Taxi Drivers to Wear Uniform As Of Today
Beginning today, it will mandatory for all taxi drivers to dressed in uniform - white shirt and blue pants. The regulation comes into effect after it was published in the official government newspaper La Gaceta last week.

The regulation doesn't force the members of the "la fuerza roja" - the red force indicative of the red colour of taxis - to all wear the exact clothing, it just stipulates a uniform look for all drivers to adhere.

The objective is for a better image of taxi drivers, especially in the face of the upcoming tourist season, which is expected to see the largest number of tourists on record, instead of jeans and a t-shirt.

Eduardo Montero, Minister of Transportes, said that it will be a task of his department of convincing drivers of adopting voluntarily the new regulation. However, the regulation does allow for fines for those drivers who persist in not co-operating.

For his part, Juan Manuel Delgado, director of the Policía de Tráansito, says that his transit official will not issue tickets as the law doesn't permit the issuing of one, though his officers will be an accessory for the Consejo de Transporte Público (CTP), which regulates taxi concessions, in maintaining and renewing taxi licenses to the offenders of the new regulation.

José Antonio Rojas, president of the Federación Nacional de Organizaciones de Taxi, assures that the first sanction against a taxi driver for not complying with the uniform regulation will go to the Constitutional Court (Sala IV).

"The state cannot force us to use a uniform because we not employees. To the contrary, we are independent businessmen operating a micro business. The government sets the rates, but the cars a personally owned", said Rojas.

Ronald Acuña, general manager of the Federación Nacional de Cooperativas de Taxis - the taxi drivers union - says that 55% of his members (about 30.000 drivers) are co-operating will be co-operating with the regulation, although there is a lot of resistance, especially in San José.

Acuña added that he supports the regulation that will give taxis a better image and make the public (consumer) more comfortable, knowing they are using a "formal" and regulated service, in contrast to the "pirate" - informal - taxis.