Car Rentals And Funeral
Homes Affected By
Vehicular Restrictions
Of San José
Two sectors greatly
affected by the expanded
vehicular restrictions
of San José are hearses
and car rental
companies.
In the case of funeral
cars, drivers have
little or no option to
choose an alternate
route to churches and
cemeteries located in
the restricted area.
According to Tránsito
(traffic) officials, the
law is the law and
though some traffic
officials allow funeral
cars to proceed without
being fined, they are
exposed to the ¢5.000
colones fine like all
other vehicles violating
the restriction.
As to rental vehicles,
the problem is that most
tourists do not know of
the restrictions and/or
are not able to make a
choice of alternative
routes.
The director of the
Apoyo al Consumidor del
Ministerio de Economía
(consumer help centre),
Cinthya Zapata, says the
obligation is on the car
rental company to advise
their clients on the
restrictions and should
add to the rental
contract a map of the
restricted area and
times.
The obligation to pay
the fine is the
responsibility of the
car rental company,
which passes on the cost
to the client and in
most cases with an added
administration cost,
which is automatically
charged to the customers
credit card.
Some car rental
companies say they give
their customers a map
and warn them of the
restriction and the fine
they will be exposed to
for violation and that
if the customer fails to
heed the warning it is
their fault and will be
forced to pay the fine.
Back to the funeral
cars, the funeral homes
say they are greatly
affected as they have no
choice of an alternate
route. Karla Carvajal,
manager of the Funeraria
Polini in downtown San
José, says her business
affected, as at times
they don't have cars
available because of the
restriction.
The only vehicles
excluded from the
restrictions are public
transportation vehilces,
like buses and official
taxis, motorcycles and
emergency vehicles.
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