Why Los Cabos Ubers Just Got Even Safer For Tourists

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Last Updated 8 months ago

Despite being an incredibly popular destination, especially among Americans, Baja California Sur’s public transportation system is pretty basic.

This is why most tourists heading here often have to rely on private operators or renowned companies such as Uber to move around. 

But are these services safe? Luckily, the government of Baja California Sur is constantly improving its safety levels to keep protecting tourists and locals alike. 

On top of this, companies are also regularly updating their safety protocols and putting in place new initiatives to level up their services. 

In particular, just a few days ago Uber began testing a new security protocol, starting from the popular locality of Los Cabos. But what is changing for passengers?

What is changing?

Thanks to this new initiative, drivers will now be able to record the interior of their vehicles through their phones. The videos will then be encrypted and sent as a part of a report to Uber’s specialized teams.

Commenting on this new project, Cecilia Román, the Safety Communications Manager for Uber Mexico, declared: “In the last year, at Uber, we have educated ourselves to listen to partners registered in the app, to respond to their feedback in a timely manner, and improve their experience when using the platform.”

She later stated: “Partners in Los Cabos have expressed their interest in new options to facilitate reporting (…). We also know that many of them use traditional dashcams, but these can require extensive setup and can come with a high price tag.”

Cecilia Román concluded by saying that this was the main reason the Uber team decided to test “Video recording, a free feature that can be configured in seconds without requiring any device other than a cell phone.”

Los Cabos’ transportation problem

Unfortunately, Los Cabos public transportation is still a very unpopular option for most travelers. 

Not by chance, most visitors decide to rely on private companies specialized in this sector, as well as taxis and Uber. Despite this, some problems still need to be addressed. 

Just a few weeks ago, local taxi drivers started a protest to complain about the many people offering this service without the right documentation.

In response to the complaints, Los Cabos’ Mayor decided to hire ten new transportation provider inspectors, declaring: “Measures have already been initiated so that, in addition to the 30 municipal inspectors who were commissioned by the State, after training, 10 more inspectors will be authorized to (…) support the work that is being carried out.”

Apart from checking whether all taxi drivers in the area are in possession of the right documentation to keep working in this sector, the new inspectors were also given the task of giving “Order and surveillance to transportation.”

However, this decision may have backfired as tourist transportation providers have recently started another demonstration. 

According to people working in this sector, specifically companies operating in Cabo San Lucas, inspectors are now abusing their power by asking agencies to provide them with tourists’ private information. 

Commenting on this issue, Benjamín Peña, one of the many people working in the transportation industry in Los Cabos, said: “[The document requested by the inspectors] has private data, data belonging to tourists, such as their bank account, address, full name, flight, itinerary (…). [This is] very important data that cannot be treated so simply since it violates tourists’ [right to privacy]. This is why we are here demonstrating.”

According to him, authorities are now requesting such files to make it more difficult for new companies trying to enter the sector to keep providing their service.

 “[They] only seek to benefit those who have historically benefited. Certain families that have a transportation monopoly who, illegally, seek to stop the rest of the companies that, under another federal jurisdiction, are in charge of providing a luxury service that directly competes with theirs,” added Benjamín Peña.

It is still unclear whether the local government will carry out the needed investigation to check whether these accusations are founded.