Playa del Carmen Moves to Regulate Mototaxis for Safety

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — Municipal and state authorities are advancing in a process of institutional coordination to establish guidelines that regulate the operation of mototaxis in Playa del Carmen, particularly through the definition of circulation polygons and the identification of areas considered high-risk for this type of transportation.

The director of Public Transportation of Playa del Carmen, Nayeli Molina, reported that a working table was recently held with the State Mobility Institute, the entity responsible for regulating public transportation, with the objective of initiating the first agreements regarding the organization of mototaxis that currently operate in various neighborhoods of the municipality.

She explained that, although there is not yet a formally defined operating polygon, the first steps have been taken to delimit allowed, suggested, and prohibited areas, in order to generate greater order and, above all, guarantee the safety of users and third parties.

One of the points considered as a “red alert” is the circulation of mototaxis on high-speed stretches. In this regard, Molina indicated that restricting their passage through areas that already have highway characteristics is being analyzed, such as the stretch of Lilis Avenue toward Tintal, where the risk of accidents is greater.

She indicated that these working tables are institutional in nature and involve different municipal instances, such as the Transportation Directorate, the Traffic Directorate, and the City Council’s Mobility Commission, headed by councilor Javier Santos, in addition to the competent state authority.

The official emphasized that the issue of polygons and fare tables corresponds directly to the Mobility Institute, so any definition regarding prices or routes must emanate from that instance, once the general operating guidelines are established.

She added that the City Council, for its part, participates in identifying risk points, high-accident zones, and areas where greater control is necessary, with the objective that final decisions are made based on road safety and urban order criteria.

Currently, there is no authorization for mototaxis to circulate on highways or high-speed roadways, and that principle remains one of the central axes in technical discussions.

The authorities agreed that the process will continue through working tables until reaching a definition that allows regulating this service without affecting citizens and reducing the risks associated with its operation.