Taxi Unions Warned Over Fare Increase Protests in Quintana Roo

Transport Authority Warns Unions Against Demonstrations

CHETUMAL, QR. – To prevent protests against the refusal to increase fares, the Quintana Roo Mobility Institute (Imoveqroo) has warned taxi unions that it will revoke concessions from drivers who participate in demonstrations or any pressure measures related to service cost increases.

The information was confirmed by union sources and Imoveqroo personnel, who indicated that fare increases remain under analysis and that protests will not be permitted under any circumstances, as the authority will not yield to pressure.

According to the sources, Imoveqroo has the authority to revoke concessions from local transporters, in this case taxi drivers, who disrupt mobility anywhere in the state and affect third parties, particularly in the state’s tourist destinations.

Pending Evaluation of Public Transport Fare Increases

They argued that a technical, legal, and economic evaluation must first be conducted, based on inflationary indicators and comparative costs with other states in the country, as well as financial projections that could impact family economies.

Although Imoveqroo continues preparing studies to make a decision on fare increases and none are expected in the short term, taxi drivers indicated it could even take two years or more.

The unions demand that fare increases not be postponed, as in the case of taxis the activity is unsustainable due to increased costs of fuel, spare parts, and vehicles during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Union Positions Amid Fare Increase Uncertainty

The warnings led most union leaders to declare they maintain coordination with the State Government and are completing the required information for evaluating fare increases.

On November 19, Imoveqroo director Rafael Hernández Kotasek announced an increase to public transport fares in Chetumal and Benito Juárez and indicated they would take effect during the first week of December this year.

Days later, on November 27, Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa, in her program La Voz del Pueblo, denied that statement and emphasized that no municipality had approved public transport fare increases.

“First there must be real and tangible improvements in service to evaluate any adjustment,” she stated, indicating that the #MOBI transport project seeks to modernize mobility with safer, more efficient, and higher quality units.

Hernández Kotasek reported on December 4, 2025, that during the first half of 2026, possible adjustments to public transport per-passenger costs will be analyzed, despite the governor’s statements.

Yesterday, December 5, the leader of the Sindicato Único de Choferes de Automóviles de Alquiler (Suchaa), Julio César Castilla Zapata, indicated that no fare increase is expected and they are completing requirements before Imoveqroo.

In 2022, before the end of Carlos Joaquín’s administration, requests for public transport fare increases began. One of the first unions to do so was Suchaa, first for taxis and later for minibuses. Pressure measures included demonstrations and service suspensions.

In 2023 they resumed the demand, now under Mara Lezama Espinosa’s government, and to date have not obtained authorization, though now all 19 state guilds are participating.