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Taxi Drivers Upset Over Fare
Hike
Taxi fares went up yesterday and
those most upset with the
increase are taxi drivers
themselves, who see a decrease
in ridership with each hike.
The increase yesterday is the
first hike of public service
prices that are coming this
year. The increase of ¢35
colones for the first kilometre
and ¢40 for each additional
kilometres is part of a series
of taxi fare increases approved
last year by the Autoridad
Reguladora de los Servicios
Públicos (Aresep), the
government body that regulates
public prices and services.
Taxi drivers say that the
increase will negatively affect
their business by as much as 30%
in loss of customers over the
next few days.
However, Gilberth Ureña, a
spokesperson for the Foro
Nacional de Taxistas (taxi
association), says that
customers will get used to the
new prices and will continue to
use taxis, a required service.
Ureña added that the increase is
necessary to the rising costs of
gasoline, maintenance and the
cost of living.
The last time taxi fares
increased was last August.
The new rates in effect are ¢365
colones for the first kilometre
and ¢340 colones for each
additional kilometre. The cost
of waiting is ¢2.015 per hour
for each hour and the meter
calculates tie ups in traffic at
¢57 colones per minute. The "demora"
- when a taxi is tied in traffic
- is calculated on the basis
when a vehicle does not move a
required distance within a set
time, calculating the fare on a
per minute basis rather than on
distance travelled.
Taxi fares in rural areas and
for the disabled are slightly
higher than the fares for the
Metropolitan (San José) area.
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