Federal inspectors paid a surprise visit to transportation drivers at the Cancun International Airport. The group of inspectors stopped drivers coming in and out of the airport to verify vehicle compliance with federal regulations.

By law, companies providing tourist transportation to and from the airport must have authorization in the way of a special federal operating license. A lapse in applied regulations in the past left pirating opportunities wide open for unauthorized vehicles to transport tourists and charge exorbitant fees.

It became a thorn in the side of the state when tourists began publicly reporting the unreasonably high fares being charged in unmetered taxis and other vehicles. Several tourists reported being charged thousands of pesos for transportation that should have cost hundreds.

As one solution, the government reached an agreement with bus company ADO to transport tourists from the airport to the Cancun Hotel Zone for 140 pesos. However, tourists heading to other areas including those in Riviera Maya, were still being grossly overcharged mostly by pirates or unauthorized drivers.

Over the weekend, federal inspectors showed up at Cancun International to verify drivers at the airport had a federal license to transport tourists. The special operation, authorities said, was to ensure safe transportation around the Mexican Caribbean.

In December, Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama said the state was continuing to follow up with federal officials on priority issue progress at the Cancun airport which included customs, immigration and tourist transportation.