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Low
Demand Hurting Taxis
Taxi drivers had complained for
long time that the fares
approved by the Autoridad
Reguladora de Servicios Públicos
(Aresep) - the government agency
that regulates public prices and
services - were too low and did
not keep up with inflation and
the rising gasoline prices.
During the past year, taxi fares
almost doubled. A fare from
downtown San José to the Sabana
west went from ¢1.100 colones to
almost ¢2.000 colones. A taxi
ride from the south of
Desamparados to the Pavas now
costs almost ¢4.000 colones.
So, what do taxi operators have
to complain about now? No
customers.
At corners like the Parque
Central, some read the
newspaper, while others gather
to tell stories and trade jokes,
while some take a siesta.
That is how taxi drivers now
pass the time away in the face
of low customer demand for taxi
service due to the high cost.
Many have found cheaper
alternatives to the taxi: the
bus, the train and car pooling.
Some have taken up walking to
work.
Compared to a taxi, the cost of
using a bus can be as much as 10
times cheaper in some cases. Bus
companies have modernized their
fleet of buses over the last
several years and with changes
made to the west traffic flow
and planned changes to the east
traffic flow, and the
introduction of a bus lane on
Avenida 10, it doesn't take that
much longer than using a taxi.
The commuter train has been
operating since October,
carrying passengers during
morning and afternoon rush hours
and only costing ¢300 colones
from San Pedro to Pavas. The
train doesn't get snarled in
traffic and there is always a
seat. Car pooling is becoming
more and more popular. Those
living within a 20 to 30 minute
walking distance to work have
are preferring to get the
exercise.
Taxi drivers place the blame
squarely on increased prices and
of course the illegal
competition by "piratas" -
unlicensed taxi drivers who
offer service at reduced price
and "porteadores", driving
services that provide
door-to-door service to their
customers.
"The situation is bad and people
don't want to ride a taxi. They
prefer to get up earlier and
take the bus, using taxis only
in emergencies", said José
Mendoza, one of the many taxi
drivers who have to work extra
hours, sometimes up to 8
additional hours, just to make
up for the decrease in ridership.
The latest increase came on
March 9. The increase was an
automatic rise in the fares by
the Aresep, the second part of
the increase approved later last
year.
Rónald Acuña, general manger of
la Federación Nacional de
Cooperativas de Taxi (Fenacotaxi),
says the increases are necessary
because taxi fares had been out
of tune with costs for the last
eight years and it will take
some time for customers to
adjust and go back to riding
taxis.
Acuña added that there is a
marked decrease in the number of
fares a driver will have in a
day, but with higher prices,
there is no economic impact.
Acuña stressed that drivers are
affected by the low demand is
those who don't own their own
vehicles and must pay rent for
the use of a taxi. The daily
cost of renting a taxi is
between ¢8.000 and ¢10.000, plus
the cost of washing the car and
gasoline. Acuña said that a taxi
can earn between ¢25.000 and
¢30.000 on a good day,
Taxi drivers will be pushing the
new government to end the
illegal taxi service of both "piratas"
and "porteadores" and are not
too happy with the announcement
by Karla González, the
designated new minister of the
Ministerio de Obras Públicas y
Transportes (MOPT), who said
last week that she will
authorize issuing more taxi
plates as a solution to reducing
the illegal services.
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