Cancun, Q.R. — More than two dozen illegal tourist transportation vehicles have been towed from the Cancun International Airport. The removal of the vehicles is part of an operation to weed out illegal transportation providers that have been blamed for excessive charging.
The joint operation by National Guard and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) began earlier this week. To date, nearly 30 vehicles found to be illegally offering transportation services have been towed from the airport.
National Guard personnel are not only inspecting parked-waiting vehicles, but also transportation vehicles dropping tourists off.
According to information provided by SICT agents, the vehicles enter the airport from the federal highway and are required to comply with federal and state government guidelines for transporting tourists.
The goal, they say, is to maintain order among licensed transporters and digital platforms. The operations are carried out from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., coinciding with peak tourist arrival times at the airport.
Surveillance has been intensified to ensure that services are provided correctly and without incident. The joint operation between the National Guard and the SICT is a step toward formalizing transportation services in the region.
In the recent past, numerous tourists have complained about excessive transportation fees from the Cancun airport. In April of last year, a Canadian man was charged $1,000 USD by a cab driver to travel between terminals. That cab driver was arrested and the money returned.
Other tourists have been charged thousands for a ride to the hotel zone. In January, a Mexico City man was charged 2,000 pesos for a ride from the Cancun airport to the Cancun Hotel Zone. He was only one of many overcharged by the illegal transportation providers.
The state has since made an agreement with ADO buses to provide tourist transportation from the airport to the center of the hotel zone for 140 pesos.
