Cozumel’s Transport Crisis: Only 6 of 16 Routes Operating

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — The Cozumel Transportation Directorate is working to regularize the island’s collective transportation system, but faces obstacles from the Cozumel Taxi Drivers Union, which claims to have several vehicles under repair. This has prevented the operation of all 16 planned routes, leaving only six routes active, resulting in insufficient service with delays, particularly during the school season.

Transportation Director Javier Alamilla Polanco explained that the intention is to guarantee an efficient and complete service for the population, but the concessionaire’s justifications have limited coverage. Meanwhile, users report that wait times have lengthened and the current operation does not meet the daily demand of students and workers.

Despite this problem, Cozumel does not plan to introduce buses as part of the State Mobility Plan. This decision is based on results from the public transportation consultation conducted in October 2025, where most participants considered it unnecessary to implement this type of service on the island, making Cozumel the only municipality in Quintana Roo that does not contemplate bus operation as part of its mobility scheme.

The department maintains communication with the union to return repaired vehicles to circulation and fulfill the established routes. However, until this objective is achieved, the population will continue to face delays and limitations in their daily transportation.

The challenge for 2026 will be to achieve a more reliable and sufficient transportation system capable of responding to the island’s growing mobility demand. Therefore, regularizing the service and recovering pending routes are emerging as immediate priorities in a scenario where the lack of alternatives places Cozumel in a unique situation compared to other municipalities in the state.