Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Uber can now legally operate in Puerto Vallarta. The Secretary of Transportation, headed by Diego Monraz, last week granted the online ride-hail platform official authorization to operate as a Transportation Network Company throughout the municipality. But there’s a catch.
To fulfill the requirements for legally operating in Puerto Vallarta, all Uber drivers and vehicles must registered with the Jalisco Secretary of Transportation (Setran).
For this purpose, a module was installed on January 13 at the Unidad Regional de Servicios del Estado (UNIRSE) in Fluvial Vallarta, where registration will continue from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm through January 22, 2020.
According to Monraz, once the registration period has closed, the number of drivers and vehicles authorized to provide the ride hailing service in Puerto Vallarta will be reported, which will allow the provision of an orderly service in accordance with legislation.
“Anarchy is not the way to offer any kind of public or private service, especially when it is one that is highly demanded by local, national and international people. From now on it will be a different story, no longer one of confrontation or blackmail, but one of regularity, orderliness, compliance with the law, and supervision,” Monraz stated.
Uber began operating in Puerto Vallarta on June 27, 2017, an action that put traditional taxi drivers up in arms, since the private transportation service was not authorized to operate in the city. The next month, after several violent incidents between local taxi and Uber drivers, Mayor Arturo Dávalos Peña started a security operation to prevent the ride-hailing service from operating in Puerto Vallarta without permission. In turn, the company filed an amparo to protect them from adhering to the State Mobility Law, and Uber continued to offer services in the metropolitan area.
In November 2019, Uber started the procedure to get permission to operate in the municipality, and, after obtaining it, the ERT opened up a dialogue with state and municipal authorities to ensure collaboration.
At a press conference last week, the Mayor celebrated the regularization of the ride-hailing platform in Puerto Vallarta, saying that the service is in great demand by tourists visiting our city.
Source: puertovallarta.gob.mx