're the most expensive option but safer, even more so than Uber or DiDi in some cases.

3. Apps (Uber, DiDi, Cabify) — the most transparent option: identified driver, tracked route, fixed price before you get in, complete trip record. Costs vary between them, but being able to share your trip in real-time with people close to you is what matters most.

Uber vs. DiDi vs. Cabify — the real difference, not just "which one is cheaper"

• Uber: the largest fleet, most reliable coverage across the city, works at both CDMX airports
• DiDi: generally a bit cheaper, but works with a "bid" system where you propose how much you want to pay and the driver accepts or not — and the cars tend to be a bit older
• Cabify: smaller presence than the other two, slightly better vehicles, good backup option if the other two can't find a driver
• InDrive: it exists, but we don't recommend it. It works by negotiating the fare directly with the driver, and the driver safety filter is much lower than the other three — vehicles in worse condition, less real verification

Practical strategy used by several expats: open DiDi first. If the wait time is less than 7 minutes and the price looks reasonable, book it there. If DiDi shows 10+ minutes or there are no drivers, switch to Uber without thinking twice.

Very important for travelers using airports

Since March 2026, there's an important operational change at Mexico City Airport (AICM): the National Guard is preventing Uber and DiDi drivers from picking up passengers directly inside the terminals, following protests from the taxi union. This means that:

• You can still request your Uber/DiDi from the airport without problem
• But the pickup is no longer at the terminal door — you have to walk between 500 and 1,200 meters to a nearby street where the driver can stop
• The app will tell you exactly where to walk, so you won't get lost, but be prepared for that walk if you're arriving with heavy luggage

Alternative if you don't want to walk: there's an official "Sitio" module in the arrivals area where you can buy a prepaid taxi ticket at a fixed rate — to Roma Norte it's around $700-1,000 MXN, much more expensive than an Uber/DiDi (which usually costs 50-70% less for the same trip), but without the walk.

Reference prices (so the fare doesn't surprise you)

• Taxi stand: initial fare of $16 MXN + $12 MXN per kilometer
• Uber/DiDi from airport to Roma Norte or Polanco: approximately $150-250 MXN
• Official prepaid taxi from airport to the same areas: $260-340 MXN

What you can safely do with a taxi stand

Not all taxis outside of an app are dangerous — the nuance lost in generic warnings is exactly this: a taxi stand taxi, requested at the base with the manager present, is a legitimate option used by locals every day. The real risk is concentrated specifically in standing on the street and getting into a random car, not in any taxi that isn't an app.

In summary

The rule isn't "all taxis are dangerous," it's "never get into a taxi without being able to verify who the driver is before getting in." That's automatically solved by apps, it's also solved by a taxi stand taxi ordered correctly, and street taxis that do have a photo and plate on the passenger window. But preferably, as a tourist, the only thing you should eliminate from your itinerary is standing on the street hailing a cab at night.

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*Do you have more practical questions about getting around Mexico? Ask our AI guide or explore our state-by-state guides at GO MEXICO.*

*Note: the operational situation at airports and transportation regulations can change, especially heading toward the 2026 World Cup. Always verify the most recent information before your trip.*