Tourists traveling from Cancún International Airport (CUN) to the hotel zone can now take a 140-peso (US $7) bus ride, Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama announced Thursday.

The new route, operated by Grupo Asur in collaboration with Autobuses de Oriente (ADO), is in response to reports of ongoing taxi fare abuse.

Previously, ADO offered direct transportation services only to city centers such as Cancún and Playa del Carmen, from which tourists needed to use another transportation service to the hotel zone.

The new ADO service departs from Terminals 2, 3 and 4, connecting to Plaza Fiesta in the hotel zone. According to ADO’s website, the service is available every two hours between 10:25 a.m. and 6:25 p.m. The ride takes about 40 minutes.

Taxis departing from CUN are known to charge tourists more than US $100 for a ride to the hotel zone. According to the rates established by the city, a one-way trip from the airport to the hotel zone should cost from 100 to 400 pesos (US $5 to $20).

Reports of taxi abuse increased after Mexican influencers fell victim to the scams. In a video posted on his social media in January, content creator Luisito Comunica shared how a taxi driver charged 2,000 pesos (US $99) for a ride of less than 20 minutes. Meanwhile, influencer Narabask reported that a taxi driver charged her and her friends 10,000 pesos (US $500) for a 30-minute drive.

Such reports prompted Sergio González Rubiera, head of the Mexican Association of Inbound Travel Agencies (AMATUR), to voice his concern.

“It is very worrying that the abuses committed by taxi drivers and airport concessionaires are damaging and undermining the image of tourist destinations, throwing away all the promotional work that we have done,” he said.

In addition to the pricing issues, users of ride-hailing apps like Uber have experienced acts of violence from taxi drivers. Uber was authorized to operate in some areas of Cancún and the Riviera Maya in January 2023, but strong opposition from local taxi operators has led to conflict, increasing attacks by taxi drivers.

To address these issues, the local Congress increased penalties for assaults involving transportation and public byways, which now include the cancellation of licenses, permits and concessions. Sentences for murder and assault involving public or private transportation were also increased.

With reports from Infobae