Cancun Transport Success: Navigating The City With Expert Precision
NEVER in my life have I been SO angry about a scam. I need to make an article about scams around the world, and I know many, but this was one of the WORST.
Picture this, your flight gets delayed by 3 hours, and you end up in the Cancun airport, but it’s empty. As you’re walking out to the baggage claim, you notice, wow we are the only flight here?? Weird, right? At first you think, oh maybe something is wrong or maybe we are just the last flight. 🚩
After you get your bag, you make it outside and it’s pitch black. Mind you, the airport is about 11 miles (depending where on the peninsula) from the hotel zone. Ok now you walk outside, you pull out your phone to get an Uber and this is what you see.
Now what in the bloody hell am I supposed to do??
This was the only start of this hellish trip. Seeing as Uber was not an option, I thought we could get a taxi. In Türkiye, they had taxis lined up outside of the airport that were constantly pulling in, parking, loading, and speeding off. I figured there has to be something like that here. Well yes and no. I looked at my best friend with panic because now I knew we were now subject to the scam vultures that wait for you along the exits of airports. There’s always stands and/or people walking around at airport exits promoting their cab service or whatever their business does. By the way AVOID them at all cost because they hike up the prices.
Shortly after we tried Uber over and over, the vultures started coming towards us. Most of the people from our flight had cleared out, getting into private transportation or their hotel picking them up. We realized this is one awful disadvantage of Airbnb’s. Now, we were one of few people left and for reference the Cancun airport is set up where you can’t see out to the main roads and city beyond the trees (I think this is intentional).
Then this happened…
I was so frustrated, and it led me to come home early. So, what to do if you go- book ahead of time, pay a little more for an earlier flight, and do not talk to these people. We really had a list of bad “coincidences” (I don’t believe those exist).
1. The Buses End at 11🚌
Eleven is an estimate, because I used Busbud when looking at the ADO schedules in Mexico which state the buses run 24 hours. Yet, if you go to the airport website it says tickets are unavailable for each option. Other blogs state that they end at 11. In general, when we were there slightly past 11 it seems there were no options, but maybe that guy from the video lied to scam us. Honestly, I am not sure at this point what he said that was or was not true.
2. Always Pay to Arrive Earlier✈️
I don’t need to explain this. Don’t jeopardize your safety for a few bucks. I know you cannot control the delays, like in our situation, and that’s okay, but if you can go earlier then do.
3. Taxis/Uber Are Banned at the Cancun Airport
I have been to a lot of airports and never have I seen a page like this Official Cancun Airport Taxis and Door to Door Car Services. This SCREAMS shady and dangerous. Indeed, the airport claims to be providing “help”, but by prohibiting local taxis, tourists are inadvertently exposed to an increased risk of falling victim to scams orchestrated by the airport itself as a corporate entity. As the exclusive approved transportation, overseen by the official airport, becomes the only option to leave the airport, the potential for scams shifts from local individuals to the airport establishment, leading to increased profits for the airport at the expense of unsuspecting travelers.
So, how convenient of them to care about the safety of their tourists but to me it seems as if they take advantage of them. I have never seen an airport itself try to monetize off of unpreparedness as obvious as the Cancun airport does. Yes, obviously by not being prepared that happens, but this airport really gives you no option but to subject to their scam. In other airports I have been to, it’s the third parties that are the ones you should avoid but at Cancun, it’s the third parties AND the airport.
4. It’s Dark and Unsafe
Usually, I would walk in this situation. Walk far enough to catch an uber or to a nearby bus/train station. Guess what? There aren’t any in the area. So convenient right? Additionally, two women walking around in the dark with our passport and belongings in a suitcase is not something you can do in Mexico- especially not near the airport.
1 + 2 + 3 + 4= chaos, empty pockets and frustration.
As soon as we got to our Airbnb (that was a trip in itself oh my lord), we planned to cut our trip short. We never made it to Playa del Carmen but when we go for Playa, we’ll be ready for it. For everyone reading, plan your arrival transportation ahead of time. This is crucial because getting back is not an issue but leaving the airport is. If your hotel offers a shuttle take it, or pay a little more for an early flight, and take the ADO buses. Lastly, you can book private transportation through third parties but those are always the costliest and not always the safest option (be very thorough with your research).
Now let’s talk about what to do once you escape the airport..
There are a lot of local buses that run around Cancun, but they aren’t to the upkeep of ones in Europe or even Houston. They’re also extremely overcrowded which makes the risk of robbery, disease, and other issues spike. If you’re ok with these risks than great, but because of our budget and the conversion rates, we Ubered or walked everywhere. Within the four days we were there, the Uber trips within town were about 3-5 USD or 52-87 Pesos (September 2023). Our most costly trip was to the airport, which was 28 USD, otherwise staying in town was very reasonable. I would say it’s only a little more expensive than usual public transportation rates ($1.25-1.75) and more reliable. I would definitely recommend using Uber for the convenience, safety, and secured rates if your budget allows it because like I mentioned, you would only be out a little more money.
The Hotel Zone (Zona Hotelera)
If you are staying in this area, I would advise walking in the day and Ubering at night. The Hotel Zone is more densely packed and there will most definitely be grocery stores and restaurants within walking distance. This is why tourists stay here, it’s a convenient bubble. I personally did not stay here because I prefer to be a traveler and less of a vacationer, so I stay away from Hotel Zones because you will learn more about the culture and local people outside of them.
Now something you could do is stay in the Hotel Zone and plan your excursions outside of it if you’re looking for balance. I will warn you that Cancun is more dangerous than most desired destinations, so the Hotel Zone here also ends up being the safest area to get around. Keep this in mind for your Interary.
For anyone exploring the Hotel Zone on foot, be warned there are a lot of merchants, night stalls, etc that will harass you so always go with someone just to be safe. If you have your hotel wristband, I advise hiding it or taking it off when walking around because this is another way they target you.
My Final Transportation Warning
For anyone Ubering, be very careful of Taxi drivers. One of our Ubers picked us up outside of the Ultramar Ferry terminal, behind the nearest Oxxo (gas station) because he did not want to the taxi drivers to see him. He explained to my best friend and I that Uber is still a relatively new thing to Cancun and taxi drivers don’t like them for a few reasons: the locked in rates/not being able to scam tourists, less customers, and the “old ways”/mindset. It takes away from their potential business, so taxi drivers can be very aggressive towards Uber drivers or people taking Uber. Especially at the Ferry port, over 20 taxi drivers (when I was there), wait outside the terminal for people to come off the boats. You most likely won’t have to walk your Uber but keep this in the back of your mind when ordering and looking for your Uber. Here is what the Cancun city taxis look like:
Heading out on a good note-
I have a few more articles coming out on Cancun, but for transportation I wish you the best. It’s definitely tricky navigating Cancun, not necessarily because of safety but because people have to hustle to survive there. The economic disparity between the Hotel Zone and the local areas is drastic. These cities where it’s a culmination of bad situations and necessary means of survival lead to tough situations for locals and visitors alike. You need to be smart, aware, and know before you go. This is NOT a city where you can figure it out when you get there. Take this article as me learning your lesson for you, don’t make the same mistakes. However, don’t let this discourage you, Cancun is gorgeous and lots of fun, but it’s a place where you truly need to cover your bases not just once, or twice but maybe even three times. Comment if you have questions!
*January 2024 Update*
I was on the website recently, looking for more clues, and ya’ll need to see this. It doesn’t have a date, but I did not see it when I uploaded this article. Take a look:
Official Cancun Airport Taxis and Door to Door Car Services
Now I am even doubting who the man I spoke with was. Stay safe everyone and I will create another update or possibly an article when I find out more. Comment below if you know about this situation/who these people are.
– good luck and safe travels<3!
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