Please DO NOT support the airport taxis
We just arrived back after driving around yucatan in a rental car. After eurocar dropped us off at the terminal we quickly realized how expensive the taxi monopoly is from the airport to anywhere (we were going to isla mulheres from the port.) and the taxi guys kept running around us and yelling how uber was illegal but online it says it isn’t and that Mexico passed a law that allows uber everywhere. Yet whenever our Ubers were arriving we would see 4-7 guys running up to us talking about us, using their walkie talkies. I litterally pushed one of them away from me two times. Said f*ck off to two of them, after that they stayed a little further back from me and my girl but no more than 15 meters. When our 3rd uber arrived she quickly realized they were on our tail and left and cancelled the trip(like the former ones).
After this one of the ugly taxi guys w walkies ask us how much we paid for the uber and my girl said 500pesos, he instantly agrees to the same price 🚩🚩
We get in a car he hails from the walkie, this car laps around the block to a kid who said “hello, I’m the cashier.” And then whips out his payment terminal. Wanting 550 on card, and that he doesn’t have the tap to pay function - although the machine is completely new. The last 50’ was 5% commission for machine use.
We try paying by tapping through Applepay anyway and it registers so he just wanted to see our physical card (surprise) but luckily the card we used had a little less left and was a debit so was declined. We then remember we have 500 pesos in one of the pocket of our bags and pay w that.
From there the ride starts. We drive for one minute while the taxi driver is on the walkie the whole time, saying he doesn’t speak English. (I live in Brazil and speak portunhol to a great extent so I get around in Mexico easily) and I pick up 40-50% of the conversation he had, kept saying tell Oswaldo to get ready. As soon as he left the more camera filled airport his car “breaks down” him shifting from drive to L to make it seem that way constantly like we didn’t see what he was doing. Pulls into the Starbucks/gomart/gasoline station, where SURPRISE another car will pick you up from here. Instantly another car pulls up, but here we feel like we’re in the movie Taken and are playing the parts of Liam Neesons daughter and friend - so we grab our bags while they’re trying to move them to the new car, and run into the gas station convenience store.
The new car guy stays outside the store and keeps looking at us and walks up to the glass constantly - we decide to go to Starbucks to get WiFi to get the hell out of there. From the starbucks we still can’t order Ubers because it’s still inside the airport.
Longer story short we ended up walking along and crossing the busy highway to the Hyatt just to get far enough to order an uber and feel safe. (200 pesos good company and an honest person)
Please don’t get yourselves into the same situation.
This could’ve gone waaay worse but instincts kicked in at the right moment.
I know we should’ve taken the bus or shuttle even though it takes time. I know.