The Minister of Transport, Guillermo Reyes, announced that after the meeting with the taxi drivers’ union, it was decided to create three commissions in which the requests made by the union transported in the country will be analyzed, such as the blocking of platforms, SOAT and social security for taxi drivers nationwide.
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The official pointed out that the topics exposed by the taxi drivers are complex due to the impact that it could generate. any decision made without due study and analysis.
“On the issues of the platforms, the taxi drivers expected the President to make a radical decision to establish that the platforms are absolutely illegal and that a radical policy must be put into it, but the president did not do it for many reasons, as it has been an issue for many years, so decisions cannot be made in one day, ”he said.
He stressed that the national government ordered the creation of three large commissions to work with taxi drivers, drivers, entrepreneurs and owners.
“One of the tables will deal with the issue of the platforms, the President considers that it is necessary to find a problem that must be resolved, such as the resources that these platforms take or go abroad, when operating outside the country, they use some Colombians as a source of work and the resources are taken away,” he said.
He explained that using these technologies, exploring the worker does not pay taxes and they take the resources.
“The president strongly condemns that, however there are many Colombians who live from this service that is not within the framework of public service as such, so it was determined to create work tables where the Ministry of ICT and taxi drivers participate. They can establish what is the measure that the Government must take,” he said.
He stressed that as a second issue, the door was left open to analyze the issue of social security, where meetings will be held with the Ministry of labor and taxi drivers to establish the rights of workers.
“The third issue was the energy transition, because it has been determined to advance an operational work table and that they make decisions soon, the president has determined to study some funds that exist in the ministries of Mines and Transport where we can start the process of transition from fuel taxis to electric taxis, with the respective electric stations that allow the charging of taxis”, he assured.
The Minister of Transportation said that the issue of taxiing cannot be analyzed from a centralized point of view in the city of Bogotá.
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“Taxiism is one thing in Bogotá, oranother is the one that lends itself on the Pacific coast, on the Atlantic coast, the Orinoquía and the Amazon, for which it was determined to carry out a regional study verifying the conditions of the regions”, he added.
He remembered what happened in Sincelejo where much of the service provided is mototaxis.
“The issue of disqualifying mototaxism must be done carefully, the president asks, because where this figure has been used for a long time and there is no massive public service in fair and reduced conditions, it must be done carefully because the social implosion that could be generated would be very serious for the country”he pointed out.
Reyes pointed out that these meetings with the taxi union have been historic and the President affirmed that this will not be the first meeting but that many more will come, to continue studying first-hand the problems of this transport union in Colombia.
