SEMOVI Calls Uber-MX Taxi Alliance Illegal

SEMOVI says the Uber-MX Taxi alliance lacks legal backing under Mexico City’s current mobility framework, highlighting broader tensions over ride-hailing, taxi regulation, and airport transport enforcement ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Mexico City’s government has moved to block a high-profile attempt to bring concessioned taxis onto Uber’s platform, arguing the arrangement falls outside the legal framework that governs taxi concessions in the capital. The dispute has added a new layer to Mexico’s broader fight over app-based mobility, just as authorities face mounting pressure to modernize transport services ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

On April 8, Héctor García, Minister of Mobility of Mexico City, said the agreement between Uber and MX Taxi was a private arrangement that the Ministry of Mobility (SEMOVI) could not authorize. García argued that taxi concessionaires are bound by the terms of the concession granted by the city and cannot independently alter the conditions of service through deals with private platforms. He added that violations could trigger administrative proceedings and even suspension of concessions.  

The government’s position builds on an earlier official information card published March 25, which stated there was no valid authorization or regulatory framework allowing concessioned taxis to integrate into platforms such as Uber. That notice signaled the city’s position before the dispute escalated publicly in April and helps explain why SEMOVI has framed the MX Taxi-Uber partnership not as innovation, but as a breach of the rules.

The Uber-MX Taxi announcement had been presented as a practical way to expand mobility options in Mexico City before the World Cup. The integration was pitched as a way for users to request traditional taxis through the app, while preserving the existing concession model, El Financiero reports. But the city government has rejected that interpretation, making clear it sees platform integration as a regulatory matter that must be approved by authorities, not negotiated directly by drivers or taxi groups.

On one hand, the capital is openly pushing to modernize its taxi fleet and improve service quality. In December 2025, Mayor of Mexico City Clara Brugada said the city would strengthen taxi modernization in 2026 through four main axes: fleet renewal, safety upgrades, tourism-oriented training ahead of the World Cup, and a government-backed app to help taxis compete with digital platforms. That suggests the city is not rejecting digitalization itself. Instead, it is trying to keep digital transformation under public regulatory control rather than through a private alliance led by Uber.

In March, tensions intensified at Mexico City International Airport (AICM), as the National Guard tightened enforcement against Uber and DiDi drivers operating in airport zones, MBN reported. A second March report said federal authorities were simultaneously seeking a broader deal with ride-hailing companies over airport access ahead of the 2026 World Cup, even as drivers continued to face detentions and regulatory uncertainty. Together, those reports suggest Mexico is trying to expand mobility capacity for a global event without fully settling the legal boundaries of app-based transport.

For years, ride-hailing companies have argued that airport pickups and other restricted operations should be allowed under competition and consumer-choice principles. Traditional taxi operators, meanwhile, have pushed back, saying they comply with concession rules, fees, and territorial limits that digital platforms often contest. The dispute has now spread beyond airports and into the city taxi system itself, where the Uber-MX Taxi proposal effectively tested whether an app could absorb part of the concessioned market without a formal regulatory rewrite. 

Mexico City is under pressure to deliver faster, more reliable, and more tourist-friendly transportation before the World Cup opens on June 11, 2026, and transport authorities know that taxis will be part of that challenge. SEMOVI’s remarks indicate the city wants an upgraded taxi service, but one integrated through its own rules, branding, and technology rather than through a private partnership it does not control.