QCOSTARICA – Uber Costa Rica general manager, Humberto Pacheco, says the company is willing to negotiate with the government and did not rule out the possibility that service be regulated, although he admits that the two sides have not yet reached that point in the conversation.
The question is whether Uber is a private or public service, with the government saying it is illegal and Uber on the other side of the debate, says it is operating legally, since it is not a public service, but, rather a commitment between the provider (driver) and user (consumer).
The entry of Uber in the country has generated support and opposition from different sectors, to the point that in the first days of operations, two vehicles were seized by traffic authorities and at least one driver was attacked by a mob of taxi drivers.
For his part, Pacheco, a lawyer and former partner in one of Costa Rica’s top law firms, says Uber can operate under the existing laws.
“Uber is respectful of Costa Rican law, took months working with lawyers and the conclusion is that we can work within a model of self-sufficiency”, he said on Friday in an interview withe La Republica.
Since Friday, the day it started official to operate in the country, Uber says it has had more than 4,500 downloads of its app (smartphone application) in Costa Rica.
To win over customers, Uber in Costa Rica is offering free the first to trips (not to exceed a combined ¢5,000 colones).
The week before last the company held a training seminar for the first 14 drivers who signed up to operate within the Uber environment.
The curiosity of users wanting to try the service left many without available cars. The company expects more drivers to sign up with the passage of time, to have a stable supply of vehicles.
Source: La Republica
