QCOSTARICA – A new attempt by the Executive Branch, this time under the Chaves administration, to regulate the different mobility platforms existing in the country will be reflected in a bill that will be presented to the Legislative Assembly in the last days of February.
The text, which is in the final stages of review, includes aspects such as the insurance of Uber, DiDi, and InDrive drivers as independent workers before Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), and the payment of tax charges, among others.
The Government’s intention is to create an environment of parity between the paid transport of people by taxis and mobility apps, the latter of which have been operating in the country illegally for approximately seven years.
A bill to “even the playing field” has been in the works for some time.
Former President Carlos Alvarado proposed a similar project to the former Legislative Assembly, which was flatly rejected at that time.
From the start, the Chaves administration has said it would make an attempt to regulate sector, at the end of December, the Minister of the Presidency, Natalia DÃaz, said the text would be ready and delivered by the end of January.
Some 300,000 people in Costa Rica are users of transport apps, according to a study carried out last year by the regulatory authority, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep).