Los Cabos Travelers Warned Against Taking Pirate Taxis

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Last Updated 12 months ago

The Los Cabos government has recently announced the implementation of a new system of control and regulations to fight the many pirate taxis currently operating in the municipality. 

The new system was officially put in place on the 10th of October. Its aim is to supervise, inspect, and monitor all companies offering tourist transport services in Los Cabos to limit illegal activities. 

The project, in collaboration with the Los Cabos Hotel Association, was discussed in a recent interview with the President of Baja California Sur, Víctor Castro. 

During the interview, the President highlighted the importance of the new measures, declaring: “There are more visitors in Los Cabos because there is more security there. Transportation is also involved in this issue.”

This is one of the first attempts from the government to improve transportation services in Los Cabos after the disastrous mandate of Martín Salinas, the now ex-Director of Transportation of Baja California Sur who was forced to resign after being accused of corruption. 

Starting anew

Martín Salinas resigned from its position in May of this year after being accused of favoring illegal transportation practices in Los Cabos. 

Back in May, the members of the Baja California Sur Tourism Front complained about the existence of way too many illegal services providing transportation for tourists without the required documentation and demanded stricter controls. 

They declared: “There are many private people, foreigners, without permission, without concession, who are providing the service irregularly; So, that is what we are asking to be regulated because it affects both the unions and the permit holders.”

Following the resignment of Martín Salinas a ‘new era of transportation’ was announced.

With the current initiative, the Los Cabos government is now finally taking action to regulate the transportation system in the area, hopefully creating a safer environment for tourists.

Why are tourists unhappy with Los Cabos’ transportation options?

This recent initiative from the Los Cabos municipality was also put into place to answer the many tourists’ complaints. According to a recent report, visitors are particularly critical of the few public options available when traveling within Los Cabos. 

One of the only bus options currently running in the municipality is Suburcabos, a cheap bus service moving from Cabo San Lucas to San José del Cabo and back. 

However, tourists reported that the service had to be drastically improved, something reflected in the poor Google rating given to this company: only two stars out of five.

Given the lack of other options, tourists often have to rely on taxis when moving within the municipality, but as we mentioned earlier, this is often problematic. 

Pirate taxis are not rare, and there are plenty of people offering this service without a proper license. 

One of the consequences is that taxis tend to be incredibly expensive, leading tourists to either opt for a rented car or an Uber. 

Poor road conditions

Public transportation doesn’t seem to be the only problem for tourists. Some of the other main complaints include huge traffic, speeding drivers, and poor road conditions. 

Unfortunately, just a few days ago, two tourists were hospitalized following a violent car crash. A total of 16 people were involved in the accident that occurred close to Los Cabos Airport. 

Luckily, the Los Cabos municipality is now adopting active measures to limit further accidents. 

These include higher fines for drivers exceeding the speed limits. The proposal is to increase the fines up to 30,000 pesos, but nothing has been confirmed yet. 

On top of this, the government keeps improving its road conditions thanks to its Permanent Potholes Programme. Over 1,100 potholes have been recently fixed, but there is still plenty of work to do. 

Last but not least, the Los Cabos authorities are now working on the construction of an overpass in Cabo San Lucas. 

The bridge will be built near the warehouse store Costco and will hopefully reduce the frequent congestion occurring in the area.