The demonstrators drove hundreds of pink-and-white-liveried cabs along central boulevards and then parked them on the capital’s sprawling main square, known as the Zocalo, and the six-lane street that circles it.

The protesters want the apps banned, arguing that the apps are unfair competition because those drivers are more loosely regulated and don’t have to pay licensing fees. Several cabbies said the ride-hailing apps have cost them 40% of their earnings.