Not all the taxi unions are in accord as Monday’s planned strike approaches.
Members of TEY, the Taximetro drivers, rejected the call, said Jesus Urbano Aguilar Méndez, general secretary of Taximetros of the State of Yucatan (TEY).
Taximetro drivers said they unanimously voted down participating in the strike out of sympathy with customers who rely on their service.
“As a group, we are committed to the passengers of this segment of transport and the general population of the city of Merida, (and) for this reason we will not participate in the assembly or in the protest, in order not to affect the users,” reads a TEY statement.
FUTV union leader Héctor Alberto Fernández Zapata, who represents the dominant taxi group in Yucatan, says most taxi drivers will stop working for a period of time on June 3. The duration of the strike has not been announced.
Since Uber, Lyft and Cabify became the go-to choice of transportation, the taxi drivers demanded that government regulate the ride-share market.
Taxistas complain that ride-share drivers operate outside the law without concessions, permits or a requirement to pass toxicological tests.
Drivers also met in Merida recently to discuss ways to compete in the 21st century.
“We consider it of utmost importance to have technology, such as video surveillance cameras and panic buttons in the units to ensure the integrity of the user and the operator,” said the secretary general of TEY.
He also asked Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal to apply the Public Transportation Law to institute a registry of drivers.
He said in an official statement that public transport is vital if Yucatan has a future as a tourist destination.
Source of information and image: Courtesy
