Viral Video Exposes Inflated Taxi Fares at Cancún Airport

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A new video recorded at Cancún International Airport has gone viral on social media, showing yet another foreign tourist being quoted steep prices by transport workers at the terminal.

In the footage, the visitor, who has just landed, approaches several of the workers offering rides and asks roughly how much a taxi to the Hotel Zone costs. One replies 1,200 pesos, then adds that the fare can reach 1,500 or 1,700 pesos.

As the tourist moves on, the driver calls after him offering to lower the price to 900 pesos. The visitor thanks him and continues walking.

He then speaks with other vendors, who quote similar figures. One tells him an individual trip would cost 1,400 pesos.

Airport Staff Warn of Scams

Later, an airport employee tells the tourist that the information she is showing him is meant to keep travelers from falling victim to scammers, and confirms that the men he spoke with are among the transport operators working the terminal. The video ends as he asks where in the terminal he can catch an ADO bus.

In a second clip, the same tourist asks how to reach the Selina hotel in Cancún. The workers insist the bus does not drop passengers at the door and that they can, for 800 pesos. When the visitor hesitates, the haggling begins and the price drops to 600 pesos.

The tourist says he will compare options anyway and goes looking for the ADO counter to check the bus fare, which is considerably lower than any of the quotes he received.

Complaints Over Image of Destination

The videos, which circulated widely online, prompted renewed criticism of how transport workers at the airport operate: charging visitors whatever they choose, inflating the initial quote and then negotiating downward if the traveler balks.

Many social media users said the treatment of visitors is one reason travelers are turning away from the destination, adding to a list of problems damaging the city’s image.

The workers offering the service are not licensed taxi drivers but federal transport operators, the only providers authorized to operate at air terminals. Operators themselves have repeatedly complained that unlicensed drivers also work the airport and that the activity has never been regulated, allowing prices to be set at will.