Buses Burning in Acapulco, Public Transport Suspended or Limited

Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Jornada y Excelsior y ElSol

                                Suspension of public transport service continues in Acapulco

More than half of the public transport vehicles  stopped serving the public after a week of attacks by organized crime.

Urvan-type vans (combis) that provide public transport between the center of Acapulco and the western area of ​​the port city and Coyuca de Benítez, suspended activities, after which on Tuesday and Wednesday, unknown men burned two urban buses and two Urvan buses in different parts of the port, the driver of an urban truck on the Hospital-Vacation route was also killed.

Inhabitants of colonies in the western part of the port, such as the Colonia Jardin , complained that taxi drivers have taken the opportunity to charge up to 100 pesos per transfer. The service of urban buses and collective taxis in the Hospitals area was also suspended.

The trail of violence and burning of public transport units that were unleashed by the caravan that traveled along Monday the coastal Miguel Aleman, to demand the cessation of violence and extortion , is the result of the struggle that groups linked to organized crime , authorities confirmed, so the strengthening of the security operations was announced , after the service was partially suspended in the western area and the Acapulco hospital area .

The reprisals of the criminal groups for the protest of the workers of the steering wheel and dealers of the public transport, began from this Tuesday , with the burning of an Urvan truck in the point known as the 7 corners and Xochitl street, of the first painting of the city and the murder of an operator of an urban truck, occurred at the entrance of the Colonia Morelos , but the violence intensified on Wednesday.

In perfectly planned actions and taking advantage of the relaxation of the police corporations, including the National Guard , the army and the Navy , two urban buses and an Urvan bus were burned by unknown subjects in broad daylight, one of these attacks on public transport , occurred on the supposedly heavily guarded coastal avenue of Miguel Aleman.

As reported in a timely manner, groups of armed individuals began their actions, setting fire to a public service van Urvan in the Carabalí neighborhood, a few meters from the roundabout of Aguas Blancas , in the afternoon, near 17: 30 hours,  another fire was reported, but now of an urban truck on the Malecon Miguel Aleman a few steps from the shrimp river, and around 8 pm, a second urban transport unit was set on fire at José Arévalo Street in El Centro Acapulco behind the Soriana store.

As a result of this, Thursday they partially suspended the service of Urvan trucks, yellow collective taxis and urban buses, affecting the western area and the hospital area, leaving hundreds of people unable to move to their work centers from the first hours of October 10.

The governor of Guerrero, Héctor Astudillo Flores, accepted that the burning of public transport units in Acapulco, is a clash between two criminal groups and announced the strengthening of surveillance on various routes to avoid more incidents.

The service continues partially on other routes such as Caleta-Base-Colosio, where units are kept circulating, as is the Acabús transport system, which continues to operate normally, as well as air-conditioned trucks.

Meanwhile, the violence continues in the municipality, this Friday at noon 3 men were killed in the main avenue of the town of La Sabana, on the Lázaro Cárdenas boulevard, on the periphery of the port city of Acapulco.

In the afternoon, the State Attorney General's Office reported that it was a confrontation between ministerial police and armed men who were engaged in extortion, who attacked the officers with bullets, so they repelled the attack.

The confrontation caused three armed civilians deprived of life, according to the statement.

Shortly before 6 pm, another man died from gunshot wounds, in Manuel Acuña street of Colonia Progreso. The first reports indicate that he was shot down by ministerial police, who were conducting an extortion investigation.

According to the state's Mixed Carrier Coalition , he explained that this determination was made after two urvans and two buses were set on fire this week .

According to the organization, one day after the events, the operation of the entire public service was avoided, because the drivers have expressed their fear of the recent incidents of violence.

It is expected that all units will resume service completely, when there are the necessary security conditions that guarantee them safety to perform their work .

Meanwhile, the association has proposed that drivers carry their organization credentials and thus provide greater confidence to passengers.