Uber Launches One-Way Trip from San Diego to Tijuana

Travel News Uber

Whether you want to lay your eyes upon Tijuana’s Red Hill or sunbathe on Rosarito Beach, Uber now has you covered.

On March 25, Uber Technologies Inc. will launch UberPASSPORT, a new platform that offers riders in San Diego the opportunity to travel across the most-traveled international land crossing. At this time, passengers will be shuttled from San Diego through the San Ysidro border to Tijuana. Once across the border, riders will have to another way back to the U.S.

“It’s very exciting for us because there are a lot of places where we could have launched a cross-border product, but we recognize the importance of the largest border crossing in the world and the unique relationship between San Diego and Tijuana,” Christopher Ballard, general manager for Uber in Southern California, told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Uber’s one-way journey is limited because the commercial activity—the service that is taxed and regulated—occurs at the point of pickup and not at drop-off, according to regulations that govern Uber, Lyft Inc., and other transit companies. However, Uber has said they are working on a cross-border pickup being available from Tijuana.

These cross-border trips are only available through Uber’s black car option, which costs more than UberX rides. Passport riders will need to expect a $20 crossing convenience fee on top of the per-mile and per-minute rates to make the drivers trip across the border worthwhile. A ride from Pacific Beach to Rosarito might cost around $160, whereas a ride from North Park to Zone Centro could cost riders around $90. Conveniently, UberPASSPORT vehicles are set up to transport four passengers so the international travelers can split the fare.

The innovative Uber app is already available in almost 400 cities. Until UberPASSPORT, drivers were required to drop their passengers off at the border where they would have to walk across the border and order a second car to shuttle them where they wanted to go once in Mexico. Passengers will still be required to carry a passport and other necessary documentation for International travel.

Lauren Spiler is a freelance journalist based in Athens, Georgia, but most call her Spiler.

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