Now, Taxi Drivers Threaten To Protest
Traffic in San José was paralyzed on Tuesday with the protest of the informal taxis or porteadores, who are demanding that the government legalize their service. The protest blocked major routes around San José, especially the area surrounding the Legislative Assembly, until the small hours of the morning, waiting the word of Ministra de Transporte, Karla González.

The Transport Minister announced that a commission would be established to hear the demands of the porteadores, where it will analyze the proposed legal reform.

The action has the porteadores happy, though they recognize that the situation could turn on them at any moment. Victor Salazar, of the Cámara de Porteadores, said "the taxistas cry because we are the competition giving better service and the public prefers us".

The "taxistas" - formal taxi drivers, taxi licensed by the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transporte (MOPT) and who must follow guidelines and regulations set out by government - are furious and say they will take to the streets next week to protest against any agreement that would legalize the porteadores.

Edwin Barboza, of the Federación de Cooperativas de Taxi (Fenacotaxi), said he did not know the details of the agreement between the porteadores and the government, notwithstanding, the "porteo" should be eliminated because it is a form for many to take advantage to offer "pirate" taxi service.

"If 800 porteadores can break the arm of the PAC, imagine what 13.000 taxistas can do in the coming days", added Barboza, referring to the support the porteadores have of the Partido Acción Cuidadana (PAC) members in the legislature.

The difference between the "porteadores" and the "piratas" is that the porteadores offer service as a private contractor between them and the customer, who offer "door-to-door" service and regulated by a self appointed body, while the pirate taxis operate similar to the formal taxis, picking up fares on the street, usually at a lower rate and no regulations controlling their operation.

Formal taxis argue that many piratas disguise themselves as porteadores and place the public at risk and provide cheaper services because they don't have the costs of maintaining a taxi to standards and paying the taxi plate fees.

Minister González explained during a session of the Consejo de Gobierno, that there are two existing laws that regulate the porteo: the Código de Comercio (Commercial Code) and the Ley de Taxis (Taxi law).

The minister explained that the laws complicate the MOPT to regulate the informal taxi service and is supporting the changes to the law that would remove the word "porteo" from the Commercial Code.

Minister González added that her ministry will make a detailed analysis to allow the issuing of more taxi plates.

The minister is proposing issuing the porteadores taxi plates as a solution to the problem, a decision that is not favoured by the formal taxis and a decision they say they will fight.

The conflict between the porteadores and taxis has been ongoing for years. The previous government tried to find a solution to the problem, making things worse, allowing the porteadores to grow and expand their services, that in some localities, like San Ramón, they have their own formal stand, where customers can hire their service, in direct competition to the formal red taxis.

An owner of two informal taxi cars in San Ramón and who asked that her identity remain anonymous, told ICR, that they - the porteadores - have a proper taxi stand, including providing bathrooms and other services for their users, making them a preferred choice over the taxis.