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Toll Booth On Route To Los Cabos Airport Causing Traffic Delays For Tourists Heading Home

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Recently the vice president of the national travel agencies of Mexico, Sergio Gonzalez Rubiera, visited Los Cabos to provide a voice to the concerns of multiple tourists. According to Gonzalez Rubiera, many travelers have had trouble while driving down the highway that connects the main Cabo San Lucas hotel zone and the international airport in San Jose del Cabo. The main issue is that the toll booth facilities seem to be outdated and understaffed. 

Closed toll booth near Los Cabos causing traffic jams

This has caused long lines at the toll booth, and in some cases, tourists have missed their flights due to these delays. A quick tip for tourists that are flying out of the Los Cabos international airport in San Jose del Cabo is to make sure they leave for the airport with enough time to spare before the flight.

Long line a toll booth causing traffic jams

Also, travelers are forced to carry cash to pay at the toll booth. No credit card or other form of payment is accepted. This is something that Gonzalez Rubiera is looking to change.  

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Drivers must pay cash in the Los Cabos toll booth to reach the airport

These Toll Booths Are Controlled By A Federal Agency    

The fix for this particular problem would seem simple enough. One of the issues that is causing the traffic, for example, is the fact that out of the 6 slots available to collect the fee from drivers only two are used at a time. That situation could potentially be fixed by hiring more toll booth operators to work on the site. The problem is this is a decision that can’t be made at the local level. 

Road That Leads To San Jose del Cabo

The road that goes from the international airport in San Jose del Cabo to the main hotel zone in Cabo San Lucas is run by CAPUFE, which is the federal agency in charge of Mexican toll highways. Any decisions when it comes to adding staff or even implementing new technology to ensure that credit cards are accepted at the booth have to come from the federal level. 

Talks To Modernize Roads In And Around Cabo Underway

This makes what could potentially be considered an easy fix something much more complex. The vice president of the national travel agencies union had this to say on the issue. 

“This is an issue that we’ve all seen, there are really long lines to get past the toll booth. This elevates the possibility that tourists will miss their flights. Even if they don’t miss their flight, they have to face the anxiety of thinking that they will miss their flights. This is not a good experience for the destination on top of the traffic jams that are caused by the issue. We are operating like an “Oxxo” store; one cashier works, and the other doesn’t.”      

Delta Plane in Cabo waiting on the tarmac, with people and airport vehicles around.

When Is The Issue Going To Be Fixed? 

The vice president of the travel agencies union mentioned that he would be attending meetings with relevant authorities to be able to come to a consensus on a potential fix for the issue. Essentially Sergio Gonzalez Rubiera was sent to Los Cabos to lobby on behalf of tourists that use travel agencies to book their trips to Los Cabos. He’s likely going to try and pressure federal authorities in charge of the toll road to get the situation fixed. 

Toll Booth On Road

At this point, though, there’s no clear timetable on when tourists and locals who travel on the popular road can expect to see their wait times diminish. The hope is that this political pressure that is being applied can help ensure that at least more toll booths will remain open throughout the day to ease some of the traffic issues. For the time being, travelers headed to board a flight at the Cabo airport would do well to leave early for their flights to ensure that they’re able to avoid any issues.  

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Aaron

Friday 8th of September 2023

This is a real problem now. I travel to cabo 3-4 times per year and the line at the toll booth to get to the airport has become rediculous. We waited over an hour today and almost missed our flight for the 2nd time this year, despite leaving for the airport well over 2 hours early. And its not just missing your flight, the airlines require you to check in an hour early to check a bag which you can easily miss regardless of how early you leave.

I can't believe that this isn't getting taken care of by: 1. adding more pay booths 2. Adding a fast pass 3. Just waving people thru when the line gets past a certain point 4. Charge 10x if necessary to reduce traffic.

I dont care just SOLVE THE 1 HOUR WAIT!!!!! The airport and resorts and entire travel industry should be screaming for an improvement. Its completely maddening and is damaging tourists and locals alike.

We love Cabo, but this is going to kill it.

Jay

Friday 9th of December 2022

Ive been going to Los Cabos since before the toll road even existed. Have never had any issues, ever. And, aside from my first trip 20+ years ago, I've always rented a car/van. But I always have pesos. Mexico is way more cash oriented than the USA. Adapt. Fit in.

Bob Q

Thursday 8th of December 2022

One possible fix is hotels resorts and taxi transport use an automatic lane with either a camera or ez pass type device used around the world to automatically bill the company. Rentals could also offer these devices and bill the rental customer, again this is common practice in many countries