In the last two weeks, there have been at least two acts of violence and clashes between taxi drivers and Uber drivers.
The most recent occurred on Saturday in Los Guido de Desamparados, when an Uber driver was cornered and apparently threatened with a firearm by 3 red taxi drivers.
While many point out that this group does not represent the entire “red force”, the platform drivers say they are scared.
Just this Monday, legislator Franklin Corella,from the Citizen Action Party (PAC), warned about the importance of not neglecting the social confrontation unleashed by the issue.
Uber has been a national reality for two years now… But it does not contribute to the State… This shows us that the law was not prepared for the upgrades in public transport services… So it is up to this Congress to discuss the issue,”
said Corella.
Two weeks ago, the Constitutional Chamber released the ruling on the Law for Public Service of Remunerated Transportation of Persons, but it did not revealed a clear position regarding the legal -or illegal- status of Uber.
On Monday, Humberto Pacheco, General Manager for Uber in Central America, said that this week they would request a meeting with representatives of the Executive Branch, specifically the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT). Pacheco explained that there are more than 500 thousand people using the application each month, so it is
it’s time for the Executive Branch to listen to those 500 thousand people.”
Rogelio Benavides, leader of the Consumers Free Association (ACL), commented that the group is preparing a bill that will be presented to the Office of Popular Initiative of the Legislative Assembly next month, in order to lay the groundwork for the regulation of this and other services.
According to data from Uber, there are about 13 thousand “partners” (drivers) providing the service in the country. Data from the Council of Public Transport (CTP) indicate that there are about 12,500 “red license plates”.
Benavides commented that the services offered by “pirate taxis” must also be included, and that all these services can survive in the market, because they serve the needs of different users.
Regarding the users, Fernández said their proposal would try to empower them above all.