Buses To Have Handicapped Ramps Beginning Today
Beginning today all buses used for public transport, that includes school buses and buses used for tourism, must be outfitted for the handicapped, according to Ley 7600 de Igualdad de Oportunidades.

The law was passed 10 years ago and comes into effect today. The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Trasnsporte (MOPT) now has the obligation to make the requirement mandatory for the annual vehicular inspection and fine bus operators that don't comply, from ¢10.000 to ¢30.000 colones. Bus operators will then have 90 days to fix the problem or face having the bus removed from circulation.

The law will with no doubt see a number of "recursos amparo" - appeals - before he Constitutional Court and will no doubt will since only 8% of the 8.000 buses registered have handicapped access ramps installed.

The legislative deputy for the PASE, Óscar López, attacked the new MOPT minister, Karla González, who said publicly that such a law is irrational and questioned the legislators who voted for it. The PASE is a political group that has been fighting for the rights of the handicapped.

Bus operators say that it is economically impossible to comply with the law. The modifications to a bus cost an average of us$8.000 and that would mean an increase in fares of at least 300%. In some cases, the bus operators, say it is impossible to make the modifications as it will weaken the bus frame.

Olma Bonilla, representing the bus operators said that the day the fines come into effect, bus operators will be forced to park the buses and not provide service.

Bonilla added that the requirements are not proportional to the reality of the situation and that only 2% of the population requires handicap ramps, while the rest of the riders have to pay the disproportioned costs.