Costa Rica News – Seems that Costa Rica will be pushing away competition against the Red Taxi Mafia.
Uber has been operating illegally in Costa Rica, as confirmed by the Legal Department of the Public Transport Council. All paid forms of transportation are supposed to have authorization, which Uber does not.
Uber works via a mobile app. Drivers are found and payments made without as much as a phone call or taking out one’s wallet. It’s all online. It’s also different from taxi services in that it doesn’t provide the drivers, it just connects drivers and passengers.
Uber claims it is acting legally, based on the Free Trade Agreement between the Dominican Republic, Central America and the United States. Uber considers itself part of a self-sufficient community.
On Uber’s first day of operation in the country, two cars were pulled out by the traffic police for providing this service but since then not one has been stopped. In total, from January to July, there were 4,260 fines given out for various forms of illegal transportation in Costa Rica.
