Uber - Puerto Vallarta

Does anyone know if Uber is allowed to pick up at the port in Puerto Vallarta? Any information is much appreciated.

It might be a problem as the port has many official cabs. There have been problems in some places between cabs and Uberdrivers. If you book Uber best would be not to have a pickup at the port, but e.g. at the Soriana's store almost next to the port. In case you decide for a cab be aware beige cabs at the port charge per person in US$, yellow cabs at the highway charge in Pesos, but always make your price before entering the cab.

We go outside of the port area to the gas station on the corner and find local taxis there. The prices are inexpensive. Not sure why you need to use uber in that city?

Just met friends in PV. Uber picked us up in front of Liverpool, furthest corner from Walmart.

Not exactly the safest city to trust Uber.

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Not exactly the safest city to trust Uber.

 

 

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Why not? Perhaps I am a bit blase, but having spent our last 12 winters in PV....we would have no concern.

Hank

Before I retired, spent a lot of time in port cities all over the Pacific Rim and was privy to security briefings that don't make their way onto the local news.

That said, PV has had regional gang issues (which do sometimes spill over into PV) for years ( though 2017 was better than 2016 when some incidents of kidnapping et al., even made the news in the US).

Like any city, tourists, need to be extra vigilant and one often heard US State Dept. recommendation for PV is to never hail a cab in the street (call instead) or respond to unsolicited ride offers (particularly with someone who has a homemade "Uber" sign in their car window and "just happened to notice you standing there waiting".

And, fortunately (to the best of my knowledge) the 2012 robbery of cruise passengers at Costco has not been repeated.

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Before I retired, spent a lot of time in port cities all over the Pacific Rim and was privy to security briefings that don't make their way onto the local news.

That said, PV has had regional gang issues (which do sometimes spill over into PV) for years ( though 2017 was better than 2016 when some incidents of kidnapping et al., even made the news in the US).

Like any city, tourists, need to be extra vigilant and one often heard US State Dept. recommendation for PV is to never hail a cab in the street (call instead) or respond to unsolicited ride offers (particularly with someone who has a homemade "Uber" sign in their car window and "just happened to notice you standing there waiting".

And, fortunately (to the best of my knowledge) the 2012 robbery of cruise passengers at Costco has not been repeated.

 

 

 

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Like Hlitner we are in PVR each winter since quit some years for about 4-5 months. PV is very safe to tourists, not only in shops, restaurants and certainly also in cabs. Yes you might be overcharged, so always make your price before entering. At the moment there are some problems between Uber and regularcabs, actualy more in the state of Nayarit (Nuevo Vallarta and beyond) then in Puerto Vallarta. Of course cabdrivers arenot happy with Uber, also because sometimes Ubercars are in better condition then regular cabs. Hailing a cab is absolutely NO problem in Vallarta.

Taking an Ubercab of course is the best by using their App, which is common in most places,

Any tourist taking normal precautions will have a great time in PVR.

PVR is in Mexico one of the safest cities for tourists, snowbirds and locals.

We have been going to PV for many years.

We have always used cabs to get around. I don't understand the attraction of Uber in that city? Usually folks use it because it is less expensive than the normal taxis. The taxis in PV (outside of the port area ones) are very inexpensive to start with so I don't get the attraction to use an app on your phone which charges to your credit card when you can pay a couple of dollars to get wherever you want with ease??

We have been going to PV for many years.

We have always used cabs to get around. I don't understand the attraction of Uber in that city? Usually folks use it because it is less expensive than the normal taxis. The taxis in PV (outside of the port area ones) are very inexpensive to start with so I don't get the attraction to use an app on your phone which charges to your credit card when you can pay a couple of dollars to get wherever you want with ease??

I will give you an example, based on some recent posts on various PV blogs. One of the higher rated (and pretty new) PV restaurants is called Barrio Bistro...and its located in a residential area outside of Centro. Since that restaurant opened (3 years ago) there has been a problem getting taxis (at the restaurant) not to mention finding local taxis that have any clue to the location. On a recent blog a poster said that two taxis had turned down their fare because they did not want to go or did not know the location. But with Uber its not an issue as you put in your location/destination in your app and the driver gets all the info. Another issue concerns taxi service from the airport (not an issue for cruisers) where all the airport taxis are under Federal Contract and charge rates substantially higher than regular taxis and often twice the price of Uber. We spend most of the winter in PV and intend to make use of both the regular taxis and Uber. I should also add that its not uncommon for the regular taxis to overcharge for their services (especially if they know you are a cruiser likely unfamiliar with the regulated rates)...but with Uber the prices are set in the app..so there are no issues. Over the years we have had taxis try to overcharge us (by as much as 50%) and it sometimes gets tiring to explain to them that we know the rates and do not appreciate their attempts at ripping us off. The quick popularity of Uber (in PV) is mostly a result of some backlash against the local taxis. Another interesting taxi issue is that locals (Mexicans) often have trouble getting a taxi...since the taxis hope to get a higher fare (rip off) from "gringos." Uber now adds a new dimension...and we shall have to see how it plays out over the next few months. But in most cases, competition is healthy and we hope it drives the regular taxis to clean up their act.

Hank

Interesting! Thanks for the long explanation.

Do you have an opinion about using Uber from the airport to Playa Escondido?

If you are just going to the romantic zone or the malecon, you can take the white bus with blue trim for seven and a half pesos. ( about fifty cents US)

They don't take US coins so give them a dollar for two people.

It is an interesting ride !!!!!

Interesting! Thanks for the long explanation.

Do you have an opinion about using Uber from the airport to Playa Escondido?

No clue as Uber was not active in PV last season (we have not yet arrived for the current season). But I did look on the Uber app and it estimates the cost as from $360 - $484 (that is Pesos). The price would depend on surge pricing and you would know the cost before you summon Uber. The airport taxi rate to Zone 3 (which is hotels on the airport side of Punta de Mita is $413. Personally, if the airport taxis are within $100 pesos we would opt for the convenience and not bother with Uber. But the cost of going out to eh Esondida is going to be higher than the $413...so you would want to check out the options (when you arrive) and make your decision according to the best info. What we do like about Uber is that you do not need reservations and do not summon them until you are ready to go. So its easy to price out other options before making a decision. But it is nice to know you have options. By the way, once you arrive at PV you can always use the Uber App to get the exact price to your destination..and then do the comparison.

Hank

If you are just going to the romantic zone or the malecon, you can take the white bus with blue trim for seven and a half pesos. ( about fifty cents US)

They don't take US coins so give them a dollar for two people.

 

It is an interesting ride !!!!!

Agree and those buses are our normal transportation in the region. But one piece of advice to cruisers. When you look at the buses (and it sometimes seems like there is a bus every 30 seconds) make sure it displays "Centro" in/on the windshield and avoid buses that have "Tunel" on the windshield. If in doubt, ask the driver "Centro?" before boarding. When we took a group of cruisers on a tour of PV (they were our tablemates on a HAL cruise) we took them all on the buses to let them experience part of the local culture :). A taxi would not have been much more expensive (because we had a group) but those buses are an experience. Twelve years ago when we first started living in PV we got on a bus that had holes in the floor (you could see the road)...but now...things are a little bit better :). But these days we still experience buses with very noisy brakes (if they have brakes) and crazy drivers (makes it more fun). Its all part of the true Mexican experience :). My only fear about living and walking in PV is that I will be killed when run over by a crazy bus driver.

Hank

Thanks Hank,

Do you post on Trip Advisor since you are also a land based traveler?

Does anyone know if Uber is allowed to pick up at the port in Puerto Vallarta? Any information is much appreciated.

Uber CAN NOT pickup passengers at any airport in Mexico, they can drop. For pick up passengers they need a permit emitted by Federal Authority. The same for any Federal place : Port, airport, train station etc.

Some time / rare occasions they do, but the TAXI UNIONS are watching them. Sometime violence occurred.

Please don not expose your self, after baggage claim there are official Airport taxi stands.

How they sometime pick up passenger , you order the UBER then they call you telling I can not pick up you at the gate, We can do if you move to the parking area. that creates me distrust.

Bon Voyage and Happy New Year

I certainly don't like making trouble while on vacation.

We will not use Uber from the airport in PV.

Thanks Hank,

Do you post on Trip Advisor since you are also a land based traveler?

Yes, I have posted on TA (with a different online name) although not as much in the past. The Puerto Vallarta forum on TA has become a real mess (the past 2-3years) as a small group of folks have posts deleted that do not conform to their personal opinions. TA makes this kind of censorship easy to accomplish (unlike here on CC where the Mods do a great job) since much of their system is automated. In the spirit of competition there are now some alternative online blogs for those of us who love Puerto Vallarta....where there is still the free sharing of info...and folks can make their own decisions. We also had to laugh at the TA , Puerto Vallarta restaurant rankings because for about 2 years TA rated the "Twisted Palm" as the number 1 restaurant (out of hundreds of eating venues). But the problem was that the Twisted Palm is simply a decent bar which does not even serve food :). Attempts (by many) to get TA to remedy the rankings were met with silence until a TA rep sent me an e-mail and explained that TA does not differentiate between bars and restaurants! Their current #1 restaurant does not even serve dinner and their web site link (on Trip Advisor) has not worked for a long time.. Go figure.

When it comes to newer services like Uber and Lyft, everyone seems to have their own opinion. For me, its simply more competition (which we think is a good thing) and folks are free to choose what they prefer. I prefer to be the one making a choice rather than having limited competition make the decision for me. We choose our own cruise lines (and cruises), airlines, rental car agencies, and local modes of transportation.

Hank

be aware beige cabs at the port charge per person in US$, yellow cabs at the highway charge in Pesos, but always make your price before entering the cab.

Can you use USD with the yellow cabs though, or do they only take Pesos?

@Hlitner

TA has recently changed some of its posting rules to make it harder to delete posts. You can also get them put back.

I wish we had private messaging here as I'd love to pick your brain a bit.

I am on the San Diego forum of TA a lot.

Can you use USD with the yellow cabs though, or do they only take Pesos?

Check with the driver, some do, some donot. Donot expect a good exchange rate however. Pesos will be better in all cases.

Check with the driver, some do, some donot. Donot expect a good exchange rate however. Pesos will be better in all cases.

Got it... thanks. :)

We've used both yellow taxis and Uber in PV without problems. Taxis are plentiful and easy to find and my experiences with Uber drivers was easy and painless. If you take a taxi, always seek out the yellow ones, and ask for the fare FIRST in U.S. dollars then in pesos. Every single time the driver has quoted us a much, much lower price in pesos, often saving us close to $5 U.S. for the ride. And Uber is great because you don't even have to have cash on hand to pay for a ride.