Taxi fares are about to increase 6 percent

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff


Taxi rates are going up again, and riders will pay 6 percent more once the new prices are published in the official la Gaceta in a few days.

The regulating authority coupled the announcement with a strong warning that the rate does not depend on the nationality of the passenger, association with a hotel or the time of day.

The rate for the first kilometer or less is going from 330 colons to 350 or 70 U.S. cents. Subsequent kilometers will be charged at 320 colons instead of 300. Hourly rates for waiting or delay also increased.

Rural taxis will be able to charge 350 colons for the second and subsequent kilometer, also
a 6 percent increase from the previous rural rate.

Reacting to complaints it has received, the Authoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos also warned that every taxi must have a meter and follow the published rates. Hotel taxis generally do not have such devices and generally charge what the traffic will bear.

Taxi drivers, however, are able to quote flat rates for long hauls, like a trip from downtown San José to Juan Santamaría airport in Alajuela.

Some taxi drivers have been charging extra when they have to travel bad roads. This, too, is not permitted, said the authority.

The next review of taxi rates and a likely increase will be in August, the authority said.