If you open Uber in Costa Rica and tap the red taxi option, check the price before you confirm. On a longer ride, it can cost you two and a half times what the same trip costs on UberX. The gap showed up in side-by-side fare checks by a local news crew this week. A ride from Alajuela’s central park to the entrance of Poás Volcano, about 27 kilometers (17 miles) and roughly 50 minutes, came to ₡10,590 (about $23) on UberX. The same trip by red taxi through the app cost ₡26,686 (about $58).
That is a difference of roughly ₡16,100, or about $35, for one ride. Short trips show a smaller gap in money, but not in proportion. A 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) ride from the National Theater to the University of Costa Rica, about 10 minutes, cost ₡1,890 (about $4) on UberX and ₡3,655 (about $8) by red taxi. That is close to double.
The reason is the meter. Red taxis booked through the app still have to charge the official taxi fare, the same rate you would pay if you flagged one down on the street. The app shows you an estimate before you book, but the final charge follows that official fare, and UberX drivers are not bound by it.
Laura Santillán, Uber’s manager for Central America, said Uber Taxi fares are the same ones taxis charge on the street, so riders pay what they would for a cab hailed at the curb. Uber says about 300 red taxi drivers have signed up. Red taxis became bookable through Uber only recently, and not everyone in the taxi sector is on board. Rubén Vargas of the Costa Rican Taxi Drivers Union said the price comparison is unfair.
Vargas said licensed taxi drivers pay for vehicle inspections, insurance, a special operating license and taxes. He argued that platform drivers pay no taxes and charge prices too low to make a living on.
Before you confirm a ride, compare the UberX and Uber Taxi estimates. On a short hop across San José, the red taxi costs you a few extra dollars. On a long trip out of the city, the gap grows fast. If you get around Costa Rica without a car, that difference adds up over a month of rides.
The rules could change. A bill in the Legislative Assembly would bring ride-hailing platforms under state regulation in a free-market model. Companies would have to set up locally and pay taxes. Under the bill, drivers and vehicles would have to be registered with the road safety council, carry insurance and pass technical inspection. Drivers would also need to be registered with the tax authority and the social security system.
Until lawmakers decide, the fare you pay depends on which button you press. The estimate is on the screen before every ride.
