“Taxiando” is the name of a new app developed and for use in Costa Rica to calculate the cost of a taxi ride.
According to the developer of the App, Carlos Osejo, the idea arose from people expressed uncertainty about the accuracy – complaints of overcharging – of the taximeter or “maria” as it is commonly referred to in Costa Rica and possible alteration of prices.
Taxis suspected of an altered meter are sometimes referred to as “turbo taxis”.
Using the smartphone’s GPS and rates set by the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep), the App can calculate the cost of a taxi ride.
The application has been available for several weeks and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Android Marketplace (Play Store) free of charge.