QCOSTARICA – Bätse is the only mobile application (app) that the official taxi drivers (red taxis) can legally use in Costa Rica.
This despite the fact that other services such as OMNi Taxi have been operating in the market for some time and even some taxi drivers use the inDriver platform, the Public Transport Council (CTP) confirmed that the red taxis are not permitted to use any other than the Bätse, which is charged at the official taxi rates approved by the regulating authority, and in the same manner used by the taximeter or “maria” as it commonly known in the country.
The executive director of the CTP also took the opportunity to remind drivers and customers that all apps (other than the Bätse) are illegal.
“Any transport activity of people that does not have a concession or permit granted by the Public Transport Council (CTP) is illegal regardless of the purpose of commercial technology platforms since this type of facilitation exposes users to a situation risk in terms of their safety,” explained Vega.
So far, the CTP says it has some 4,000 concessionaires registered on the Bätse platform and about 3,845 taxi drivers, though there is still no definitive date for its official launch.
The Bätse tariff model is not authorized for point-to-point charging (such as Uber, DiDi, OMNi), it must follow the taxi fare model for paid public transport.