Ride-hailing applications have solidified their position as a cornerstone of urban transit in Mexico, with 92% of surveyed users confirming they have utilized the platforms. This widespread adoption has pushed the domestic industry past the $2 billion valuation mark.
Paloma Servy, a client advisor at Kantar, attributes this migration to the convenience offered by digital tools. Users prioritize the ability to request vehicles via smartphone, track arrival times in real-time, and bypass cash transactions. Furthermore, the service eliminates the logistical burden of finding parking in congested urban centers.
A decline in traditional taxi services
The rise of digital platforms mirrors a sharp contraction in the traditional taxi sector. Data from the Secretariat of Mobility (Semovi) shows that the number of formal taxis in Mexico City plummeted from 140,000 before the pandemic to approximately 60,000 by the end of 2025.
Personal vehicle owners are also increasingly reliant on these platforms. Among those who own a car, 63% report using ride-hailing apps as their primary alternative to driving their own vehicle when it is unavailable.
Juan Andrés Panamá, general director of DiDi Hispanoamérica, views these figures as evidence of a structural shift in how the country moves. “This confirms that the apps are a structural part of the country’s mobility,” Panamá said. He noted that DiDi alone served more than 29 million users in Mexico throughout 2025.
Looking ahead, the industry is banking on artificial intelligence to maintain this momentum. Executives emphasize that future competitiveness hinges on technological integration to enhance both efficiency and safety in increasingly complex urban environments.
“It is about making these services more efficient, more secure, more technological,” Panamá stated. As the digital infrastructure matures, platform operators aim to leverage data-driven solutions to address the persistent challenges of urban congestion and passenger safety.
