Over 200 taxi drivers from Mexico City and México state protested today against the “disproportionate growth” of companies like Uber and Cabify, which offer a taxi-like service through mobile apps.

The protest started early this morning, when drivers from several unions and companies gathered outside the Chabacano subway station and later drove their cabs north to the zócalo, bringing traffic in adjoining streets to a gridlock that continued into the morning.

The protesters organized a rally across from the city government’s headquarters.

” . . . We must demand that the law is enforced,” said Juan Carlos Rovira, a member of the taxi organization Grupo G-10 , adding that the law was clear and that “the illegal transportation of passengers is punishable with jail time, there’s no way around it.”

“The whole country is devastated, we demand that [Uber and Cabify] leave Mexico immediately,” he told the newspaper El Universal.

The protesters want the city to ban the use of private vehicles as taxis through mobile applications.

The drivers said that over the last five years their earnings have dropped by as much as 50% due to the presence of the ride-sharing services.

Source: El Universal (sp), Milenio (sp)