Public Buses Continue
To Be A Menace Due
Minister Arias Rejects
Investigation of Housing Minister and
Defends ICE Chief
Costa Rica Slashes
2009 Economic Growth Forecast
Prospero Fernández
Construction To Further Bottleneck
Traffic in Escazú
REVAi Drives Into Costa Rica
This Semana Santa With "Three" Legal Holiday
Days
Public Buses
Continue To Be A Menace
Some public transport buses are menace on
the roads and there is nothing the Policía
de Tránsito can do to curb the situation,
according to the director of the police
unit, Germán Marín.
It is not uncommon to see buses without
rails, broken seats and serious mechanical
problems, like faulty brakes. However, the
current Ley de Tránsito (traffic laws) do
not allow for sanctions and the Tránsito
police do not have the portable equipment
and mechanical knowledge to detect faulty
brakes, for instance.
Thus, Tránsito officials are limited to
issuing fines for only things such as broken
head or tail lights, a missing bumper,
faulty windshield wipers or the lack of a
fire extinguisher.
Director Marín added that serious mechanical
problems are only detected during the
semi-annual vehicular inspection by Riteve
and that once the buses are on the streets,
the controls for serious mechanical problems
are minimal to none.
The situation, according to Transport
officials, is the reason for many old buses,
buses that have lacked maintenance and
repairs, to circulate the streets and
highways.
Some of these faulty units have been the
cause of a number of accidents, some fatal.
It is not difficult to spot these buses.
According to Riteve, fo the 11.000 buses it
inspects annually, 19% have not passed the
inspection for having faulty brakes, 14% for
problems with axles and suspension, 10% with
steering problems and 10% for failing gas
emissions.
All these are "invisible" problems, but
place passenger safety at risk.
According to the Defensoría de Los
Habitantes (Ombudsman) only 63 files have
been opened against bus operators, resulting
from complaints from the public.
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