Taxi drivers imposed a blockade at the accesses to the hotel zone of Cancun, Quintana Roo, for which hundreds of tourists and locals had to walk several miles to reach the Cancun International Airport. The official account of Aeroméxico alerted about the effects and invited them to take precautions.
It was along Boulevard Kukulkan that dozens of taxi drivers crossed their vehicles to prevent access to the hotel zone; This is in response to the entry Uber in the region, as well as against the arrests of taxi drivers who attacked Uber drivers and their passengers over the weekend.
“At this moment, blockades are being reported in the hotel zone of Cancun, affecting circulation to and from the Cancun Airport. We suggest you take precautions and anticipate your arrival,” the airline reported.
However, the airlines were not the only ones to warn citizens of the chaos, as the United States Embassy in Mexico also issued a travel alert due to the violent events between taxi drivers and Uber drivers.
“Following recent incidents involving taxi drivers and Uber drivers in Quintana Roo, U.S. citizens are reminded of the guidance provided at travel.state.gov, specifically regarding the use of the app-based transportation service in Mexico,” reported the US Embassy.
Likewise, they also warned that —despite the fact that transportation services such as Uber and Cabify are common in several Mexican cities because they are a safe alternative to taxis— some taxi driver unions have unleashed violent encounters, injuring US citizens.
Faced with the blockade, hundreds of travelers were stranded at the Cancun Airport facilities, for which reason local police patrols helped tourists to transport them. It was around 2:00 p.m. that traffic reopened.
“Given the closure of lanes on Blvd. Kukulkan, the officers helped people who were in the Hotel Zone to get to the airport. The communication routes have already been opened to circulation,” the local police reported.
Sergio Aguilar Osorio , general secretary of the Cancun City Council, regretted the fact and asserted that “the sun rises for everyone” when questioning how much taxi drivers lost from their work by blocking one of the most important roads in the region for hours.
“We are going to seek dialogue because this situation cannot continue like this,” said the official. In addition, he added that citizens share the rejection of this movement by taxi drivers. “It seems to me that there have to be sanctions,” he said while advancing the implementation of free public transport to the airport so as not to affect tourists.
In recent days there have been various attacks and acts of intimidation by the Cancun Taxi Drivers Union against users who request the application service; this is despite the fact that a collegiate court granted Uber an injunction to be able to operate in the area.
It was last Friday that a foreign family from Russia was traveling in an Uber and was taken out of the unit after it was chased and detained by taxi drivers who blocked their way. The tourists tearfully asked to be left alone.
Several witnesses and elements of the police arrived at the location; however, no one was detained while taxi drivers act criminally with impunity.
Taxi drivers imposed a blockade at the accesses to the hotel zone of Cancun, Quintana Roo, for which hundreds of tourists and locals had to . . .
