Taxi Drivers Avoid Chacchoben Over Rising Tolls

Mahahual, Q. Roo — Taxi drivers in Mahahual are seeking new destinations to avoid what they describe as being "mugged" by the ejidatarios, or communal landowners, of Chacchoben, who have for years charged them three dollars per person to transit through their territory to the archaeological zone. These ejidatarios now intend to increase that fee to seven dollars per person.

This high charge amounts to over 600 pesos for a taxi carrying a driver and four passengers, making it unprofitable for drivers to pay this right of way, especially for vans carrying up to 15 passengers.

"That increase of more than double must be added to the parking and the entrance fee to the ruins charged by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which drives up the cost of the destination, the price of transportation, and severely harms the economy of both tourists and taxi drivers," warned Juan Manuel Lanz, secretary general of the Mahahual taxi drivers' union.

Tourists arriving via the Costa Maya cruise port could be diverted to other sites of interest and tourist attractions, such as the Ichkabal archaeological zone and the Seven Colors Lagoon itself. The union leader announced the search for new destinations to propose and take visitors to.

According to Juan Manuel Lanz, they are maintaining a dialogue table with authorities from the INAH to solve the problem. Faced with the ejidatarios' inflexibility, the alternative is opening a new road to the archaeological site to stop paying the toll demanded by the communal landowners.

Thousands of tourists arriving on cruise ships at the Costa Maya port visit these ruins. However, some transport operators and even the taxi drivers themselves have stopped taking people to Chacchoben due to the high imposed fees, the leader said.

On the matter, the Secretary of Government, Cristina Torres Gómez, stated that the government of Mara Lezama is serving as a mediator in the negotiations to resolve the issue. However, the ejidatarios' stubbornness could impact the destination and cause the greatest losses for the communers themselves.

Cristina Torres announced that the government continues to mediate to avoid damages, referring to the warning from transport workers, mainly Mahahual taxi drivers, regarding ceasing to take tourists to that archaeological zone.

She considered that going to the archaeological zone is just one of many options available for the enjoyment and recreation of tourists and insisted on pointing out the negative economic impact for the ejidatarios.