Xalapa Mexico, and the surrounding towns, have as many cabs as New York City—but less than a tenth of the population.

 with the 2004 election of Fidel Herrera Beltrán as the center-right Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI)-affiliated governor of Veracruz, says Lorena López, a sociologist working for the Mexican government who has studied taxi driving in Veracruz extensively. 

The Beltrán administration essentially privatized the taxi licensure process by allowing a variety of businesses to sell simplified taxi permits to the public at a lower cost than an official government concession, a move the administration said would provide more jobs and stimulate the economy. The result was an oversaturation of the market. 

According to one government report, the total number of taxis in the state of Veracruz went from 17,000 to 75,000 in 20 years. That figure has only increased since the report’s release, thanks to factors such as cheaper concession prices in response to competition from Uber and other app-based transport services, López says. 

Much of what little money taxi drivers do make is gobbled up by daily expenses. Fare prices are set by the regional government but are not updated frequently; most fares are under 100 pesos, or about $5. Gas prices continue to climb above $4 per gallon, and most cab drivers belong to sindicatos, or unions, which require $10-15 per day for use of a vehicle, on top of membership dues.

On top of all these challenges, the Tsuru presents its own unique danger.

The Tsuru (“crane” in Japanese) is a small four-door sedan introduced to Mexico in 1984 and essentially unchanged since 1991. It was designed without crumple zone protection, airbags, anti-lock brakes, or stability control—a deliberate choice in an apparent attempt to keep costs low, thereby providing a greater percentage of the population with access to cars.

The Latin New Car Assessment Program (LNCAP), the consumer advocacy group that conducted the crash, awarded the Tsuru a zero-star safety rating and provided data showing more than 4,100 people died in Tsuru accidents in Mexico between 2012 and 2017.

The importance of the automotive industry to Mexico’s economy has historically made lawmakers ambivalent about requiring stricter safety standards, but LNCAP’s Alejandro Furas, secretary-general of its New Car Assessment Program, feels the startling crash test footage helped move the conversation forward. 

The same day that LNCAP announced it would crash-test the Tsuru, Nissan stated the notorious model would be retired.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/tsuru-mexico-taxi