Mototaxis in Playa del Carmen Begin License Plate Registration

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Around 450 mototaxis have been registered in Playa del Carmen, making it the first municipality in the state to carry out the process. The city has a total fleet of 2,700 such vehicles.

José Abrahám Martín Álvarez, director of Revenue, said the registration is not a concession for the mototaxis — they do not have that permit — but rather a vehicle control measure.

“In this plate exchange, in addition to the vehicles we plate year after year, this year we began regularizing mototaxis, a sector that has grown significantly in recent years. It is an important sector for mobility and for the family economy of more than 2,700 families dedicated to this transport,” he said.

The registration process is separate from the operating zones for this type of collective transport, which in Playa del Carmen mainly serves the western and northern areas, including neighborhoods such as Villas del Sol, Misión de las Flores, and La Guadalupana, as well as the Puerto Aventuras district.

“The process is a bit different from that of a taxi or public service transport, since these do not have a specific concession; instead, they are granted a permit and then proceed to plate,” Martín Álvarez explained.

The registration period for these units will remain open throughout the year, with the goal of covering 100% of the fleet operating in the municipality.

“Being the first municipality in the history of Quintana Roo to plate this type of vehicle, we are learning together. We held working meetings with the different groups in the municipality that have taken note of certain units, as well as with the Quintana Roo Mobility Institute and the SATQ,” he added.

This year marks a decade since mototaxis arrived in the municipality, having started operations in 2016 in what is now the Puerto Aventuras district. Their introduction was far from peaceful, facing resistance from conventional taxi operators at the time.