Less than 150 pesos from MEX to Roma on Didi when Uber surges
Didi runs 24/7 on-demand from both T1 and T2 at Mexico City International Airport, and regulars use it as the cheaper counter to Uber for rides into Roma, Condesa, Centro, and Polanco. Ride times sit around 30–60 minutes to central neighborhoods depending on traffic on Viaducto or Circuito Interior, but the real hook is price: sub-150 peso rides are common when Uber is surging.
Pickup usually happens at the departures level in T1 or T2, not at the main arrivals curb, because drivers try to avoid enforcement at the signed taxi areas. After you collect bags in T1 or T2, head up one level to “Salidas,” walk 30–50 meters away from the busiest doors, then drop the pin there in the app before requesting.
One Reddit user reported paying less than 150 pesos from MEX to Roma on Didi on a night when Uber showed surge multipliers for the same route. Another r/MexicoCity commenter said Didi is “usually cheaper than Uber in CDMX, including from the airport,” but warned they sometimes waited a few extra minutes for a driver in the evening rush between 18:00 and 20:00.
The app can misplace your pin around MEX, especially near the bridges between doors 3–6 in T1 and doors 2–4 in T2, so most locals immediately message the driver with a short note like “estoy en puerta 4 salidas” and describe a nearby sign. Having your door number ready cuts the back-and-forth and can turn a 10-minute hunt into a 2–3 minute pickup.
Locals say Didi often runs promo codes that stack with already low fares, shaving another 10–20 pesos off a typical airport ride. Regulars open both Uber and Didi as soon as the plane starts taxiing to the gate in T1 or T2, compare ETA and price side by side, then lock in whichever app shows the lower total for their usual Roma, Condesa, or Centro address.
Common complaints: Didi’s driver pool can thin out after 23:00, especially on weeknights, so waits stretch beyond 10–15 minutes while Uber still shows cars in 5–7 minutes. Some users also mention that a few drivers refuse to enter protest-heavy segments of Centro Histórico or around Avenida Reforma during marches, leading to mid-ride reroutes or the occasional cancellation.
What regulars do: they save a favorite pickup spot in the Didi app (for example, T2 Departures door 4) and reuse canned Spanish messages like “estoy en puerta 4, frente a Oxxo” on every airport ride. Many keep the official sitio taxi stand as a backup; if both Didi and Uber show long ETAs or prices jump over 250 pesos, they walk to the taxi counter and move on.
One practical tip: before you exit into the public area of T1 or T2, connect to the free “AICM” Wi‑Fi and request your Didi while still inside; by the time you reach the departures level doors 3–5, your driver is usually already within 2–3 minutes.