Friday 05 December
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Users Can File
Complaints Against Ruder and Offensive
Taxi and Bus Drivers
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Users Can File
Complaints Against Rude
and Offensive Taxi and
Bus Drivers
Users of public
transportation services
like taxis and buses
will finally have
recourse against the
insults of rude and
offensive drivers.
The reforms to the Ley
de Tránsito (traffic
laws) that has been
passed in first debate,
allows for customers to
file a complaint against
rude and offensive
drivers of public
transport, who will face
a fine of ¢45.400
colones. The fine
extends also to any
person other than the
driver related to the
providing of the
service, like the person
collecting the fare.
Users will soon have a
place where to file
complaints against
verbal abuse once the
Ley de Transito is
approved in second
debate, which is
expected on Monday.
Legislators correct a
number of drafting
problems with the bill
this week.
The ministra de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT),
the promoter of the
bill, says that the new
traffic regulations will
not be in force for nine
months after approval,
time to draft the
regulations, educate the
public and establish the
office to receive
complaints of the
public, which will
include complaints
against Tránsito
officials.
Other aspects of the
reforms to the Ley de
Tránsito are fines of up
to ¢227.000 colones for
drunk and reckless
drivers and ¢165.000 for
failure to obey a
traffic signal, that is
crossing a red light, a
common practice in the
country.
Users can make their
complaints by calling
"911" or a speical toll
free number set by the
Consejo de Transporte
Público (CTP) - 800
Tránsito
(800-8726-7486).
The director of the
Policia de Tránsito,
Germán Marín, said that
a Tránsito official will
be dispatched to the
scene to take the
complaint and issue the
appropriate fine.
Marín added that the
process can become
complicated if the
Tránsito official on the
scene cannot corroborate
the incident, that is it
will be up to the
official to determine if
a violation occurred
before issuing a fine.
The official on site
will make a
determination of the
facts and not only the
word of the offended. In
the case a fine is not
issued by the official,
the offended can take
the complaint to the
CTP.
The director was clear
that a user can make a
complaint at any time to
the CTP and not only at
the location where the
offensive insult
occurred. That is to
say, there is no need to
call the police at the
moment, the complaint
can be made after the
incident and without the
need of an official at
the scene.
Maritza Hernández,
president of the Cámara
Nacional de
Transportistas -
national chamber of
transporters - is
pleased with the measure
as it will guarantee
better service.
Hernández added that in
some cases drivers have
to be educated in being
courteous, as well as
the public has to show
restraint, as in many
cases it is the public
that is rude and
offensive to the
drivers.
The reforms to the Ley
de Tránsito, in addition
to the higher fines and
stricter controls on the
road, also incorporates
a number of safety and
precautionary measures,
among them items such
as, all children under
the age of 12 must ride
in the rear seats and
restrained by a child
seat, depending on age
and weight of the child
and all passenger
vehicles must carry a
fire extinguisher, a
first aid kit and
reflective vest.
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