The Santa Cruz City Council, via the Mobility department, announced yesterday that “the owners of the 21 taxi permits that have been submitted and approved for the rescue process are being urged to submit the necessary documentation as soon as possible, specifically with the aim of facilitating their payment before the end of the month,” as stated by the mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez (CC9). He added that “the department is waiting for them to complete the essential procedure to receive their payments, given that as of today, the day following its publication in the BOP, they must cease their operations.”
Bermúdez emphasised that “with this administrative process, in which this City Council bears 55% of the total cost for each of the rescues of the 21 permits, the established timeline is maintained, and we hope that if the owners act promptly in providing the necessary documentation, the specified amounts will be paid before the month’s end.” He reminded that, “specifically for this, the service is in communication with each of them to expedite the process so that they can receive their payments promptly.”
In addition, the Councilor for Mobility, Evelyn Alonso (CC), remarked that “now, the 21 holders of the rescued permits must cease their activities and have until 14 January to provide the documentation, although as the mayor previously mentioned, “the intention is to ensure they are compensated as quickly as possible.” The councillor further explained that “to achieve this, they must submit a municipal licence, terminate any employment relations with staff, if applicable; dismantle the taxi-related modules; de-register or transfer the vehicle for private use; and if they wish to transfer the vehicle, and this is intended for another licence, provide the relevant documentation to substantiate this.”
The service indicates that of the 26 licences registered for the rescue process, which was initiated in a timely manner, ultimately five of them withdrew their application, leading to the decision to archive the relevant files of those licence holders, with the remaining 21 now in the payment process, awaiting the submission of documentation from some. The City Council’s forecast for this year was to recover at least 38 licences, though ultimately fewer were registered.
Additionally, Evelyn Alonso reported that “the Santa Cruz taxi service will operate at full capacity from 1 to 11 January, thereby fulfilling a request from taxi drivers for a service release, although the initiative initially sought a much longer period, but there was insufficient administrative time for it.”
Schedule
Conversely, the city council reported that the BOP published the plenary agreement last Wednesday, adopted during a session on 29 November 2024, which resolved to alter the weekly schedule of stops for licensed taxi vehicles in Santa Cruz for 2024, removing the last paragraph of its first rule that stated it did not apply to taxi licences pertaining to vehicles adapted for individuals with reduced mobility (PMR).
Consequently, taxi licences with vehicles adapted for individuals with reduced mobility will now follow the same schedule as the rest of the licences, according to their associated letters (A, B, C, D, and E) and whether the licence numbers are even or odd (P, I), in line with the framework outlined in the aforementioned agreement.
