Getting around town and seeing the sights is one of the nicest things about San Miguel de Allende. You can always walk or take a bike if you are fit enough for the hilly terrain, but what about Uber? Almost every town and city in Mexico has a taxi service, but Uber has only begun expanding out of the USA recently. Still, you can catch Ubers in most of northern and central Mexico. It’s a great way to support jobs for locals, and perhaps catch a ride n a more comfortable car than the average taxi. San Miguel de Allende has a considerable population, and with it comes new transportation opportunities and new companies to provide service around town. Uber is ready to take its share of the business and help stimulate the economy in SMA.
Is there Uber in San Miguel de Allende? You can get an Uber in San Miguel de Allende. It’s easy to hail a ride from this popular driving service in SMA. However, the service is new in the area. One of the advantages of being a large city and a tourist hub is that there’s always an excellent way to get where you’re going.
Uber in San Miguel de Allende
There are many good reasons to order an Uber in San Miguel de Allende. Some people prefer to support freelancers over large businesses, while others dislike walking or find taxis distasteful. Whatever your reason, you can get an Uber in SMA.
The downside to ordering an Uber in San Miguel de Allende
is that there are only one or two drivers in the city thus far. However, supporting the rideshare app not only provides work for local people, but it also helps to guarantee the service will grow over time.
Choosing a new company in any area can be risky, but Uber is well established overall. The company works hard to make sure their service is safe and available to people everywhere. Moreover, they are expanding exponentially.
Is Lyft in San Miguel de Allende
Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any Lyft service in San Miguel de Allende. When exploring the site, I discovered that you could list it as a pickup location. However, on closer inspection, when I tried to give various addresses in town for drop off, all of them came back as “Please select a valid destination.”
Additionally, Lyft does not appear to operate anywhere outside the USA. However, you may be able to find service from Cabify. Regrettably, Cabify doesn’t yet have a presence within SMA, but you can reach the city from nearby airports using the service.
Cabify is available in Mexico City and Guadalajara for those who want to take advantage of the better airfares to those two prominent destinations. You can also order Cabify in Merida, Monterrey, Puebla, and Queretaro. The Queretaro airport is only a little over an hour from San Miguel de Allende, so you may want to keep that service in mind if you choose to fly in there.
You Can Drive for Uber
For those aspiring to relocate as Uber drivers, you will be pleased to know you can indeed work for Uber in San Miguel de Allende. Moreover, the increase in interest means you might find more clients there than you’d expect. Uber is undoubtedly looking to expand its services in that direction.
While SMA is a well-known ex-pat retirement destination, it is also a youthful and growing city. Younger people and families seeking ways to move to Mexico and support themselves will find opportunities to work with companies like Uber. Living in such a breathtaking place, you would certainly have the chance to see a lot of it as a driver.
Getting to know a new area with a good GPS is a smart way to learn all about it. Moreover, talking to the people could open new paths to local friendships and give you more insight into this picturesque community steeped in history. Plus, you’d almost certainly see all the best places to visit in your time off very quickly.
Uber to SMA from Other Cities
Uber service is currently limited within San Miguel de Allende, but this does not mean you can’t catch a ride there with the popular ridesharing service. Most significant cities have Uber service in central and northern Mexico. However, the more southern parts of the country have proven somewhat resistant to change, and the traditional taxi companies hold sway there.
When you fly into the airports, you can easily hail an Uber to get to SMA. Though there aren’t yet many who operate strictly from San Miguel de Allende, drivers are willing and able to make that trip. Moreover, SMA has been hailed as a “Goldmine” for Uber drivers in Guanajuato, according to Mexico News Daily.
Uber reached Guanajuato about five years ago, and since then, it has been building its fleet of drivers. With 768,000 residents in the state, there’s always a need for more transportation. Especially in cities like San Miguel de Allende, where parking opportunities are few, and there is so much to see and do, Uber is carving out a niche.
In another five years, you can bet there will be a lot more people driving for the world’s most popular ridesharing app. Many of them will be in and around SMA. As a popular tourist destination for more than half the year, this savvy company managed to slide in at the ideal time to establish a solid base as the city grows.
Staying Safe in an Uber
Like Mexico itself, Uber can occasionally get a bad reputation. News stories about the few and rare harmful incidents tend to get blown out of proportion. Meanwhile, the positive stories often fail to make the news because ‘good news’ isn’t what keeps people riveted.
To stay safe in your Uber, follow these simple tips:
- Trust Yourself- If you get into the car and something doesn’t feel right, don’t even shut the door. Get out. Those instincts kept thousands of years of early humans safe, and one angry driver in a crowded place is much less dangerous than taking a ride you don’t feel safe inside.
- Stay Inside- Call for your ride while you are indoors and wait for your app to show you the driver has arrived before you head out to get into a car.
- Use the App to Communicate- If you need to talk to your driver before they arrive, use the app. Since it keeps your phone number anonymous, it helps protect your privacy, rather than calling a stranger from your private number. You can also use this to text a driver after they’ve arrived to make sure the person you are looking at is the one you called for.
- Ask Who They Came For- Uber drivers should have your name on their app. When you stop to ask who they have come to pick up, it allows you to confirm that they are the driver from this service and not someone who saw a tourist and took the chance.
- Put on Your Seatbelt- This goes for all vehicles, especially in Mexico, which has famously wild driving conditions. Don’t skip this basic necessity ever.
- Check the Reviews- It’s always important to read up on a company and an area before trusting them with your luggage and your life. Taking a few minutes to read up on the experiences of others can make al the difference.
- Ride In Back- Some Uber drivers offer their fares the chance to sit up front, but it’s better if you don’t take that opportunity. Putting some space between you and the driver is wise, plus you can exit to either side on arrival, which is better for you.
- Turn Your Phone On- Call a friend, or record your trip openly. Either share updates and conversations with the person you are headed to meet or pretend that’s what you’re doing. If you don’t have anyone to call, tell the driver you are live-streaming your trip and turn on the camera.
- Tell a Friend- Share your travel plans with friends and family members, so they always know where you are.
In addition to all these safety tips, you can also help keep others safe. Spend a few minutes, leaving a review, so people know who you rode with and how you felt about the driver. Be honest. However, please also keep in mind that drivers are people too, and you should treat them with courtesy. Like a cab, tip your driver if they helped you with luggage or useful information, or when the trip was longer than usual.
Final Thoughts
One of the best things about San Miguel de Allende is seeing the city itself. Whether you choose an Uber or opt to walk around on foot, you will see so much of the storied beauty just by going from one place to the next. Riding in a car, rather than driving, is a fantastic way to appreciate all there is to view.
You can install an Uber app on your phone if you’re worried about catching a ride when you need it most. However, it’s never difficult to catch a cab to your next destination in such a historic city. Spread out among winding hills and roads; San Miguel de Allende has so much to offer. You could drive around all day, merely trying to decide what to see or do next.
Make sure you plan and budget in advance for your travel needs. Parking in SMA can be challenging to find, so driving yourself is more complicated than in a US city.