Uber just scored a court order that shields Uber airport pickups at more than 70 Mexican airports. On paper, that ends years of detentions and fines. On the ground in Puerto Vallarta, drivers aren’t rolling into the terminal yet. They say the National Guard—the force that polices federal zones—hasn’t received formal notice of the ruling. Until that happens, they fear stops or impounds. It’s a rare moment where a national victory meets a local wait-and-see. Here’s what changed and why Vallarta is in limbo.
Uber airport pickups
Uber won a definitive suspension that protects app-requested rides inside federal airport zones while the underlying case (amparo) is resolved. The order, issued Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, blocks detentions and impounds at more than 70 terminals and marks a reversal of the 2022 crackdown that pushed riders off premises to request cars.
The judge, identified in multiple outlets as the Thirteenth District judge in administrative matters, granted the suspension, which Uber and legal analysts see as a bridge toward more straightforward rules. Independent national outlets, including El Financiero and Proceso, reported that the National Guard is explicitly barred from stopping drivers inside airport federal zones while the amparo proceeds.
In plain terms for travelers: if you request an Uber from inside a terminal curb or designated pickup lane, federal authorities shouldn’t detain the driver under the old policy. That resolves the zero-tolerance stance that Mexico City’s airport adopted in 2024, when passengers were told to meet app rides outside the perimeter—an arrangement that drew safety and accessibility complaints.
Puerto Vallarta waits for notice
Puerto Vallarta is the outlier today—not because the ruling doesn’t apply, but because process matters. At Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, local Uber drivers say they won’t enter arrivals or departures until the National Guard is formally notified. They worry that, absent that step, they could still be stopped or have vehicles seized. Local reporting in Jalisco confirms drivers are holding off for now, citing the communication gap between judicial authorities and federal enforcement.
This lag is procedural, not substantive. The ruling exists; what Vallarta drivers want is the paper trail in the right hands. The National Guard typically handles airport policing in federal zones. Once notified, practice usually falls in line with policy. Similar signals are already visible elsewhere: national outlets and regional papers in Baja California Sur and the northwest are reporting drivers preparing to work terminal curbs again under the suspension.
If history is a guide, a uniform fix will depend on two things: quick notification to local posts and a regulatory catch-up by the federal transport ministry (SICT). Mexico floated airport-zone ride-hail rules in 2024 but never landed a single national framework. The court order now forces the issue, especially with the 2026 World Cup months away and millions of visitors expected.
