Before I share our experiences with these two rideshare services, I would first like to provide a very brief overview of this service in Mexico. The taxi unions in Quintana Roo and Yucatan, Mexico fought long and hard to keep Uber and DiDi (and any other rideshare service out of this country…unsuccessfully).
The reason for their resistance is that the taxi union has a monopoly here and did not want to abandon it. Unfortunately, since not all taxi drivers use the same pricing policies (in spite of having a set price sheet), tourist and locals alike began to complain that there has to be a better way to secure transportation without the fear of being overcharged and harassed. Hence, the call for Uber and DiDi rideshare (Uber eats, DiDi Food, along with other food delivery services are already in Mexico and do not pose a threat to the taxi union).
Feel free to read up on the history of rideshare services in Mexico, but without further ado, let’s get to the real reason I am writing this post.
We used DiDi several times and had different experiences each time. Our first DiDi ride broke down about 3 minutes into our travels. The driver was very embarrassed and apologized profusely for our inconvenience. He indicated that he would wait with use until our next driver came and did not charge us for the ride. Our next driver had a newer vehicle, spoke English, and had AC in his vehicle, which he had turned on. Our next driver had a very nice car, did not speak English, dropped us off on the street (not directly in front of the location we requested), and he did not have his AC on. It appeared as if he did have AC in the car, but we did not request he turn it on. We just wanted to have the experience without making any special requests. Our last driver took us to our desired location, did not assist with luggage, and did not run any AC. Again, it appeared that he did have AC in his car, but it was not on. We did not request he turn it on.
We used Uber several times, and again, had very different experiences with each driver. No problems at all with our first driver. Nice car, clean, used AC. Our second driver drove an older vehicle with tore upholstery, no AC equipment in the vehicle, and did not speak any English. Our third driver had a nice vehicle with AC on, but did not speak any English. Our final driver had nice vehicle, used his AC, but did not assist with putting our luggage in his vehicle.
General observations. As we researched the different rideshare services available in these two cities, most people indicated they preferred Uber over DiDi. But our experience was different. We did not notice any big or glaring differences between the two companies. There pricing is roughly the same (see photos below), no big differences in the types of vehicles used. English speaking drivers are not necessary because all communication is through the app. And speaking of apps, we found them both easy to use. Payment for both is set up the same way, however, you can pay the DiDi driver in cash when you exit the vehicle. And any gratuity you want to give can be given through the app. Both apps have a rating system, tracking, ability to share your journey in real-time, shows you driver and vehicle details, and a safety feature which you can activate when you enter the vehicle. This feature is basically a recording feature in the event there are any disputes. Some of the vehicles are nicer than others, some use their AC, and some don’t.
So, my recommendation is to download more than one rideshare app on your smartphone and have them active and ready to go. If one app is having problems, use the other app. We were in a situation where we attempted to order a DiDi ride, but the app did not work in the area we were at. Not sure what the problem or issue was, but we just clicked on our Uber app and used them.
In closing, be mindful when making your decision to use any rideshare service in Mexico. I certainly don’t want to come across as nonchalant. Some drivers in the taxi union have been very aggressive about rideshare services in Mexico, and have acted out their aggression. Always put your safety first.
Below is a screenshot of the app for both DiDi and Uber with pricing.
Happy Riding!
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