November

The second Saturday of the month of November arrives. Once again we face the restrictive measures of Hoy No Circula on Saturday. As happens periodically, the obligations to keep certain vehicles parked remain in force to avoid financial penalties if yours is affected by these provisions. What is the reason behind this system? This is the Hoy No Circula program, an initiative promoted by the CDMX Environment Secretariat. (SEDEMA) aimed at improving the quality of the air that the capital’s residents breathe. How exactly does it operate? What points are essential for any vehicle owner? The fundamental principle is that by reducing the number of vehicles traveling on the roads, air pollution levels in the region are inevitably reduced. Although these measures may be uncomfortable for drivers, the objective is clear: parking the car as a measure of collective environmental protection. Naturally, this restriction applies only in specific areas. In which places does this regulation apply? In all of the 16 municipalities that make up Mexico City, added to the peripheral municipalities of the State of Mexico that appear in this list: • Atizapan of Zaragoza • Coacalco de Berriozábal • Cuautitlan • Cuautitlán Izcalli • Chalco • Chicoloapan • Chimalhuacan • Ecatepec de Morelos • Huixquilucan • Ixtapaluca • Peace • Naucalpan de Juárez • Nezahualcoyotl • Nicolas Romero • Tecámac • Tlalnepantla de Baz • Tultitlan • Chalco Valley What cars and license plates does Hoy No Circula Saturday affect? Considering the above, what are the specific limitations? Why do Saturdays involve specific additional considerations? Indeed, different restrictions are implemented on weekend days. To determine the restrictive measures and their application mechanism, these are based on the hologram assigned to each vehicle, an element that determines its travel capacity. There are cars that must remain idle every Saturday, while others rotate their restriction. In conclusion, these restriction modalities are presented: • Cars that enjoy free circulation every Saturday • Cars forced to rest on all Saturdays • Cars that alternate restrictions, resting alternate weeks It should be noted that these limitations do not apply 24 hours a day. Its validity is limited between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.. That is, after dusk it is possible to circulate without any restrictions. What happens if your car is in this restricted category? So the alternative is to stay at home if you want to avoid economic consequences. To do this, it is essential to clearly identify which vehicles can move and which remain immobile. In this way, the owners of Hologram 2 are forced to leave their units at rest every Saturday, without the possibility of movement. The situation is different for those with hologram 0 and 00, who enjoy total freedom of movement during any Saturday, without restriction. On the contrary, those who have hologram 1 must carefully evaluate whether they can travel. The answer depends entirely on the phase of the month we are in. Since we are on the fourth Saturday of the month of November, in the Saturday November 8, 2025 Drivers of cars with hologram 1 whose license plates have an even number ending are prevented from driving. In the next week, corresponding to the first day of May, owners of vehicles with hologram 1 whose license plate ends in an odd number will be forced to keep their vehicles parked. However, there are certain categories of vehicles that are completely exempt from these restrictions: • Those that operate using electric propulsion, gaseous fuel or hybrid technology • Those who carry accreditation for people with reduced mobility • All those linked to the provision of urban passenger transport services (including the funeral branch) • Those intended for the transport of minors of school age or passengers in general • Those assigned to public safety and emergency management duties In case of violation of these regulations, a penalty equivalent to 20 and 30 times the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA) is imposed, a figure that ranges between 1,924.40 pesos and 2,886.60 pesos. Photo | Sebastian Olivos In Xataka | Pollution is not only making you live less and worse. It’s also making you dumber

The weekend arrives again with the activation of the vehicle restriction program that Mexico City implements every Saturday. Today No Circula on Saturdays implies a different operational complexity than that applied on weekdays, since the restriction criteria constantly vary depending on specific factors that can change our availability of mobility from one week to the next. In general terms, this is an environmental policy measure promoted by the CDMX Environment Secretariat. (SEDEMA) with the aim of reducing air pollution levels in the region. The strategy requires motorists to know exactly what the applicable requirements and restrictions are, under what criteria they operate and what consequences arise from non-compliance. Only in this way is it possible to avoid administrative penalties that could result in unexpected expenses. This program is executed in the territory of the sixteen municipalities that make up Mexico City, as well as in the adjacent municipalities of the State of Mexico that make up the metropolitan area: • Atizapan of Zaragoza • Coacalco de Berriozábal • Cuautitlan • Cuautitlán Izcalli • Chalco • Chicoloapan • Chimalhuacan • Ecatepec de Morelos • Huixquilucan • Ixtapaluca • Peace • Naucalpan de Juárez • Nezahualcoyotl • Nicolas Romero • Tecámac • Tlalnepantla de Baz • Tultitlan • Chalco Valley What cars and license plates does Hoy No Circula Saturday affect? The implementation of the Saturday restriction program does not uniformly affect all vehicles circulating in the area. On the contrary, it generates clear differentiations according to specific characteristics of the car, particularly considering the assigned environmental hologram and the numerical series of its license plate. The system works fundamentally from the environmental hologram and the final digits of the license plate. Although in principle it would seem like a simplified scheme, the reality is that the Saturday Hoy No Circula presents additional complexities that differentiate it from the weekday restriction program. Under the Saturday restrictions scheme, three different modalities operate: • Vehicles authorized to operate without limitation on any Saturday • Vehicles subject to permanent restriction on all Saturdays • Vehicles subject to alternating restriction in successive weeks The validity of these restrictive measures is limited to the period included between 05:00 and 22:00. During night hours, the restriction system is suspended, allowing circulation without regard to license plates or vehicle classification. In order to correctly anticipate restrictions, it is essential to accurately identify two components: the environmental hologram number assigned to the vehicle and the terminal digits of the license plate. Those owners whose vehicle displays a classification 2 hologram face a situation of constant restriction: their cars remain immobilized on all Saturdays of the month. On the contrary, owners of vehicles identified with a 0 or 00 hologram do not experience any limitations and enjoy freedom of movement every Saturday without exception. Drivers of vehicles classified as hologram 1 find themselves in a dynamic situation. These cars operate under a weekly alternation scheme, with their restriction conditions changing from one Saturday to the next. On the day of Saturday November 1, 2025which corresponds to the first Saturday of the month of November, vehicles classified with hologram 1 whose license plates end in an even number are under circulation restriction. Subsequently, on the following Saturday, when we have entered the fifth Saturday of the month of May, the vehicles with hologram 1 and license plate ending in an odd number will be the ones that must keep their units parked. There are, however, specific categories of vehicles that are completely exempt from these limitations and can move freely: • Automobiles powered by electric energy, compressed natural gas or hybrid propulsion systems • Vehicles provided with official reduced mobility documentation • Units intended for urban public transportation service, including funeral services • Units dedicated to the transportation of minors in an educational context or to passenger transportation services • Vehicles assigned to public security agencies or civil protection entities Failure to comply with these provisions carries quantifiable financial consequences. The administrative penalty is established between 20 and 30 times the value of the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA), which translates into a range of 1,924.40 pesos as a minimum to 2,886.60 pesos as a maximum penalty. Photo | Glauber Sampaio In Xataka | Pollution is not only making you live less and worse. It’s also making you dumber