Taxi Association Asks For Voluntary Drop Of 15% in Taxi Fares, Following Rate Hike Yesterday
Taxi rates jumped by 32% yesterday, the second round of increases approved by the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos (ARESEP) last August, when the first increase came into effect that same ridership decrease dramatically.

Taxi operators expected consumers to get accustomed to the higher rates and business to return to normal levels. It never really occurred, as many consumers found alternative methods of transport, including car pooling and the commuter train.

Now, with the latest increase, ridership will drop even more. And that has prompted the Asociación de Taxistas Solidarios Ticos to ask it's membership and all the other taxi operators, known as the "fuerza roja" (red force, as all taxis are red) to voluntarily reduce the fare by 15%.

Taxis that voluntarily reduce their fares will be identified by a sticker telling the consumer such.

Alexis Retana, head of the group, said he hopes that all taxis will adopt the voluntary reduction, otherwise they will see a huge drop in ridership as consumers go on the defensive of the high cost of taxi use.

For example, a ride from downtown San José to Plaza Mayor in Rohrmoser cost about ¢900 colones in July. The cost jumped to ¢1.500 colones in August and almost ¢2.000 yesterday.