Driving home their point. Cab drivers create street baricade to pressure a meeting with the mayor.

Cab drivers flex muscles over transport businesses and licensing
BY KELVIN MARSHALL

Local cab drivers recently exercised a little bit of civil disobedience and barricaded the road east and west in front of the town council offices. The protest led to a meeting with the Mayor and the Police Chief. The cab drivers “Association” is concerned about the growing number of businesses providing passenger transportation such as the large open trucks taking tourists to the beaches as well as the airport shuttle vans. The cab drivers think that it is taking business away from them. They want them to pay the same licensing and plate fees as the cabs.

Casa Oro hostel was one example singled out by the drivers. I spoke to Crisanto Lopez, the owner of the hostel, who told me “I am not operating a cab service. We have an Intur licence as part of our total tourism package offered to our guests.” He also said, “Trips to the beaches north and south of SJdS require a substantial vehicle in good condition. Most travelers are carrying a good sized back pack each and a surf board or two. We have the vehicle to do the job”.

Before the meeting I spoke to the Mayor, Eduardo Holmann, who told me that prior to 2005, there were 120 to 130 licensed San Juan cabs. “We currently have 65, a more reasonable number”.

He also told me that his office can only license cabs to operate within the San Juan del Sur municipal limits. “The cabs are actually only allowed to go into the town of Rivas as part of a special arrangement with the Ministry of Transport”. He added, “I have no authority over the Airport or Managua shuttles”. No firm decisions have been reached and discussions continue.