Taxis Can Now Be Up To
15 Yeas Old
The Junta Directiva del
Consejo de Transporte
Público (CTP) - board of
directors of public
transportation - has
agreed to extend the
requirement of the age
of taxis, up to fifteen
years. Article 5 of the
regulations stipulate
that all taxis cannot be
more than 10 years old.
The changed will benefit
some 7.700 owners of
taxi plates in the
country whose vehicles
are 1998 and earlier. If
the change had not been
made, the group would
have either have had to
purchase newer vehicles
or forced to cease
operating as of January
1, 2008.
The change will be
effective once it is
published in the
official government
publication, La Gaceta,
which will mean that
taxi vehicles can be as
old as 1993.
The change was prompted
by the taxi association,
Foro Nacional de
Taxistas, who lobbied
the CTP that the
regulation would have a
negative impact on not
only the owners of the
taxis, but also on the
CTP purse which would
see annual fees drop as
much as 77% of the taxis
in the country are 10
years or older come
2008.
The regulation to extend
the "age" of the taxis
to 15 years was signed
by Laura Chinchilla,
Costa Rica's vice
president.
Notwithstanding the
change, some 1.200 taxi
owners will either have
to buy new vehicles of
give up their livelihood
come January as their
vehicles are older that
15 years.
Currently there are
13.675 taxis on the
roads in Costa Rica. It
is estimated that only
2.600 of the taxis are
2006 model year and and
2.000 between 1998 and
2005.
Giberth Ureña, president
of the Foro Nacional de
Taxistas, expressed his
pleasure at the change.
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