The Quintana Roo state Congress has taken steps to address concerns about violence and extortion involving taxi drivers, stiffening penalties for such crimes and allowing the authorities to open investigations without formal complaints being filed.

In a special session convened specifically for this issue, lawmakers on Wednesday passed amendments to the state’s penal code and transportation law.

Governor Mara Lezama praised the legislators for their action, the news site Infobae reported. “We had to establish order,” she said, telling reporters that nobody should be able to prevent people from utilizing the transportation of their choice.

Penalties for assaults involving transportation and public byways now include the cancelation of licenses, permits and concessions. Sentences for murder and assault involving public or private transportation were also increased.

Quintana Roo — home to popular tourist resorts such as Cancún and Playa del Carmen, as well as the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres — has seen a rise in violence involving taxi drivers who have been targeting ride-sharing companies.

Scenes of taxi drivers assaulting drivers and vehicles have not been uncommon, according to the Reforma newspaper, prompting fears that tourism will be impacted.

In November, taxi drivers vandalized a rental car in the parking lot of Xcaret Park, mistakenly believing it was an Uber. Investigators later noticed a bullet hole in the vehicle’s carriage.

The state Congress convened their session three weeks after a popular YouTuber complained about exorbitant taxi fares in Cancún, saying he was charged 2,000 pesos (US $96) for a 20-minute taxi ride from the Cancún International Airport to the Hotel Zone in early January, the Diario de Yucatán newspaper reported.

At the time, according to the newspaper Riviera Maya News, state officials initially side-stepped the issue by saying that taxi fares at the airport are regulated by the federal government.

“[The Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation Ministry] is the one who rules there,” Government Minister Cristina Torres said on Jan. 6, insisting state authorities do not have the authority to intervene. “However, we have taken up this complaint … and will be requesting greater transparency and greater control in the application of these rates.”

Unfortunately for Quintana Roo, the traveler in question was internet influencer Luisito Comunica, whose YouTube channel boasts nearly 44 million subscribers, third among all Mexican YouTubers. He posted a video on social media and it quickly went viral.

“I am impressed by the taxi mafia there,” he said. “For a 20-minute ride, they charged me 2,000 pesos. … This needs a lot of regulation. This is what a taxi in New York charges from the airport to Manhattan for a ride of more than an hour … and after stealing 2,000 pesos from you, they still have the nerve to ask for a tip … they are rats!”

Luisito Comunica added that the taxi companies force passengers to pay in cash but no receipt is provided.

In April last year, a Canadian traveler reported being charged a taxi fare of US $1,000 for a ride between terminals at the Cancún airport. When the tourist complained, the driver tried to drive off with his luggage.

In that instance, the government intervened. The Montreal native had his credit card refunded and the taxi driver was arrested.

On Dec. 29, 2024, Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama said her administration was working to address airport transportation complaints, including the rates being charged to travelers.

State Tourism Minister Bernardo Cueto said irregular transportation companies have been operating at the airport for several years, their presence “tolerated” by the airport management company.

He says those irregular companies will no longer be allowed to operate out of Cancún International Airport.

On Jan. 8, the Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association urged the federal government to take greater control of the situation by assigning a larger National Guard contingent to the airport.

With reports from El Economista, Riviera Maya News, Reforma and Diario de Yucatán