The “real” taxi drivers (those who drive their own taxi) will take the streets next Tuesday, November 26th, in a new protest against the government’s neglect and call for their legality to be respected.
The call is made by the CI Taxis Alliance, a taxi drivers organization promoted by Ricardo Venegas and Javier Cortés. Although they appreciate the effort made in recent years, they are both separated from the traditional leadership that has represented the sector.
The call is for 9:00 am near Plaza González Víquez, San José. Some of the main claims of taxi drivers are the call to respect the legality and the right to compensation for the impacts suffered due to the untimely incursion of the platforms (such as Uber and DiDi).
The government has made us hit rock bottom. It has forgotten that there is a concession contract, a commitment to the taxi driver and unfortunately it has made us look for options because we have already exhausted the administrative route. What we have left is to go to the streets, ”
said Venegas.
If with Uber (in operation in 2015) the picture was very complex, with DiDi – of Chinese capital – things for taxi drivers could get worse. For Venegas, the entry of these companies – with legal gaps in between – had the complicity of the Executive Branch.
We are under the framework of legality and the government, on a permissive basis, is burying taxi drivers. It was time for the taxi driver to scream. We are not going to take this anymore. This, the entry of new platforms, what [the government] has done is help the taxi driver hit rock bottom”
said the taxi driver.
The call for Tuesday involves formal taxi drivers (red), airport taxi drivers and even special service carriers.
Currently, the Economic Affairs Committee of the Legislative Assembly is processing a bill – presented in September – which aims to regulate private passenger transport platforms. However, the plan is not supported by the Public Transportation Council (CTP) and the taxi drivers’ union.