They have gone from driving to running a network of thriving businesses in Cancun. They are the Syndicate of Drivers, Taxi Drivers and Similar of the Caribbean Andrés Quintana Roo, who is the majority shareholder in private companies that transport tourists, leasing, gas station, spare parts, tow trucks rental, clinics and the concession of taxis to move European travelers , Canadians and Americans to hotels with white sand beaches.
The union body, which was founded on December 16, 1972, is also the owner of nine brands linked to the taxi service and passenger transportation through the Cancun International Airport, an air terminal used by 30 million travelers in 2022.
The incursion of the taxi drivers in the creation of variable capital stock companies occurs because as a union they did not have the faculties to acquire real estate or to save money on the purchase of spare parts and the tow truck.
And all these financial operations were carried out through Transportes Turísticos de la Costa and Transportes Turísticos Chacmool, which was the first company created by the affiliated drivers and the leaders of the Union of Drivers, Taxi Drivers, and Similar Caribe Andrés Quintana Roo, reveals documentation in power of Forbes Mexico.
“The statute, which I have just presented, restricts the power of the Executive Committee to acquire any property or properties for the Taxi Drivers Union,” said Juan Enrique Romero Cervera, General Secretary of the Andrés Quintana Roo Caribbean Taxi Drivers and Similar Drivers, during a meeting held on September 9, 1995.
“That is the reason why we have not been able to sign the purchase contract (of the property), but we have powers to purchase in Transportes Turísticos de la Costa, we have powers to sell when dealing with the same organization in the Transport Constitutive Act Chacmool Tourist Offices, but we lack acquisition powers on behalf of the Union”, explained the union leader, who is one of the partners of these public limited companies. At that meeting, the union members were proposed to remove the Chacmool Tourist Transport gas station.
“As of October 1, 1955, the Andrés Quintana Roo Service Station, acquired by the Taxi Drivers Union, as well as Chacmool Tourist Transport will be the property of all those present here,” he added at that time.
That day they gave Rubén Solís Avilés the faculties to create a spare parts store that would sell all the spare parts, necessary inputs for all the taxi drivers’ vehicles. “All of you are aware of the difficult situation that our tow truck is going through, a small tow truck that is many years old and maintenance costs us thousands more than what we can save.”
“I want to ask for your authorization so that a public limited company owned by the taxi drivers is constituted, as well as the auto parts company, as well as the tow trucks, as a public limited company, to provide service to the public at federal level and thus the services provided to the union of taxi drivers is free of charge”, Juan Enrique Romero Cervera added at the time.
The fight of the taxi drivers of Cancun with Uber
In September 2016, Uber began to provide its service in Cancun, one of the most important destinations in Mexico. At that time, the governor of Quintana Roo, Roberto Borge, reported that the US company lacked permits to offer the passenger transportation service in its taxi modality. Given the government’s refusal, in 2017 Uber canceled operations in Cancun.
On January 12, 2023, the Third Collegiate Court of the Twenty-seventh Circuit agreed with Uber to register its operation in Cancun.
“Mobility services mediated through the Uber application are not public transport and therefore should not be regulated as such in the state of Quintana Roo.”
“We invite the people of Cancun, as well as visitors and tourists in the state, to use the Uber application, which offers accessible and reliable mobility options at the touch of a button,” said the company founded by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick.
Uber’s triumph in court upset Cancun taxi drivers, who took the streets to protest. The tone of the battle rose, when the taxi drivers led attacks on Uber operators, even a private vehicle was damaged with acid when it was mistaken for a car that provided the application service.
The companies of Cancun taxi drivers
Heriberto Nunez Cauich, union leader of the Cancun Taxi Drivers, is the leader of the 8,000 members, who took the streets to fight for control of the taxi service against the Uber application.
The union is a legally constituted entity, which is recorded by the assembly of December 16, 1972, and registered before the Local Board of Conciliation and Arbitration of the State of Quintana Roo.
The union organization brings together taxi drivers who have the state public service license plate to seek the defense of their members and the improvement of public service.
On February 17, 2020, Erasmo Abelar Cámara and the Caribbean Union of Drivers, Taxi Drivers and Similar Andrés Quintana Roo founded the Green Line Transport and Tourism company.
The purpose of the company is the provision and exploitation of the federal tourism public transport service on routes or sections of federal, state and municipal jurisdiction, through the authorizations and permits granted by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation.
The public or private transportation of people on the routes or sections of Federal, State and Municipal jurisdiction through the authorizations and permits granted by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation to the corresponding company. In the same way, it can acquire, dispose of, encumber, give or lease, use for any title and trade in any way with all kinds of real estate.
Eric Ramiro Castillo and the Andrés Quintana Roo Caribbean Drivers, Taxi Drivers and Similar Union founded the Andrés Quintana Roo Towing Service on February 23, 2015.
The company provides the auxiliary service of federal trucking, hauling and salvage, and vehicle storage through the permits and authorizations granted by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation.
It can provide services to the transport passengers of urban, suburban service and transport in tourist areas and tour service, through the authorizations of authorized route concessions, granted by the municipal and state governments.
Another business is the leasing of automobiles for private use authorized by the permits granted by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation.
The commercial name of the company is TC Arrendadora Andrés Quintana Roo, whose president is Eric Ramiro Castillo, and his secretary is Heriberto Núñez Cauich.
In 1995, the Union of Drivers, Taxi Drivers and the Caribbean Andrés Quintana Roo and Transportes Turísticos de la Costa established the company Estación de Servicios Andrés Quintana Roo in Cancún.
The company is dedicated to the purchase, sale, lease, sublease and acquisition and disposal, as well as the use, possession, occupation, and enjoyment of all kinds of real estate.
Another corporate purpose is the purchase, sale, import, export, distribution and rental of personal property, furniture, machinery, equipment, tools, raw materials, supplies, spare parts, and accessories or similar.
Juan Enrique Romero Cervera was appointed as president of the Andrés Quintana Roo Service Station, as well as Ismael Fernández Fernández as secretary and José Luis Castillo Castellanos as treasurer.
Estación de Servicios TC Andrés Quintana Roo is the commercial name of the company of the taxi drivers of Cancun, who in 2010 registered it for the commercialization of fuels.
Among the brands owned by the union members are TC Taxi Drivers from Cancun, TC Taxi Turístico Certificado, TC Arrendadora Andrés Quintana Roo, Transportes Turísticos de la Costa, TC Medical Clinic Taxi Drivers from Cancun, TC Maya Caribe, TC Airport Tourist Transportation and Green Line Ground Transportation.
Source: Forbes
