As a result of medallion taxi drivers harassing and abusing Uber drivers and their customers on Monday, the US State Department issued a travel warning for Mexico’s resort-dotted Caribbean coast.
On Monday, taxi drivers in the resort of Cancun even stopped one of the main routes leading to the hotel district. Due to this, several tourists had to walk or ride in police pickups to check in or get to their planes.
In the past, confrontations between these firms and local taxi unions have occasionally turned violent, injuring US nationals in some cases. The State Department cautioned passengers of this fact.
Given the blockades on Kukulcan Boulevard, the Cancun police department posted pictures of tourists climbing into the beds of police trucks, claiming that the transit officers assisted passengers in getting to the airport.
The mayor of Cancun urged the taxi drivers, who were enraged by Uber drivers’ competition, to exercise moderation.
Over the past two days, videos of tourists being reprimanded and, in one instance, possibly manhandled by groups of many uniformed taxi drivers have been widely shared on social media.
Before a court granted an order enabling Uber to operate earlier this month, ride-hailing applications had really been banned in Cancun.
Many tourists choose to use apps instead of native medallion taxis because of their exorbitant cost in Cancun.
A man who said he was simply giving a lift to some people when his car was attacked with stones and dented by taxi drivers was one of several Cancun locals who tweeted footage or pictures of taxis around suspected ride-hailing vehicles.
