Is there Uber in Guadalajara? Info & Safety Tips (2024)

Wondering if there is Uber in Guadalajara? You are in the right place.

I am a travel blogger who has lived in Guadalajara, Mexico for a long time and have become an expert in all the different ways to get around the city from taxis to buses to ride-sharing services. 

Ride-sharing apps like Uber have faced a lot of opposition when opening in new markets like Mexico. Certain parts of Mexico are still violently opposed to Uber. 

This article will focus on everything you need to know about safely using Uber in Guadalajara, including where you can use it, what to expect, and how to stay safe while using the service. 

Read on to learn about everything you need to know about Uber in Guadalajara. 

Is There Uber In Guadalajara?

Yes, Uber operates in dozens of cities in Mexico, including Guadalajara. It is a convenient and affordable way to move about the Guadalajara Metropolitan Region. The Uber rates are often much cheaper than the rates of taxis. 

Guadalajara was one of the first markets that Uber used to launch in Mexico. Uber arrived in Mexico back in 2013 and launched in Guadalajara in 2014. 

While Uber is available in many parts of Mexico, there are still areas where ride-sharing services are illegal because of opposition from local taxi drivers and union groups.    

What is Uber?

If you are not familiar with ride-sharing services, the Uber app allows the user to request a ride from a private driver with just a few clicks of the smartphone. 

Uber allows the user to avoid the difficulty of hailing traditional taxi services by connecting riders with drivers using economies of scale. It doesn’t matter what part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area that you are located in, the Uber service works the same. 

Users enter their destination into the smartphone app using Google Maps geolocation software and Uber will provide a fare estimate. This allows the user to decide if they want to continue with the ride before getting into the vehicle. 

Uber is mostly cashless. It is most common for payments to be made through the app using a credit card. However, Uber Mexico has added the option to pay in cash as well. 

How Much Does Uber Guadalajara Cost?

The price of an Uber ride in Mexico and the United States is going to vary a good deal. Essentially, the price of an Uber ride is set by supply and demand. The price per mile goes up when there are less drivers on the platform. 

For example, when it is raining heavily there are fewer Uber drivers that want to work and the price of a ride goes up. 

Under normal circumstances, a 10 km Uber ride with light traffic should take about 30 minutes and cost around $100 pesos. The price is going to go up if there is heavy traffic and the ride takes longer than it normally does. 

A ride from Downtown Guadalajara to the airport should cost somewhere between $350 to $400 pesos under normal conditions. 

Uber And The Guadalajara Airport

​Uber is legal to use both coming and going from the Guadalajara International Airport. I use Uber all the time to go to the airport but speaking from personal experience, I do not recommend using Uber for airport pickups. 

First off, every time that I have used Uber at the airport it takes a really long time for the drivers to make it all the way out there. If the driver cancels the ride, you could be left waiting for an hour or more. 

On two separate occasions, I was scammed by Uber drivers using vehicles that did not match the description of the vehicles registered in the app. It was a slow day at the airport and there were not a lot of cars waiting around.

The GPS coordinates said that the driver and I were right next to each other but no car in the pick-up lane matched the description of the car in the app. After a few minutes the driver took off and I was charged a small fee no ‘no showing’ the Uber driver. 

I just want to be clear. You should never get into an Uber that does not match the description of the vehicle in the app. That is how people get kidnapped.

I want to hope that the drivers I encountered were just trying to scam me out of some money but I became interested in the security practices of digital platforms in the sharing economy after this experience. 

It turns out that I am not the only one to have problems with Uber picking up at the Guadalajara airport. While researching this article I read stories about other users who had problems with pickups at the airport. 

Is It Safe To Use Uber In Guadalajara?

Uber is one of the safest ride options in Guadalajara. That doesn’t mean that you can let your guard down.

Guadalajara is not one of the safest cities in Mexico. Safety in Guadalajara requires a little bit of advanced planning. 

Make sure that the vehicle and driver picking you up match the vehicle description in the app. Never get into a car that does not match the description. Do not get into the car is the driver is not the same person whose picture is recorded in the app. 

Unfortunately, kidnapping and express kidnapping is real problems in Mexico. There was a serial rapist that was recently sentenced who pretended to be an Uber driver picking up intoxicated individuals late at night outside of nightclubs. Long before he was apprehended stories of Uber rapes were spread across social media. 

Always confirm the credentials before getting in the car. 

Ask the driver who the Uber is for. Do not ask the driver a yes or no question using your name.

Para quien? (for whom) – correct

Es para Paul? (Its for Paul) – incorrect

Make sure you know where you are going before ordering the car. There are a lot of places with similar names. I think you might be surprised by how many variations there are of Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City there are for streets, parks, and government buildings. 

Final Thoughts On Uber In Guadalajara

Uber is an excellent option for getting around Guadalajara. It is cheap, convenient, and safer than most of the alternatives.

That does not mean that you can let your guard down. You need to make sure that the people operating the vehicles are actually the people registered in the app.

The one place that I do not use Uber is at the airport for pickups. Other than that, I love the service.