Local taxi drivers in the City of San Luis now face uncertainty about the future of their longtime taxi stand outside the San Luis port of entry.
The San Luis City Council on Wednesday considered repealing part of a city ordinance that would remove taxi stands from the municipal code. The proposal would have eliminated taxi stands from public rights-of-way, including the stand on Urtuzuastegui Street near the San Luis port of entry.
The council voted on the proposal twice Wednesday night. It failed on the first vote.
After further discussion and clarification that the request to remove the taxi stands came from the federal government, council members voted again.
The second vote ended in a tie and the measure did not pass.
Following the vote, Mayor Nieves Riedel said the issue surrounding taxi stands ultimately falls under federal authority.
Riedel said the proposed removal of the taxi stand was not initiated by the city but came at the request of the General Services Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. City officials said the agencies asked that the area be cleared to accommodate construction and to secure the perimeter around the port of entry.
“It is a request from the federal government that they are going to carry out whether we agree or not. We are at their mercy. This is not something we want to do. It is something being required by the federal government. If they choose to close the entire street, they are going to do it whether we agree or not. They are not doing it to upset people. They have to secure the perimeter,” said Riedel.
While city officials say the decision is in the hands of federal agencies, taxi drivers in San Luis are urging the city to work with them to find a new place to operate.
Maximo Arvizu, a taxi driver in San Luis, said that removing the taxi stand on Urtuzuastegui Street would not only hurt taxi drivers’ business, but also affect border crossers who depend on taxis for transportation.
He said students would be among those most affected. Every morning, hundreds of students cross through the port of entry to attend school in the city of San Luis.
Arvizu explained that about 20 drivers cater to transporting students to school during the morning hours. He estimates that between 250 and 300 students rely on the service each morning, with each driver making about two trips. The drivers rotate between the three parking spaces at the taxi stand on Urtuzuastegui. After one car fills up with students and leaves, another takes its place. Each student is charged a $2 fee for the ride, a fee Arvizu said is low.
“We only charge $2 to students because we understand how difficult the economic situation is. For local rides, for any passenger traveling within the city, the fare is $6. It does not matter what time you cross the border. If the ride is local, it is $6, even late at night or early in the morning,” said Arvizu.
Arvizu believes that removing easy access to transportation will negatively affect the transborder community, which he said plays a vital role in supporting the San Luis economy.
“I don’t think they’re considering the students or the community. There isn’t a local bus route for people here, and there’s no other transportation available within the city. The YCAT bus is the only one that comes through, and it takes people to Yuma, not to other destinations in San Luis. We’re providing a social service to the community,” he said.
Some of the students who depend on taxis have been riding with the same drivers for years. On Thursday morning, a line of students could be seen waiting to hop into a taxi so they could get to school on time.
“They’re very important. I use the taxi every day to get to school. I hope they don’t move them. If they get moved, we’d have to walk farther to catch a cab,” said a student from San Luis High who asked to remain anonymous.
Police Chief Nigel Reynoso explained at Wednesday night’s meeting that even if taxi stands are removed from the city code, taxis would still be allowed to pick up passengers at the port of entry or in any public area, as long as they comply with city traffic laws. Under those rules, drivers can drop off or pick up passengers, but they cannot wait for more than five minutes. Vehicles that wait beyond the allowed time or are parked in areas where they should not be, are subject to a citation.
Reynoso added that drivers may pick up a passenger as long as a person is actively requesting a taxi, but taxis are not permitted to solicit customers.
Reynoso also pointed out that the taxi stand on Urtuzuastegui was originally established by a previous City Council as a temporary location. That prompted the mayor to ask the city’s legal team whether the decision would need to come before the current council, essentially seeking to determine if the decision could instead be handled by city administration.
The city’s legal advisors said they would need time to review the language of the original ordinance.
“If I can have some time to review the language that was used when that was approved. If the council approves something, the administration cannot override it without council action. If there is concern that the original ordinance was not fully understood, then a motion can be made to reconsider it. The code does not specify a particular location, so that section could be amended and the taxi stand area removed. If there is no designated area in the code, then the issue is essentially moot,” said a San Luis legal advisor present at Wednesday night’s meeting.
City officials concluded the meeting by stating that taxi drivers had been given a year to find a new location. They added that although the city attempted to work with taxi companies, an agreement was not reached.
Mayor Riedel said the federal government has set March 20, 2026, as the removal date.
