Mahahual, Q.R. — Mahahual taxi drivers claim there is a lack of interest in putting a stop to excessive charges and monopolistic practices at the cruse ship port. The disgruntled drivers say the arrival of Royal Caribbean as new administrators has not put an end to the high fees or monopoly at the Cost Maya pier.
Juan Manuel Lanz, General Secretary of the Mahahual taxi drivers, says they have been requesting state intervention for months. According to Lanz, the taxi drivers are charged high fees for parking at the port terminal and the Chacchoben archaeological site.
“They charge us $7 per person for parking and we’re paying another $4 per vehicle separately. This is because the company, Maya Conexión, is spurning the ejidatarios and forcing them to charge us these prices.
“This is harming all the taxi drivers and all the tour operators and they’re using it as cover-up to cause these kinds of conflicts. Royal Caribbean has this company creating a serious problem right there in their backyard and we’ve already told the new Royal Caribbean project President Ari Adler that he’s supposed to review the reason the agreement was signed and whether it’s possible to terminate it.”
Lanz said during a recent meeting with Ari Adler Brotman, they discussed the conflict arising from the agreement between the Chacchoben ejido (common land) and the Maya Conexión company. This agreement raised access costs for visitors and created a parking fee that, according to the taxi drivers, undermines the competitiveness of the local sector in the face of the presence of cruise ships and their associated operators.
“It’s getting a bit tiring but we’re not going to stop. We’re waiting for the relevant authorities to help us and resolve our situation. We’ve been going on four months without a response.
“No one has come to Mahahual. They haven’t even looked at us. We feel like they’re ignoring us. They’re charging us outrageous fees. We need the intervention of the state and federal governments because they can’t afford to let the interests of the people of Mahahual be trampled on,” he said.
He criticized the fact that a single company is allowed to monopolize tourism revenue, harming the entire community. Despite a promise by Royal Caribbean to review the case, transporters are demanding concrete action and immediate measures to curb the excessive charges.
As a measure of pressure, they have warned that they could block tourist access to the archaeological site to demand a fair solution.
