by The country’s taxi drivers announced a day of blockades and strikes for this Wednesday, February 22, for which they chose different neuralgic points in the main cities to park and carry out the turtle plan, an action in which they move at low speed causing congestion on the tracks.
One of the reasons why public service drivers went on strike is the illegal transport service that many private car drivers provide through applications such as Didi, Uber, Cabify, InDriver, among others.
However, these strikes and protests are taken advantage of by the drivers of the different platforms, since the shortage of taxis makes people looking to get around go there, increasing the rates due to the high demand.
For example, from the Morato sector, in the northwest of Bogotá, to the Plaza de las Américas shopping center, in the south of the capital, an ordinary day a trip around 6:00 am costs between $13,000 and $ 16,000; however, today, in the midst of the taxi drivers’ strike, the rate is over $31,000, which represents an increase of more than 50%.
Another example of how prices rise thanks to what these applications call ‘dynamic pricing’ It can be seen when trying to request a service from the same point of origin (Morato) to Parque de la 93, on a normal day, the journey costs between $13,000 and $15,000 pesos, and for today, due to the taxi drivers’ strike, it is over $26,000.
It should be noted that these applications also offer taxi services, the same ones that are unemployed protesting against these platforms and other issues that affect them such as the price of gasoline, the state of the roads and insecurity.
In which cities will taxi drivers be unemployed?
After getting up from the negotiating table with the national government, the taxi driver union announced that this Wednesday, February 22, drivers from Bogotá, Palmira, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Montería, Pereira, Armenia, Manizales, Cali, Bucaramanga, Pasto, Ibagué, Villavicencio, Yumbo, Tunja, Sincelejo, Neiva, Chocó and Yopal will join the national strike.
The participation of more than 165 taxi driver organizations in 29 cities of the country is expected in the national strike.
These are the meeting points in Bogotá for this Wednesday, February 22
For this Wednesday, February 22, the different associations of Taxi drivers called a national strike, in which they will demonstrate against the high prices of gasoline, unregulated mobility platforms, among other reasons.
Concentrations are expected at different points in several cities in the country, including Bogotá. According to the taxi drivers’ union, these will be the places where they will meet in the Colombian capital.
- North Portal of TransMilenio.
- Ciudad de Cali Avenue with 26th Street.
- Streets near the El Dorado airport.
- Calle 13 with carrera 37, in front of the Ministry of Mobility.
- Calle 80 east-west direction
- Calle 13 sector of El Playón.
- TransMilenio Tunal Portal
- Flags Monument.
- Portal of July 20.
Strike of taxi drivers in Cali: concentration points
Johnny Rangel, director of the La Mancha Amarilla taxi drivers union, confirmed that taxi drivers in the capital of Valle del Cauca will meet at different points starting at 4:00 am this Wednesday and then, from 5:00 am, they will walk slowly through the streets in the so-called turtle plan.
Rangel assured that taxi drivers in Cali They will gather in Sameco, Menga, Alfonso López, Ciudad Jardín, Paso del Comercio, Portada al Mar, transport terminal, city center and near shopping centers.
“The taxi drivers are going to advance a turtle plan, which is slow mobilizations in different parts of the city, but under no circumstances will blockades that affect citizens be allowed,” said Jimmy Dranguet, Cali’s Secretary of Security and Justice.
Strike of taxi drivers in Medellín: concentration points
The drivers will take to the most important streets of the Aburrá Valley to show their rejection of the use of digital platforms in the management of the public transport service, as well as other points that agitate the negotiation with the Casa de Nariño.
There are several points in which the union will concentrate. Their plan is to set up tents and prepare food on the streets. This would be replicated in the municipalities of the eastern Antioquia subregion. Difficulties are expected in reaching the international airport.
There will be demonstrations in the Caldas variant, at the height of the regional one that connects with Sabaneta; Mayorca shopping center; Medellín-Bogotá highway, at the scale, and Medellín-Bogotá highway, in the vicinity of Belén, in Rionegro.
