QCOSTARICA – We’ve all be hearing about Uber this, that and the other. So, are there any benefits of using Uber instead of the regular taxi and what are they?
Telenoticias, Costa Rica’s national television news, took to the task of comparing a ride and cost between Uber and the red taxi (the legal taxis in the country) and this is what they found.
The Telenoticias team took identical trips between the Tobias Bolaños (Pavas) airport and the ICE building in Sabana norte, one with a Uber driver, the other with a red taxi. The ride was by way of the boulevard (Rohrmoser), a distance of 5.7 kilometres.
The red taxi took 12 minutes and 5 seconds, charging ¢3.775. The Uber driver took 13 minutes and 20 seconds, charging ¢2.896. However, the Uber driver offered his passengers candy and soft drinks and turning down the air conditioning.
Different than the red taxi hailed a the curb outside the airport, by way of the Uber app the user knew the type of vehicle, the plate number and information about the driver, including a photo and reviews of other users.
Other differences, in this case, the Uber vehicle was newer, a 2012 Hyundai Accent with air conditioning, in contrast with the red taxi, a 1997 Hyundai Sonata and no air conditioning.
The taxi driver told Jessica Quesada that despite the arrival of Uber in Costa Rica a little over a week ago, he saw no difference in business and called the Uber service “another means of transport”.
Use the comments section below to share your opinion, if would you use Uber instead of the red taxi or Uber in Costa Rica a fad that will quickly disappear, going back to the tried and true system of the red taxis?
Candy & soft drinks, more A/C, 23% savings in fare and a vehicle 15 years younger. What’s wrong with this picture? Not much. While I believe public safety suggests some regulation and therefore some tax burden, it should be kept to a minimum. It’s smart technology that’s driving this change and the “reds” around the world should get with it not try to kill it.
I used this service in Columbus, Ohio during August. I say, “GO UBER!” This is what is meant by “competition”.