Transportation options from Cancun International Airport will increase by the end of the year with the recent approval for Uber and other transportation companies to pick up and drop off tourists at the airport.
The Mexican Undersecretary of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation Rogelio Jiménez Pons recently made the announcement of an agreement that will allow the popular ride-share digital app to operate in the country’s airports.
Uber at the Airport
The inability of tourists to take Uber to and from the airport has been a frustration for many visitors to the Mexican Caribbean.
While it has been operating in other areas around town, and in the tourist zone, it will now be permitted to take travelers to the airport and pick them up to bring them to destinations around the Mexican Caribbean.
In exchange, Uber will have to pay the same standard fees as the other transportation options for tourists at Cancun International Airport.
Along with Uber, other transportation options such as Didi and Cabify will also be available for travelers to choose from.
Resolving the Fight
The agreement with the ride-share companies will hopefully quiet the ongoing feud between ride-share drivers and taxi drivers.
The battle between the transportation providers was aired publicly on social media with comments and TikTok videos capturing the fight.
It turned aggressive leading to physical attacks on both ride-share and taxi drivers in the area.
Unfortunately, tourists to Cancun and other destinations in the Mexican Caribbean were also often caught in the middle of the fight between the two transportation providers.
Increasing Competition For Travelers
The ultimate goal of the agreement to allow ride-share companies and other transportation providers to operate at the Cancun International Airport is to increase competition and provide options for travelers visiting the beach resort destination.
Hopefully, travelers will be able to enjoy more options, flexibility, transportation choices, and potentially even lower prices for transportation to and from the airport.
While all airport transportation concessionaires will have to pay the same standard passenger pick-up and drop-off fees to operate at the airport, the actual cost for the mileage covered will be up to the transportation company to determine.
That will also allow ride-share companies to adjust pricing up and down depending on the peak travel times, also known as surge pricing in the industry.
According to a recent news report on the issue, some cab drivers in Cancun have been charging customers as much as $1,500 Mexican pesos (or about $83) for a one-way ride to the airport from the tourist zone.
Some customers have remarked that the price is a big chunk of their overall transportation budget.
Tips For Cancun Travelers
Visitors to Cancun will soon have more options to choose from when arriving or departing from the international airport.
Several popular ride-sharing apps will provide convenience and choice for tourists visiting the Mexican Caribbean.
Along with the added competition, hopes are that the prices will adjust to become more favorable for travelers seeking transportation options.
In the past, with limited transportation choices, travelers were forced to pay what the main provider charged or find other options to get to and from the airport.
For many travelers, that first impression of a high transportation charge from the airport started their vacation getaway to Cancun in a negative way.
With the addition of transportation to and from the airport, Uber also announced plans to expand its popular Uber Eats service to the State of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located.
That will add more opportunities for income for Uber drivers in the area, as well as provide more convenient food and other delivery services for travelers in the tourist zone.