It was announced by local news on Monday that Quintana Roo officials will be putting even stricter measures in place for all taxi drivers that commit any acts of violence while on duty.
This latest crackdown applies to taxi drivers in the entire Quintana Roo region, which includes the capital city of Chetumal, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and other cities throughout the state.
Drivers Will Be Given An ‘Ultimatum’ According To QR Mobility Institute Director
According to the news report, the Quintana Roo Mobility Institute (Imoveqroo) will basically giving all of the state’s official taxi drivers an “ultimatum”, and their transport licenses will be revoked if they are caught committing any acts of violence while on duty.
Such misconduct includes drivers who assault any passenger, a colleague, as well as licensed drivers from private institutions like Uber and to make sure that the drivers don’t exert any power to make any random or unmotivated arrests of other drivers.
Rodrigo Alcazar Urrutia, who is the director of the Imoveqroo, issued the update this week in order to warn drivers in Cancun and the rest of Quintana Roo. In his statements, he noted that taxi drivers licenses will be removed in such cases of misconduct, which is the strictest policy for local taxi drivers to be released this year.
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Cancun Taxi Drivers Continue To Be Under Scrutiny – Information For Travelers
The move comes following a rise of customer complaints and reports of driver misconduct in Cancun and the rest of the Quintana Roo state. Authorities have already sounded the alarm in October, after over 100 complaints of misconduct by Cancun taxi drivers alone were filed throughout the month, which was almost double the amount that was reported in the months of July and August.
While those complaints were mainly related to cases like overcharging customers as well as bad customer service, authorities installed some new measures to combat the misconduct, such as freezing taxi driver licenses or giving drivers a fine, depending on the situation.
“Our priority is to guarantee the safety of passengers, as well as the image of our State (Quintana Roo),” stated Urrutia during his update.
“And that is why we are going to comply and enforce the law,” he continued. No date has yet been announced on when these new sanctions will be enforced, however.
The director’s decision to clamp down on Quintana Roo taxi drivers also come following new data from the Ministry of Public Security as well as the State Attorney General’s Office. According to the report, their latest data reveals that the state of Quintana Roo’s taxi drivers have been the central player in over 2,810 acts of violence over the past three years. These include demonstrations, attacks on motor taxi drivers, Uber drivers, and drivers from other areas whom they claim have invaded their territory.
In addition, it was revealed that a total of 459 taxi drivers were the main suspects in what are considered criminal acts of the Federal Jurisdiction, which includes kidnapping, drug deals, relationships with organized crime, and possession of firearms.
And despite these high numbers, only nine taxi drivers licenses were removed. This is because in those cases the driver wasn’t officially registered to the vehicle. Instead, the drivers argued that they rented out their vehicles to other drivers, and those were the ones who committed the crime. These new enforcements are meant to combat this issue.
Taking A Taxi In Cancun – Is It Safe?
Whether you’re heading straight from the airport to the Cancun Hotel Zone for a weeklong all-inclusive getaway or you need a driver to take you on a few adventures and excursions in the Riviera Maya, relying on the services of a licensed taxi driver in Cancun and the rest of Quintana Roo is almost inevitable for many travelers.
Thousands of travelers in the Mexican Caribbean take taxis every day. But, there are some important things to be aware of (overcharging, for instance) if you plan on riding a taxicab in Cancun. Here’s a recent post of ours on a few tips travelers should follow when taking a taxi or Uber in Cancun in order to travel more safely.
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Kevin
Wednesday 8th of February 2023
We’ve been in Cancun for a couple of weeks now. When we catch an Uber we’re asked to be picked up in a place that’s not near any taxis, and for one person to sit up front so we’re not so conspicuous. We haven’t had any confrontations ourselves, but we are being aware of our surroundings.
Previously we were in Cozumel where the only option is taxi. The pricing for taxis is never consistent, they only take cash, and it’s not as convenient as the Uber app.
Cash-only transactions, exclusive “contracts”, and retribution from a “union” sounds more like a crime syndicate than a legitimate business.
The people of Mexico have been wonderful, the landscape is beautiful. However, the corruption and lack of consequences upon those that harass and take advantage of tourists will make this a one-and-done experience for me.
Joseph
Thursday 15th of December 2022
Yesterday was the very first time in my life visiting Mexico, and the text charges me 3 times the price $60 from the airport to downtown cancun, they are not allowing Uber to operate in the area, I was told by the text driver if they find an Uber driver they kill him.
This is my first and last time to visit Mexico, I regret coming here