Government requests regularization of Chapala’s independent ‘taxis;’ operators will incur legal obligations
State officials Javier de Jesús Lechuga Millán, director of the Area of Political Development and Attention to State Problems; Luis Pablo Guerrero Preciado, director of Government Transportation Management; the municipal president of Chapala, Alejandro de Jesús Aguirre Curiel and the leaders of Ubers Unidos, in Chapala’s Lakeside
Editor – State officials have requested that the Chapala municipality regulate local independent Uber-style drivers to prevent abuses of power by State Police. In exchange, the self-styled Ubers of Chapala were asked to regulate their legal status. These actions were decided on during a meeting held February 18, 2022 where the protesters met with state authorities at Chapala City Hall.
The leaders of Ubers Unidos, who led the public demonstrations in Chapala on February 7 and 12, 2022 against State police intimidation, were invited to present their problems to Javier de Jesús Lechuga Millán, director of the Area of Political Development and Attention to State Problems of the General Secretariat of the Government of Jalisco, and Luis Pablo Guerrero Preciado, director of Transportation Management of the State Government.
Omar, the leader of the protesters, opened the dialogue by describing the current situation of corruption that the inhabitants of Chapala face at the hands of State Police. The police involved have been identified as State, rather than municipal, police by their unit numbers. Units CP-003, PA-024 and CP-028 are all associated with State Police, whereas units of the Chapala State Regional Police Base are first identified by the initials PRJ, according to the complainants.
He also explained that protesters from the municipalities of Jocotepec and Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos had decided to join forces with the demonstrators in Chapala since the State Regional Police Base is located in the Chapala municipality, and not their own.
The protesters’ complaints included the well-known «routine inspections» that the State Police carry out on private vehicles, which often result in many cases of alleged corruption. «They ask if we are hawks [lookouts for drug dealers], change our license plates, check our cell phones, plant small bags [of drugs] or take our money.» Victims do not want to sue in the Prosecutor’s Office because they are under threat, explained the affected party.
Incidents of abuse of power and violation of personal data privacy such as these occur not only to independent transportation providers, but also to general civilians and merchants. Examples of these abuses have gone viral in the WhatsApp group ‘Anti Tamaros’ [roughly translated to Against Dark Forces] that circulates in Chapala lakeside.
In response to these claims, Lechuga Millán expressed his concern and promised to review the State Police units identified. The units are currently under the command of Commander Juan Bosco Pacheco Medrano, Secretary General of Security Jalisco, who will be responsible ultimately for determining whether the officers should be replaced or just relocated to another base.
Lechuga Millán also said that he would see that a direct link to the Area of Political Development and Attention to State Problems would be created, to facilitate addressing complaints anonymously and according to the law. «The rights of the people must be respected, but they also have obligations,» Lechuga Millán reminded the protesters.
He further explained that complaints would be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Since the drivers are not registered with the State Transportation Secretariat, nor with the Tax Administration Service (SAT), they are in effect breaking the law. «It is as if you were robbing a bank and a policeman shoots at you,» he observed.
For his part, Luis Pablo Guerrero Preciado, director of Transportation Management of the State Government, urged protesters to join one of the services already registered in the Guadalajara metropolitan area such as Didi, Uber or Siggo Drive. Alternatively, he suggested, they could present and register a new service specific to the Chapala-Jocotepec region.
He explained that, because the «unauthorized artisanal» services (which is what he called the WhatsApp groups the drivers use to organize themselves) do not have any type of legal backing or insurance, they are vulnerable to extortion.
Guerrero Preciado also stated that, should the Secretary of Transportation of Jalisco decide to carry out an operation to discourage unregulated transportation services, the protesters risk having their vehicles confiscated because “it is an illegal act.” Once the drivers legalize their services, however, they will benefit from the protection of the law, insurance and legal representation. In addition, they will be providing a safer service to paying passengers.
The local drivers, however, say that the registered services like Uber, etc. are not profitable. The mileage fees they impose combined with commissions, weekly car rental charges, and gasoline costs make it impossible for the drivers to survive on the typical fares earned of 20 to 30 pesos. The drivers prefer – out of necessity – to go it alone.
Translated by Rebecca Zittle
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