Taxi hostages and running the gauntlet!

[ggunn]

I'm fairly care-free and don't stress even when people around me do. However, I can't agree with the "their country, their rules" type of responses, as if that makes this happened okay.

If the experience is terrible for any reason, it's reason enough to not go, or find another vacation spot. I'm not trying to impose my values on them, but rather The whole reason for going on vacation is to have a good experience. Why was the experience crap? Bad food, bad politicians, bad taxis, bad hotels, bad hospitals, riots, wars, etc? Other than the life-and-death reasons, it really doesn't matter why, just that it was crap.

If you were to, for example, hire a non-union truck to haul material to a ship in a US port where the Stevedores' and Teamsters' unions hold sway, you would encounter the same sort of response, or worse, for precisely the same reasons.

 

[ggunn]

I'm guessing that flight crew normally arrive at the airport by taxi? In other words, NO ONE arrives by shuttle--ever?

I have no idea what fine points have been negotiated in the agreement when it comes to airport employees and flight crews. I do not believe that people who live on the island are expected to take taxis to and shuttles from the airport. This was about tourists; flight crews, airport employees, and local residents are not tourists.

 

[Kimela]

If it's ok for shuttles to get you at the hotel to take you to the airport then it should be ok for taxis to pick you up at the airport to take you to your hotel. I'm not sure I understand why they separate this the way they do - to protect each group of drivers?

I understand United probably paid for a round-trip fare on the shuttles, but perhaps they should have worked that out with the taxi union ahead of time to avoid this fiasco. Those taxi drivers have been in a desperate state for a year. Of course they're going to offer resistance to losing fares that feed their families. Did they go too far? Probably. If I'd had my kids with me I would have been frightened - maybe even without kids. But in my opinion, this one's on United. And I probably would have said "screw it, let's take a taxi". We paid about $10 to go from Cozumel Palace to the airport (and a tip), and Hot Coz is only a couple more blocks. Not worth the anxiety and headache of having a front row seat to that nonsense.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I have no idea what fine points have been negotiated in the agreement when it comes to airport employees and flight crews. I do not believe that people who live on the island are expected to take taxis to and shuttles from the airport. This was about tourists; flight crews, airport employees, and local residents are not tourists.

The question could be asked whether the passengers were still "tourists" at that point. Or were they at that point charges of United Airlines? If flight crew normally gets a shuttle to the airport, maybe United's charges should be entitled to that privilege as well.

The next morning, the whole plane-full of passengers, and crew, and luggage are amassed in the lobby for the return via shuttles.

 

[ReefHound]

Actually it was you who used the expression "one-off", and as a matter of fact I do know of another time when a flight back to the US from Cozumel was canceled and the airline put passengers up for the night; it happened to me in, I dunno, 1995 or so.

Taxis take tourists to the airport and shuttles take them from the airport unless they walk off the property or rent cars. Those are the rules that they have worked out in order for taxis and shuttles to coexist, and you thwart them at your peril. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to sneak tourists to the airport in shuttles is the stupid one in this debacle. Whoever paid for the rooms should have also paid the taxi fares and all would have been well; the money they saved by hiring the shuttles was probably a pittance compared to what the rooms cost.

Ok, once in 1995 and again in 2021. I'll still call that an extremely isolated event.

I'm not saying the rules are wrong and it sounds like someone - United or the hotel - made invalid arrangements. What I am saying is the response by the taxis to effectively take it out on the tourists is wrong and counter-productive. They could have noted the number of shuttles and passengers then sent United a bill for damages.

 

[ReefHound]

the rules they have adopted are a result of compromise between competitors for that revenue stream in order to share that resource peacefully. It is indeed a "their country, their rules" situation, and if it is reason enough for someone to avoid visiting the island, then it's their loss, IMO, but so be it. It's very easy to avoid; just don't go poking the hornets' nest. This wasn't random harassment, it was a response to a deliberate flouting of the rules that anyone who knows anything about the island should be well aware of.

Nonsense. The average tourist knows nothing about the taxi union or shuttle rules and should not have to. The passengers were taken to a hotel and told there would be shuttles to return them to the airport. They had every reason to believe the arrangements were proper and legal.

 

[ReefHound]

I have no idea what fine points have been negotiated in the agreement when it comes to airport employees and flight crews. I do not believe that people who live on the island are expected to take taxis to and shuttles from the airport. This was about tourists; flight crews, airport employees, and local residents are not tourists.

And if you were one of those passengers you would have had no idea what fine points had been negotiated in the agreement to get you back to the airport. We don't either. What United could have done is tell the taxi union they would compensate them $5 per passenger but for logistical purpose transport them in shuttles. For all we know, they might have done that and there was miscommunication among the taxis.

 

[ChuckP]

Ok, once in 1995 and again in 2021. I'll still call that an extremely isolated event.

I'm not saying the rules are wrong and it sounds like someone - United or the hotel - made invalid arrangements. What I am saying is the response by the taxis to effectively take it out on the tourists is wrong and counter-productive. They could have noted the number of shuttles and passengers then sent United a bill for damages.

The red taxi blockading vehicles in because they suspect you are taking work away from them, the police interveneing and doing nothing is no where near a one off event...... that crap happens a lot and in many different ways.

They've blocked busses at other hotels - they've shut down Melgar a few times - they shut the airport down and back when cruise ships were still flying, it was pretty common that they would stop a local that was trying to pick a friend up at the cruise ship pier - I've only lived here two years, so that is all I have seen........

Whisper with anyone here that has a buiness and what they do about transporting customers - whether it be dive shops, airbnb's or condos - it is a risk you take and it can get ugly real fast and often it does....

Has anyone figured out yet that some aspects of Mexico are not about pleasing, showing gratitude and wanting you to come back? There has to be some phrase for the concept of - "I have you standing in front of me now, I am going to squeeze every possible peso out of you - I only care about todays bread ".

I shouldn't say that and tell you the honest truth........

 

[ggunn]

Ok, once in 1995 and again in 2021. I'll still call that an extremely isolated event.

What is it that makes you think that those were the only two times it has happened? We in SB are a pretty small sample and it has happened twice in our little community. That those are the only incidents like it would be statistically improbable.

 

[DSR-3]

Home at last...
re. Covid tests expiring, I wondered the same thing, but ours were only 24 hours old so didn't ask. The next day our test results were not re-checked. I didn't hear any complaints or comments from others (for that!).

>We paid about $10 to go from Cozumel Palace to the airport (and a tip), and Hot Coz is only a couple more blocks. Not worth the anxiety and headache of having a front row seat to that nonsense.< We had just been hit for $15 from the Palace the day before (yes, I know I should have haggled that last few dollars, but no thanks) without complaint. I'm not that cheap, and thought about caving to the standoff, but it was totally worth it for the adventure!

While I saw the air crew at the hotel, I don't know how they got back to the airport.

Agree that those that aren't aware of the "rules" (someone wrote laws, but ?), would have been pretty turned-off by these events, especially the families. Very bad image for ~200 visitors.

Not sure about the "negotiate the returns with the taxi union" is a great solution, considering the random charges for "standard" fares in general. Out of the 100 or so fares back, how many might go sideways when the driver can basically do whatever they want?

I've done the hike out of the airport to a taxi (once, and it was HOT). Do the shuttle companies need to install speed bumps on the sidewalk, or have drivers spread gravel on it to stop this highly questionable practice of defrauding the shuttles (yes, I am joking)?

This was no surprise to us. Long ago, we stayed in Playa the night before taking the ferry over. The hotel manager insisted that his guy transport our luggage to the ferry (it was close). The "tricycle mafia" gave that guy and us so much grief that I felt for his safety. We made it half way, grabbed our bags, tipped the guy, told the trike-dick to f'off, and went on our way.