Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 6, 2026 – The battle over app-based transportation in Puerto Vallarta is no longer simply Uber against traditional taxis. Passengers now have several competing apps on their phones, while drivers can move between platforms depending on the trips available at any given moment.
Uber, DiDi and inDrive are all active in the city, joined by local service T-GO, which launched in Puerto Vallarta in March 2025. Another competitor is moving closer to the market after Jalisco approved a digital service backed by Puerto Vallarta’s traditional CTM taxi sector.
That expansion changes more than the number of apps available. Passengers are increasingly comparing different pricing systems, availability, and wait times before choosing a ride, while drivers have more opportunities to decide which platform takes up their time.
Jalisco has more than 19,500 vehicles registered through transportation network companies and more than 23,300 authorized drivers. Those are statewide figures rather than a count of vehicles operating in Puerto Vallarta, an important distinction when measuring the size of the local market.
Jalisco’s State Transportation Registry oversees registration connected to transportation network companies. The system does not tie a registered driver exclusively to one app, allowing drivers to switch between services as demand changes.
The result is a market in which passengers compare different ways of pricing essentially the same trip.
Uber calculates its upfront prices using factors including expected travel time, distance, route, time of day and demand. That means the price shown for a familiar trip can change depending on traffic and how many rides are requested.
DiDi also uses dynamic pricing, but the company has added another option in Mexico. DiDi Pon Tu Precio allows a passenger to propose a price above the platform’s minimum, and the driver can accept the request or make a counteroffer.
That pushes DiDi closer to the model already associated with inDrive. Under inDrive’s Mexico service, a passenger proposes a fare and available drivers can accept or counter. The passenger can then select an offer using the price, driver rating, and reviews.
In practical terms, checking another app is no longer simply a search seeking a cheaper version of the same service. The apps can set different prices through different systems, while the pool of available drivers can shift as drivers switch between platforms.
Traditional taxis are also moving into that competition. Jalisco recently approved a CTM-backed taxi application planned for Puerto Vallarta. PVDN reported Sunday that the service will use fixed fares and still needs local testing before its rollout. Once active, the app would provide the city’s established taxi network with its own digital dispatch option alongside private ride platforms.
One important boundary remains around Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Competition between apps on city streets does not override federal transportation rules inside airport property.
Mexico’s Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation said in March that Uber does not hold federal authorization to provide service inside airport polygons. A federal court order protects app drivers against arbitrary or discriminatory detention while Uber’s legal challenge proceeds, but SICT said that order does not eliminate the federal transportation requirements. PVDN detailed the resulting Puerto Vallarta airport pickup dispute in April.
Away from the airport’s federal zone, however, Puerto Vallarta’s transportation market is becoming increasingly fragmented. A passenger looking at a phone may now be comparing Uber, DiDi and inDrive at the same time, while the driver who eventually accepts the trip may have been making essentially the same comparison from the other side of the screen.
