Controversy Over Collective Taxis in Cancún! Are they Legal?

The Mobility Institute of Quintana Roo (Imoveqroo) is required to acknowledge the legitimacy and effectiveness of fifty collective taxi licenses that were granted at the end of former governor Roberto Borge's term. Almost eight months after a court ruling in favor of the taxi operators was confirmed, a federal court is still waiting for these permits to be included in the Public Transport Registry. The aim of these licenses is to offer public transport services between the Zona Continental of Isla Mujeres and Cancún. The routes planned include those from the hotel zone of Costa Mujeres, Isla Blanca, and Rancho Viejo to Plaza Las Américas, from Punta Sam and Rancho Viejo to the ADO bus terminal, and from the Military City of the Zona Continental to the Punta Sam pier.

The case involves a dispute initiated by the organization "Transporte Ejidal Isla Mujeres, Sociedad Cooperativa de Responsabilidad Limitada". The group's Board of Directors, represented by its president Enrique de Jesús Tejero, secretary Gabriela Rosado, and treasurer Marina de la Luz Pérez, requested the registration of the licenses in the Quintana Roo concessionaire registry. Due to administrative issues, this remained unprocessed during the transition from the former Secretariat of Infrastructure and Transport (Sintra) to Imoveqroo. Along with the registration, they also sought approval for the colors, logos, typography, and other identification features, rates, routes, and color of driver uniforms for the fifty vehicle units. The transporters are looking to register vans such as Urvan and Toyota, in white color, to provide service during both day and night.

The disagreement began when Imoveqroo denied the recognition of the licenses, questioning the legality of the permits in a written response on February 22 of the previous year. Furthermore, an oral refusal was given by the tax collector and the head of the registration module of the Secretariat of Finance and Planning (Sefiplan), regarding the registration of the motorized units with economic numbers from 01 to 50, on March 10, 2023. The licenses in question were issued on September 19, 2016, and endorsed by Sintra in May 2021.

The legal dispute was escalated to the Seventh District Court in Cancún, which issued a ruling in favor of the complainants on August 9 of the previous year. The ruling stated that the holder of a license can request its registration in the Public Transport Registry, without any regulation requiring that only the documents in the Institute's files or those delivered by another authority be integrated. The court also ordered that a new response must be issued once the ruling becomes executable. The response should avoid stating that Imoveqroo is legally prevented from processing the registration and inclusion in the aforementioned Registry, and should also avoid referring to a lack of recognition of the truthfulness and legality of the 50 concession licenses that were presented to it. The request should be declared favorable if compliance with the stipulations in the regulation of the Quintana Roo Mobility Law has been fulfilled.