Mexico City Delivery Apps: City Pauses Plate and License Plan for Motorcycle Riders After Santa Fe Blockades

MEXICO CITY — Mexico City delivery apps’ motorcycle riders won a pause Monday night, Nov. 9, when the city’s Mobility Secretariat (Semovi) suspended a pilot program that would have required them to carry commercial cargo plates and a special license, hours after riders blocked key roads in Santa Fe.

Mobility Secretary Héctor Ulises García Nieto met with representatives of several motorcycle groups, and both sides agreed to suspend the pilot and set up new working groups to revise the proposal, the city government said in a statement. No new dates, costs or requirements have been announced, Publimetro reported.

Mexico City delivery riders’ protest: what happened in Santa Fe

Riders who work for apps including Rappi, Uber and DiDi began blocking streets early Monday, La Razón reported. La Jornada said members of a group called Plataformas Unidas del Poniente closed three intersections in Santa Fe, the business and shopping district on the city’s west side, from 9 a.m. until about 11:20 a.m. Mexico City time, including Vasco de Quiroga at Juan Salvador Agraz and Avenida Tamaulipas at Carlos Lazo.

The closures backed up traffic toward Insurgentes and Circuito Interior, delayed public transit and led to a fistfight between drivers, La Jornada reported. In the afternoon, riders gathered outside Semovi’s offices on Avenida Álvaro Obregón in Colonia Roma, closing nearby streets while talks went on. Monday’s protests were part of a busy day of marches across the capital; our Mexico City safety guide explains how visitors can plan around blockades.

Mexico City delivery app rules: what Semovi proposed

García Nieto first described the pilot on Nov. 4 during an appearance before Mexico City lawmakers, La Razón reported. It would have required delivery riders to hold a cargo transport license, use a commercial plate and complete training.

Semovi said the goal is to bring order to small-cargo motorcycle delivery and improve conditions for riders, a sector it said has historically lacked protections. Riders told Publimetro the changes would mean higher administrative costs, insurance requirements and expenses to adapt their motorcycles, and asked that any new rules be negotiated with them first.

Mexico City delivery apps: what it means for customers

For now, nothing changes for people ordering food or groceries. The suspended pilot never took effect, and Semovi has not said when the working groups will meet or when a revised plan could return.

Separate rules for privately owned electric scooters and e-bikes do take effect soon: Mexico City’s e-scooter fines start Nov. 20 for unregistered vehicles.

Mexico City delivery apps FAQ

Are delivery apps working in Mexico City today?

Semovi did not announce any service changes. Monday’s protest was over a proposed regulation, which is now suspended.

What did Semovi want delivery riders to have?

A cargo transport license, a commercial plate and training, under the pilot García Nieto described on Nov. 4.

Is the delivery rider pilot canceled?

It is suspended while Semovi and rider groups revise the proposal in new working groups.

Photo: ProtoplasmaKid / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Resized. Illustrative: the Mexico City Mobility Secretariat offices in Colonia Roma, photographed before Monday’s protest.