Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 26, 2026 – State transport inspectors are conducting daily checks of taxis and ride-hailing vehicles in Puerto Vallarta, with off-app trips and cars posing as authorized services among the violations drawing sanctions.
Jalisco Transport Secretary Diego Monraz said Uber, DiDi and inDrive are authorized to operate in the city under a multiplatform arrangement intended to limit saturation. His comments separate the legal status of the companies from the legality of every vehicle or trip claiming a connection to them.
That distinction carries practical consequences. Under Jalisco’s Mobility, Road Safety and Transport Law, point-to-point service booked through mobile apps must be contracted exclusively through a transport-network company registered with the state. The same law bars app drivers from soliciting passengers directly in public or establishing a taxi-style stand, base or similar pickup operation.
An app driver who accepts a fare through WhatsApp, by telephone or through a direct street agreement is therefore not conducting that trip within the legal app-based service defined by state law. A legal booking should remain visible inside the app, with the driver and vehicle matching the details shown to the passenger.
Monraz said inspections have also found vehicles with plates issued outside Jalisco, windows dark enough to prevent a clear view inside, and drivers who arrange trips beyond the authorized apps while presenting themselves as platform operators. He said high fines and removal from circulation can follow.
Recent local reporting on the same enforcement push supplied figures missing from Wednesday’s Global Media report. Eight vehicles were being held due to missing documentation, 20 more had been fined after failing to show required platform permits, and Puerto Vallarta had 1,804 taxi concessions. That report did not identify the dates covered by those totals or break down which companies the cited drivers claimed to represent.
Monraz also said registered app vehicles remain fewer than taxis in Puerto Vallarta, unlike Guadalajara, where he placed the app fleet at nearly twice the taxi count. He did not release a current Puerto Vallarta platform total, leaving the size of the local gap unconfirmed.
The enforcement comes amid a more fragmented app market. PVDN reported earlier this month that local drivers were alternating among Uber, DiDi and inDrive while riders compared prices and wait times.
Jalisco is meanwhile considering up to 150 additional taxi concessions in El Pitillal, Ixtapa, Las Juntas, Ecoterra Paraíso, Boca de Tomatlán, Mismaloya and Las Palmas. Centro and Marina Vallarta are not the target because state officials say those areas already have sufficient coverage. If every available concession is awarded, the city’s taxi count would rise roughly 8.3 percent, reaching 1,954.
Monraz described the current balance as fragile during slower tourism periods, when more drivers compete over fewer trips and may cross into business reserved to another transport mode. Daily inspections are the state’s method of holding that line.
Wednesday’s statement does not change the separate dispute surrounding pickups inside Puerto Vallarta International Airport. The airport zone is under federal jurisdiction, while Monraz was addressing state authorization and city inspections. PVDN reported in April that passengers requesting app rides were still meeting drivers outside airport property amid conflicting state, federal and court positions. No airport pickup change was announced in the comments published Wednesday.
On city streets, the rider-level rule is simpler. A passenger may use Uber, DiDi or inDrive, but the trip must be created and recorded inside the app. Matching the plate, vehicle and driver before entering also helps distinguish an authorized booking from a car merely claiming to work through a platform.
