Less than two months before the World Cup, a crackdown by the National Guard at the Guadalajara International Airport has sparked a major protest from drivers of the city’s traditional yellow taxis.
The conflict began on Thursday, when National Guard officers — operating in coordination with tow trucks — impounded approximately 18 to 20 yellow taxi units. According to drivers, the official reason cited on traffic tickets was “parking on the roadway,” a federal offense. However, taxi representatives say the real issue is a long-standing restriction: while these yellow cabs have government approval to operate, they are not permitted to enter the designated pickup areas at the airport. Those areas are reserved exclusively for concessionary firms (including authorized airport taxis). Until now, drivers say the restriction only barred them from picking up passengers at the main gates, but in this operation, even those simply dropping off travelers were penalized.
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.