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“There’s only one company in town," Suarez told me. "Everyone knows everyone and there are always several on every corner. It’s a small world.” The ever presence of taxis makes sense since Tulum’s tourism industry, growing for years, has seen a boom post Covid. “This summer, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum smashed records, as they received 822 thousand vacationers between the months of June to August, as reported by the Riviera Maya Hotel Association (AHRM).”  Cancun Sun, September 2022.  That is compared with 625,000 visitors in 2019. The fact is Tulum is on track to grow even more. Since 2019 the Riviera Maya (an area including Tulum) has added 7000 hotel rooms, and a new international airport in Tulum is set to open at the end of this year. There’s also a regional train service including Cancun that’s under construction. Quintana Roo is growing fast. The plan for more people to come makes sense as Tulum has some of the most beautiful beaches and cultural sites in the world. Besides, who doesn’t love Mexican food and culture? Sadly a growing issue in Tulum is the same one much of Mexico struggles with: violent crime. But back to the phone…The ‘nice’ driver had good news: he’d located the phone, though it was going to cost $600 dollars to get it back. After brokering for $400, when the nice driver showed up at their hotel with the phone her boyfriend offered a hundred dollars.  The  driver said no way and he made a final offer: take this hundred dollars for your trouble or it’s nothing.  That’s when the nice taxi driver threatened him. You don’t want to do this, you won’t be safe here, we know where you are, that kind of thing. Did you remember how I said all the drivers knew each other and they are on every corner? Going out to dinner, seeing the sights, or strolling in the daytime no longer seemed like a good idea. “It was scary," Suarez continued as she told the story. To go anywhere you need a taxi and we weren’t comfortable in our hotel anymore. It’s a nice hotel but... It’s a small town and everybody at the hotel knows the drivers. We’re outsiders.” They ended up switching hotels and tried to enjoy the rest of their holiday, hard to do when you’re also on guard.

Taxi Cartel Tales (and More) from 2020

An American that moved to Tulum in September 2020 to be out the U.S. during Covid, spent many months living in the area. In an interview they told me they moved for the cheap cost of living and beauty of the area, especially with work instability a main concern at the time. Yet after a few months they cut their stay short saying, "I don’t really want to ever go back.”