Contrary to the desires of the formal (red) taxis, President Carlos Alvarado announced a bill by which Uber will remain in Costa Rica and will coexist with the taxi services.
“As a Government, we have the responsibility to work tirelessly to ensure the well-being of all people. Today we take a step forward in this route, presenting the bill that regulates digital transport platforms, such as Uber,” the president said from his Twitter account.
Hoy damos un paso adelante para asegurar el bienestar de las personas, presentando el proyecto de ley que regula las plataformas digitales de transporte, como Uber. pic.twitter.com/aMXn0boGPK
— Carlos Alvarado Quesada (@CarlosAlvQ) January 22, 2019
Alvarado added in his message is the commitment of his administration “to move towards a public transport system in which taxis and companies that work through technological platforms, coexist under conditions of fair competition.”
According to the President, the purpose is to ensure the welfare of users, the social security of drivers and the contribution of income tax that correspond to them.
The announcement Tuesday afternoon by Alvarado was made at the same time the Deputy Minister of the Presidency, Agustín Castro Solano, delivered the bill to the Legislative Assembly.
The proposed bill (21.228) is titled: “Proyecto de Reforma al Sistema de Transporte Remunerado de Personas y Regulación de las Empresas de Plataformas Tecnológicas de Transportes” (Reform of the System of Transport Paid Persons and Regulation of the Companies of Technological Platforms of Transports).
The presentation of the bill to Congress begins the legislative process that includes a review by a legislative committee before being tabled to the full legislative assembly for discussion and vote.
The bill declares services such as Uber a public service, creates the so-called Registro de Empresas de Plataforma de Transporte ( Register of Transport Platform Companies), setting out a series of requirements for such companies to operate in the country and the list of drivers accredited by the company, among other provisions.
Last November, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that the competition “improves the market, improves us as a company and, in the end, forces the taxis to be better too. We believe in a level playing field for all players.”
President Carlos is in Davos, Switzerland attending the World Economic Forum
