MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican police have arrested three taxi drivers in Puerto Morelos, just south of the resort city of Cancun, for threatening a tourist for using a ride-sharing app.
Drivers of traditional taxis at resorts along Mexico’s Caribbean coast have for years harassed and even beaten tourists using Uber and other ride-share apps, and have attacked and damaged ride-share drivers’ cars.
Videos posted on social media on Wednesday show the drivers blocking an English-speaking tourist from getting into the shared car.
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“It’s not possible… you can’t take Uber because we’re going to call the cops, we’re going to block him, and you’re going to get in trouble too,” they say in the video.
Prosecutors said one of the drivers involved in the incident was detained Wednesday on suspicion of drug possession. The other two drivers were held pending unspecified charges. The prosecutors also recommended that their taxi permits and driver’s licenses be revoked.
Apps offering taxi rides were blocked in Cancun until 2023, when a court issued an injunction allowing Uber to operate.
The prosecutor’s office said that “any act that endangers the safety of local residents and domestic or international tourists will not be permitted, hidden or much less tolerated in Quintana Roo,” the state where Cancun and Puerto Morelos are located.
Traditional taxis in the area charge extremely high rates and are strongly opposed to cheaper alternatives. Some taxi drivers are also involved in drug gangs.
Earlier this year, prosecutors arrested two taxi drivers who took part in the beating of two German tourists outside a club in the resort town of Playa del Carmen, further south of Cancun. The drivers were charged with drug possession after they were found to be carrying marijuana and cocaine in their taxis.
In 2023, violent clashes broke out between traditional taxi drivers and those working for taxi apps. High taxi fares have long been a topic of discussion in Cancun.
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