The state legislature in Quintana Roo has taken a major step forward on last year’s proposal to authorize 400 golf carts for use as public transportation in Tulum — a move that has sparked divided opinions among business owners, residents and taxi unions.
The state’s Mobility Commission last week granted golf cart concessions to four private companies. The low-speed vehicles will operate in various areas, including downtown Tulum, Jaguar Park and the coastal zone.
Golf carts will soon be a new way to get around in downtown Tulum
The approved companies will be able to begin providing golf carts as soon as the decree is published in the Official Periodical of Quintana Roo, the congressional ruling states.
According to the decree, the permits were granted to Roasteryc of Guadalajara (168 units), the Metromobility Group of Cancún (112), Inmomercaqroo of Cancún (90) and CMX Logistic Center of Mexico City (30).
Some of the golf carts — which can seat a maximum of six people — will be operated by a company driver, but others will be for the public to rent and drive themselves. Fares or rental costs have yet to be publicized.
The carts can’t be older than five years and have to meet safety and environmental standards whether running on gasoline, electricity or as a hybrid.
Currently, a system of combis and colectivos (minibuses and vans) operates within the Tulum municipality, but largely outside of the downtown. “There is no adequate service in the center of town, so tourists, especially, have to travel by taxi,” the online news outlet Novedades Quintana Roo wrote last year.
Legally, Uber is an option in the state, but tensions with taxi unions have rendered service spotty and perhaps risky in Tulum.
The plan for golf carts was put forward last year by the Mobility Institute of Quintana Roo (Imoveqroo) in large part due to Tulum’s explosive growth as both a tourist destination and a place to live.
In the early 2010s, Tulum was relatively underdeveloped compared to nearby Cancún or Playa del Carmen. However, by 2020, the region was receiving over 2 million tourists annually, up from hundreds of thousands in previous years. The opening of the new Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in late 2023 is bringing in even more visitors.
The golf cart transportation plan in Tulum has faced resistance, however, particularly from the Tiburones del Caribe taxi union.
Union members argue that the golf carts do not adhere to the same regulatory and fare conditions as taxis, putting traditional drivers at a disadvantage. Some also claim that the influx of golf carts will exacerbate existing congestion on Tulum’s main avenues, which already accommodate bicycles, motorcycles, public vans and cargo trucks.
With reports from La Jornada Maya, Reforma, La Silla Rota and Riviera Maya News
