President Iván Duque sanctioned a new regulation that extends the useful life of public road passenger transport vehicles in order to promote the economic reactivation of the country in this sector.
(Declare nullity in the creation of transport operator in Bogotá).
The new regulation is part of Law 2198 of January 25, 2022, issued by Congress.
“This is one of the days that brings joy and that also comforts us, because the transporters of Colombia have been heroes in difficult times, the transport sector was active in a very good part of the pandemic, it had to adapt to such vicissitude, seeing how abruptly they lost their passengers, how the routes were lost, but they maintained that firmness and resilience of someone who is looking for an opportunity. We know that many jobs were at risk and many may have been lost, but we also saw the ability to work as a team to move the sector forward”highlighted the president after sanctioning the law.
The measure will benefit 24,562 of the 24,924 active vehicles in the Public Transport modality throughout the country; figure that corresponds to 99% of these vehicles.
In the case of Mixed Public Transport, that isof passengers traveling with their merchandise, of the 3,156 active vehicles in the modality, 3,148 will receive the benefit, which represents 99.7% of the total.
(These are the prices of public transport in main cities).
The Minister of Transport, Ángela María Orozco, celebrated the enactment of the Law and the benefits it represents, “This Law, which in some way demonstrates the commitment that this Government has had with the transport sector since its inception, is precisely the central objective of this law, and it is to provide a set of incentives and alternatives that allow for a better reactivation. and the consolidation of public land passenger and mixed transport in the country, which is worth saying is the largest sector, that is, the sector that most mobilizes Colombians in tourist times”.
In relation to the useful life, in the case of public passenger transport vehicles by road, collective, that operate at the metropolitan, district, municipal and mixed levels, registered before December 31, 2020 and that are within the time of maximum useful life or the term to be replaced, they will have four additional years of operation, counted from the completion of their useful life or the term for their replacement.
It is clarified that this includes vehicles registered before December 31, 2020, which have completed their useful life between March 12, 2020 and the date of enactment of the Law, that is, January 25, 2022.
According to the Minister of Transport, the measure is aimed at improving service provision with guarantees for users, “Vehicles covered by the Law must be up to date with the technical-mechanical and polluting emissions review, otherwise they will not be able to extend their useful life”, he explained.
The Representative of the Superior Council of Transport, Freddy Camilo García, was pleased with the announcement and assured that “Today the Law is consolidated as a reality for passenger transport in Colombia, greet the Minister and Vice Minister of Transport, and on your behalf thank the Ministry of Transport for having accompanied the process of this Law in its design ”.
MODIFICATION OF COURSES IN THE ROUTES
The Law also contemplates changes in the routes of the routes that will allow to take full advantage of the new road infrastructure available to the country.
In this case, the modification of an existing route in order to use the new road infrastructure will not be considered as new, if it is due to the possibility of taking advantage of new road infrastructure as variants or new sections that connect the same origin and destination.
On the other hand, it was foreseen that authorized companies that are interested in offering new routes may request and obtain the respective permit based on the evaluation, which, at their own risk, they carry out on the existence of a potential demand.
In any case, it must be verified that there is no authorized offer and that there is no total or partial overlap with any previously authorized route. Use of resources from the replacement fund The owners of passenger transport vehicles by road, collective, with municipal, district and/or metropolitan, and mixed national scope of action, can request all of their contributions to the replacement funds. replacement, in order to have a minimum income due to the economic impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The foregoing, without prejudice to the obligation to carry out the replacement of the vehicles in the terms provided in the regulations that govern the matter.
TYPES OF VEHICLES
Another good news for those who provide the mixed land transport service (passengers who transport their merchandise or cargo) is the entry into operation of four new types of vehicles, in addition to those provided for in article 2 of Law 769 of 2002.
These are the mixed service van, mixed service closed van, campero and mixed service minibus, which allows carriers to be more competitive with an intermediate capacity, which was not previously part of this modality, in addition to providing a more comfortable service for users.
These and other measures adopted by the new Law are an example of how the Colombian State recognizes the importance of public transport as an essential public service.
BRIEFCASE
