Who Is Behind the Alleged Attack on a Tulum Taxi Driver?

Quintana Roo's mobility agency opened administrative proceedings against Fredy Renán Gamboa Acosta, a Tulum taxi driver who holds concession 805, and will seek to revoke it permanently over an alleged assault in public transportation.

The Instituto de Movilidad del Estado de Quintana Roo, known as IMOVEQROO, announced the case in an official statement this week. Beyond the concession, the agency will also seek to cancel Gamboa Acosta's license to work as a public transport operator.

For a driver in Tulum, the concession is the permit that makes the job possible. Losing it for good is the most severe outcome the agency has signaled, and IMOVEQROO said it would pursue the maximum legal sanctions available. The case also arrives in the early days of Uber's operations in Tulum, a period when local outlets have already reported friction between union taxi drivers and anyone working through an app.

What IMOVEQROO is seeking against concession 805

The statement identifies Gamboa Acosta as a member of the Sindicato de Taxistas Tiburones del Caribe and as the holder of concession 805. It says the procedure was opened over acts of aggression recorded in Tulum in which he is alleged to have taken part.

Two penalties are on the table. One is the permanent revocation of the concession. The other is the cancellation of his operator license. IMOVEQROO said both would be decided with full respect for due process, which means the opening of the procedure is not, by itself, a ruling on his responsibility.

The document is not entirely consistent on where the case stands. Its headline says the agency "suspends" the license and the public service concession. Its body describes permanent revocation and cancellation as outcomes the institute will pursue, without stating that either has been applied.

The statement includes no response from Gamboa Acosta.

In its closing lines, IMOVEQROO said that providing a transport service carries a responsibility to the public and that aggression and intimidation are incompatible with that work. The agency said it would act firmly against such conduct "without distinction" and that passengers are entitled to travel safely and with dignified treatment.

Tiburones del Caribe leadership sides with the state

IMOVEQROO said it informed the union's leadership of its decision and that the leadership expressed support for the institutional actions.

That detail carries weight. Taxi unions in Quintana Roo hold considerable influence over how concessions are worked and defended, and public backing from the driver's own organization removes the most likely source of pressure against the sanction. The statement did not say whether Tiburones del Caribe will take internal disciplinary measures of its own.

A 52-year-old Tulum taxi driver says his own union colleagues attacked him

The IMOVEQROO statement does not describe the incident, name any victim, or give a date. Local outlets have connected it to a video that circulated on social media this week.

According to Diario Cambio 22, a 52-year-old taxi driver identified as José Ramírez said he was physically and verbally assaulted by alleged members of Tiburones del Caribe after completing a trip booked through Uber. Ramírez told the outlet he has since feared for his own safety and that of his family.

Quinta Fuerza reported that the footage was recorded on the afternoon of Monday, October 26, near the southern access to Jaguar Park. The outlet said the video shows men from the same union trying to strike the driver and open the door of his vehicle while he is moving. Cambio 22 noted that the material shows moments of tension but does not, on its own, establish all the circumstances of the reported attack.

The Tulum Times has not independently confirmed that Gamboa Acosta appears in that video or that the IMOVEQROO procedure stems from that specific incident. The agency's statement does not make the link.

After the episode, drivers who work through digital platforms asked Tulum's municipal government and transport authorities to intervene to prevent labor disputes from escalating into further confrontations, Cambio 22 reported.

Lifetime bans that came before

IMOVEQROO has used its harshest tools before. In October 2025, the agency barred a taxi driver from operating any form of public transport in Quintana Roo after a viral video showed him confronting an app-based driver and a foreign tourist. Por Esto reported in May 2026 that two Playa del Carmen taxi drivers had been suspended between January and May for attacking passengers.

Those cases centered on the right to drive. This one reaches further. Because Gamboa Acosta is identified as the holder of concession 805, a revocation would cancel the permit itself, not just his ability to work behind the wheel.

Penalties wait on due process

IMOVEQROO has not said how long the procedure will take or when it will announce a resolution. Until it does, the agency's own statement leaves concession 805 described as suspended in its headline, and its permanent loss still undecided.

What should IMOVEQROO do to keep union taxi drivers and app drivers from clashing on Tulum's streets? Join the conversation and share your perspective with us on Instagram and Facebook at @thetulumtimes.