The Jalisco Congress is discussing an initiative that would legalize the use of motorized rickshaws (tuk tuks) in certain parts of the Guadalajara metropolitan area, and in other areas of the state.
The number of mototaxis offering rides in city suburbs lacking regular bus service has mushroomed in recent years, although without any laws governing their use, the vehicles are essentially illegal.
Drivers of mototaxis complain of constant harassment by municipal police and their traffic counterparts, although the position of authorities up until now has been to accept these vehicles, despite their vague legal status. A recent blockade of Avenida Lopez Mateos staged by drivers to highlight abuses by police caused a major traffic snarl-up, and was the catalyst that prompted legislator Julio Hurtado’s to submit the proposal to reform Jalisco’s Mobility Law. The legislation would set the security specifications the vehicles must have to circulate legally, on what kinds of roads they can be driven and their zones of operation. The new law would also set a limit for the maximum number of passengers allowed, and an annual fee for permission to operate a mototaxi.
Hurtado said eliminating the mototaxis, a move demanded by some state government officials, would be a mistake, and have negative social and economic repercussions for both drivers and inhabitants of isolated zones.