Porteadores Warn Of Collapsing San José in Protest Tomorrow
Thousands of "porteadores" - illegal taxi drivers - are expected to march upon San José tomorrow (Tuesday) to protest changes to Article 323 of the Código de Comercio that would eliminate their ability to offer their services to the public.

The fight between "legal" taxi drivers - those in red marked vehicles - and porteadores had been going on for years and the Ministry de Obras Pública y Transporte (MOPT) has not been much help to either side, other than fine porteadores if caught operating an illegal taxi service.

This time, however, legislators mean business by making changes to the laws that would once and for all end the fight, which could terminate in blood tomorrow, a promise made by some porteadores before local television news cameras.

Protestors gathered at the Gimnasio del Liceo Carlos Pascua Zúñiga in San Rafael de Heredia on Saturday, where tempers were hot and the majority approved the protest in San José.

More than 15.000 porteadores could be on hand tomorrow beginning at 7am to "defend the rice and beans that our children eat", said Miguel Herrera of Transportes Churruca. "We are warning San José of a total collapse because there are many fronts in this fight and we will do what is necessary", added Herrera.

One group is expected to gather in front of the MOPT offices in Plaza Viquez, south of downtown San José, while another group will camp out in front of the Legislative building to pressure Deputies into action.

The change in Article 323 is being spearheaded by the Foro Nacional de Taxistas - a union of legal taxi drivers - who have been pressuring Legislative Deputies to reform the law that would penalize those who provide an illegal taxi service.

Legal Taxi drivers say that the porteadores are opposing the changes because so far they have been able to mock the current laws and provide taxi service without having to comply with regulations and codes respecting taxi services.

Porteadores are different than "piratas" in that they provide a service based on a contract with a customer. The current legislation allows porteadores who have a written contract to provide a customer service are acting within the law, however, are not required to meet the same regulations that legal taxis do.

The main distinction between porteadores and piratas is that porteadores are providing a service from door-to-door. Porteadores will pick up a customer at his or her home or office, for example, and take the customer to a specific destination, while piratas pick up customers on the street the same taxi.

Another difference is the insurance aspect. Porteadores, for the most part, count with an insurance policy, while most piratas don't. Any injury sustained by customer while using the service of a pirata will not be covered by marchamo.

Roberth Rodríguez, a porteador for many years, says that what taxi drivers want is a monopoly in the market and this does not sit will for the thousands who say they provide a necessary service and competition to "red" fleet.