New Driving Restrictions are Changing the Face of Costa Rica Travel.

San José’s vehicular restriction has gotten cars off the roads and, hopefully, helped reduce the country’s monthly fossil fuel bill. Despite these positive aspects, there are many josefinos inconvenienced and uncomfortable with the new arrangements, especially those who feel unsafe on the city’s buses, as well as commuters whose daily ride now takes three times as long.

San José’s bus routes are managed by several different private companies, each having won a contract, giving them the right to operate the route. Several of these companies have already noted a significant increase in daily traffic. The Guadalupe company, which covers most of Goicoechea canton, reports an average increase of 5 percent. Overall figures state that daily bus passengers within greater San José have increased from approximately 1 million to 1.2 million, a difference of 200,000 daily rides, or 20 percent, on public transportation.

An unfortunate outcome of the new Pico y Placa laws is an increase in targets for crime. With 200,000 additional bus passengers each day, petty criminals have more choice of who to rob, including those now forced to carry expensive items, like laptops, on the bus, instead of in their cars. Currently, 120 assaults are reported each month on the Pavas bus line, 30 additional for Uruca busses, and 10-15 for the Desamparados route. Many thefts and assaults go unreported, because police are rarely able to recover goods or punish thieves.

Several bus passengers, many of whom usually drive to work, are afraid that with increased bus passengers, theft will increase. To combat these fears and help reduce on-bus crime, several bus companies have hired security guards to prevent passenger assault. In addition, the Fuerza Pública has dispatched several plainclothes policemen to ride routes undercover. Lumaca’s San José-Cartago route, lately plagued by several well-planned robberies, will be one company graced by police presence.

Further measures will be taken to protect passengers, as well. Several bus companies will install hidden cameras on their buses, and will study how to best act in the case of a robbery. Other companies are planning to eliminate some of their crime-prone bus stops, a measure that will help keep some passengers safe, while inconveniencing others.

Increased security will certainly be appreciated by all commuters, but several wonder about Costa Rica’s plans to build a San José-Heredia commuter train. Long in the works, the government had promised ¢2 billion ($3.67 million) to the project. “We’re trying to obtain the resources in the most expedited manner, in coordination with the Treasury, the work already started at the beginning of the week with the repair of a bridge that is close to the Calderón Guardia hospital, which will be finished this week,” president of Costa Rica’s Railway Institute (Incofer), Miguel Carabaguíaz, promised.

Trains and routes for the Heredia train will not be finished for at least six months. In the meantime, officials are discussing the creation of an electric train, or streetcar service. These transportation methods are faster than the bus, cost less for many, and are much more fuel-efficient. Effective implementation will help growing pains subside, and will provide the city’s commuters with safer, faster transportation services, while cutting down on Costa Rica’s fossil fuel reliance.

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Filed under: Costa Rica News on July 18th, 2008