Cozumel, MX — Municipal authorities and tourism sector representatives are implementing a strategy to curb the illegal rental of vehicles on the island, a practice commonly known as "pirataje," following a growing number of cases detected in recent months.
This information was provided by Elías Farah Ceh, Director of Tourism in Cozumel, after he held a meeting with the delegate of the Quintana Roo Institute of Mobility (Imoveqroo), the Deputy Director of Transit, and local business owners.
The official explained that checkpoints recently installed at various points throughout the city aim to detect irregularly rented vehicles, primarily those offered through digital platforms or by rental agencies that exceed their officially registered number of vehicles.
"There are houses promoted on platforms that offer packages with lodging and a vehicle included, but those units are not registered as rental vehicles. Furthermore, some rental agencies, upon exhausting their permitted fleet, hand over private cars to the tourist without them knowing they are committing an offense," he stated.
He warned that the risk associated with this practice is severe, as if an accident occurs, insurance companies do cover damages when the vehicle involved is a private car being used for rental purposes. "We have already had cases on the island where no one takes responsibility, and that directly affects our people and the tourists," he recalled.
He said he currently does not have the number of rental agencies engaging in this situation. However, he stated that detecting a rented vehicle not on the official registry can result in a fine of up to 40 thousand pesos and the vehicle being impounded. Imoveqroo is also analyzing with the State Congress the possibility of further increasing penalties to deter this practice.
As part of the agreement, the Tourism department, Imoveqroo, and the business sector will produce informational materials to be distributed via the three ferry companies that travel from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel. The objective is to ensure visitors know they must demand a contract and valid insurance when renting a vehicle and refuse any unit that does not meet these requirements.
Furthermore, staff from the Tourist Assistance and Protection Center (CAPTA) will be present at the checkpoints to provide real-time translation for foreign tourists and prevent misunderstandings during inspections.
"The focus is preventive: we do not want to penalize for the sake of penalizing, but to guarantee that the tourist has a good experience and at the same time protect our community," he concluded.
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